Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-22
SENATOR GIBBS.
The Dallas Senator on the All.Absorb'
ing Question.
Fence Cutting It's Causes and Cure
Discu ,scd.
Full Report of senator Gibbs Last
Friday.

Mr.. Chairman-In discussing the
pending bill the most of the champions
Of its provisions seem to vetakeu
their cue from the preamble of the bill
itself and proclaim that a desire fol
free grass is the only motive for the
crime.
The learned author of the measure
has discovered one cause and lost sight
of the many others. and yet they AT,
AS numerous as ackberries in sum.
iner time. How will you account fol
the well-established TACT that there
have been more small pasture aud
farm fences cut than large onts? How
do you account for The fact that the
really large pastures in the West have
escaped entirely, while men with
nothing put peach orchards aud house
pastures have had them totally de-
molished? The small home of the
WIDOW and the sanctuary OF the dead
have not escaped. The want of proper
road facilities and the inclosing oflaud
nv Others than the owners have con.
tributed no little to the general dis
satisfaction, aud resulted, in some
INSTANCES, in feuce-cutting, but these
have not been the causes in the major
ity OF instances. Ii Is Useless t. dis
cui-s the ,auses, for they are too
numerous, but 1t is safe to say that the
worst of the evil can be charged up 10
general cussedness and human deprav-
ity, aud the cunluiunistic teachings OF
politicians. The people all at once
discovered that "A wire fence was the
most helpless of all human inventions;
they discovered that by their destruc-
ton they could commit more crime in
less time than by any other known
process, and that the chances for de-
struction were fewer, and
THE PUNISHMENT
lighter than for other violations of law
Texas IL no exception to the well
known and long established rule that
crime will be committed more readily
when the punishment in case If detec-
ton and conviction is doubtful and in
adeq otherwise good men,
have no doubt been induced to engage
in or connive AT lence-cutting because
OF oppressive acts by pastnremen and
those giant cattle corporations which
are contrary 10 the true interests of our
people. While these things are true,
aud while the fence cutter by CRYING
out against 'munOpOlie-, aud In IA
vor ot road facilities, has touched a
tender CHORD and gained the synIpa-
thy of the public in many instances.
yet the fact remains that many of the
men engaged la the business are cattle
thieves who realize that every fence
narrows their field of operations
Good and bad elements have
combined in this uuhoiy
invasion lof property rights.
IN SOME INSTANCES
these same individuals would cut the
throat OF tray, Ter, except for the fear
Ot detection and severe punishment.
in others the perpptratpr would divide
his last crust Whenever the crimi
mails of IA stale find "A weak point in the
law they hasten 20 take advantage OF
II. Bad men, because the press ami
the people justified this offrnse ia the
beginning, have ceased to have any
motive for the crime other than to be
In the fashion Deviii-h boys. not
considering it crime because the law
and publicupiuion only classtd IL as a
misuemeanor, have made midnight
raids on the fence of disagreeaiIle
neighbor ana laughed al the sensation
created by them, The most civilized
communities have their share of com
munlsm aud vandalism, which are re.
straihed only by severe laws drpend-
Ing for their enforcement upon the
preponderance of moral sentiment IN
rude communities To sustain the law.
The preamble of this bi advocates
# l, . .-.-s s.,N.A M.
oi school lands without recognizing
the necessity OF reserving the strictlI
agricultural lands Tor sale to actual sell
Ileis. Such policy would add fuel Ia
the fire. This would retard The growth
of the state and put every farmer seek
ing home in reXas AT the mercy of
the railroad corporations and land
spectators, because the state has no
more homes for them ON REASONABLE.
terms. The first section of the bill re-
qulres, in eff CT, that certain elias .es of
storkmen shall fence or herd their
stock while ii let's Il sufficient number
run loose 10 require the farmer 10 keen
up his fence Herd laws have never
been enacted or tolerated on any other
principle than that 1t enabled the farm.
er to save the Expense of building and
repairing fences. Here We are ask.t
to adopt all the hardships of herd
law and eschew
ms BENEFITS.
On what principle of justice or
equity can man 1T twenty five head
o cattle run on the range and the man
with thirty head must own or
lrase lanu? A general herd law in
Texas l. not practicable AT this time