Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-08-03
A STATES DUTIES.
Something for fhc Houston Convention
to Dream On when II Meets.

To the Editor OF the Gazette.
It's passing strange that the advo.
Gates OF the present lease law have 80
much trouble in drawing the line of
distinction between the transactions
of one individual with another and
the reciprocal ties and respective duties
existing between state and its clti-
zens. The social problem Of maintain.
ing the just relations between different
sections, the interests of which were
diverse, has been found very difficult
in all governments; but the foundation
OF political or civil liberty is that man
shall pursue his own will and happi-
ness so long as he interferes with no
one, and the duty of the state Ia to
protect him In his rights. A citizen is
part and parcel of the commonwealth
IN which he resides; he pays taxes. Is
amenablc to the laws, looks up to |
that commonwealth for protection /
when he has been wronged like n
child to its parents. And IL she needs |
his services against an enemy he
shoulders his gun and marching to the
front offers his life in her defense.
Now, sir, l lay down the proposition
that no state, the above mentioned
facts being true, has the right to deal
with her citizens under the same cold
FLOODED, clear-cut business rules which
govern transactions between strangers.
The duty of n state IL TO foster and pro-
tect the interests of her people both
in the East and in the West; to frown
upon Il y and every effort that tends
to cripple the industries and retard the
growth and development of any sec.
ton, and any other course of action,
whether by monarch or majority
of people in Texas, Is unqualified
tyranny.
fla citizen accumulates wealth, either
in stock, land or money, the state Is
just that much richer and the taxes on
the property go to fill the public cof-
fers.
The cattlemen of Texas have ever
been the pioneers--the Boones and
Crocketts. leading the van of civiliza-
ton; and | do not wonder that the
spirit shown during the debates in the
called session of the legislature, the
final passage of the lease law, aud the
envious, coid.blooded doctrines which
its advocates have since propagated, fell
upon their ears like the sound of fire
bell at night. They know they have
been wronged, and in the language OF
: Old Hickory,
, ''BY THE ETERNAL GOD"
l know 1t, too. Under the common
: law we find common appendant Il
7 have been matter of universal right
permitted for the encourageme o
: agriculture, and when the lords o
manors granted out parcels of lane
= this right of common was inseparabl,
( incident to the grant. The Unite,
y States government has always per
!. mitted her public domain to be opel
!. commons except as to waste Of timber
. Grass comes up in the spring, Is Gu
down by the frosts of winter, ant
comes forth again with the next spring
= hence, particularly when it grows upol
u the broad public domain IT may an
a should justly be
y CHASED WITH AIR AND WATER,
:. things to which man can only posses
y a usufructuary right, and a rule this
r; would apply to cutting timber on pnl
:, lie lands, which requires half a eel
L. fury to grow again, cannot apply
5. grass.
The organs and advocates of til
= lease law assert that the caffeine
y have, by their line-riders, terrorize
I, and driven oil those who would ha,
Q, engaged i'm agriculture, and give us
understand that this same lease law
% to act as a kind of quasi punishment
~ and Ia hurled i'm all its force. agains
It the interests of West Texas because
fe " cattlemen have shown an over
= bearing spirit. Is it anything els
n than natural that our people shout
g. protest against such injustice? An
e. yet they tell us, "Why this free.gras
= question is not an issue to be take
I, into state politics" would as
&c those gentlemen. what constitutes
er political issue? What is public issu
" but disputed point pertaining to pul
= lie policy or state affairs? LIS the tart
IS question political issue? Certainl.
G. Why? Because 1t Is disputed poiI
~ in the policy of the national govern
- ment. And yet the same men, WI
t. admit this, will tell us that free gra
er Is no issue and should not be consit
u cred by the
HOUSTON CONVENTION.
- when the lease law is directly an II
H, Jury to cattle raising IN West Texa
D. and indirectly an injury to all 9TH
le- industries in the state, from the Eas
&c, ern pineries to the Rio Grande. "NoI
are SO OlluNl 10 tiiOpC WhO 'Shu9S w oSN
IL The Western counties in their col
er ventions have denounced the lea
TO law as unjust and have declared f
free grass. These counties compo
re- the
Il. GIBRALTAR or TEXAS DEMOCRAT
Of, Their people are on u
;e, ground, and know their right
N. Now, when these people go into q
ne Houston convention and say, "Tl
land policy of the state Is ruinous
n us; IL cripples our chief industry;
IT. retards the development of our cou
u, try" are they to be told, "Oh, fr
We grass Is no issue?" II so. the preset
on agitation of the question Is but
zephyr compared with the storm tn
IN will break over the country in Mover
Ms Der.
nd No Elijah's mantle rests OH II
is. shoulders, and what ] say may fail
ed assume the reach of prophecy, but
DC here venture the assertion that unle
M the next state convention adopts son
measures calculated to change the pre-
:, ent land policy of the state and ten
1T ing to stop this enviOus fight bell
made by newspapers and pla
- hunters against the Interests of We
id Texas, the November election will u
IN IN q tale that will awaken some OF o
- over-confident political leaders to Y
= situation. Il. +. w.