The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1884-08-07
LEANG NiNitN.
-Rrr caysa IS IGNORANCE
rnsrs nee lduriilon ~" spr'luus
Argument. ur Adyorat'- of fr,t
Gfnsf aia'i's that are
Iupiy a. Ale Bubbles

MEmpNN, Aug, Editor lIruAia
II il proplrNibg Ia witness the def
nrcnsc paid 10y the pres, nnd poop. :,
"a Isolated question ul state policy, and
The disposition ON the part ~ many pro,
plp in elect Legislature with rcfrrrur,
"a that single question Ia adjudgr q
man llt for u Legislator or not on av-
cunt of his status ON "ircc grass" II
~ still more pcrplrNlng Ia suo how
Ittcrly Ignorant the people are ~ a.
what II meant In this election 10y "ircv
grass
lncrc are many people who would
not disguise themselves ~ thieves ana
highwuymcn, ANA 90 under cover ~
darkness and cut down the lcucc that
Tho honest owner of land had erected Ia
'uulOSo a pasture for his own stock; hul
vino desired the privilege of grazing hs
stock ON nnyhudy'S land ~ had been
done from timo imuIcmurlal and when
other pCuplocut down pastures lid moi
condemn IL, II wits a business they did
not wish To- embark m themselves, hu
hey desired Ia SEC IL prosper in the
hands of the more daring ANA drprUNuu,
who were the actual criminals. Al! th,~
Stree grass They ARE class ut men
who have been accustomed tn huya
heir way, aud to make laws Tn regulate
the conduct aud the legal right, a.,
other men who live near them, INrN
think that II u udu comes lu aud
pay u high price for u tract of land that
uIS water or timber, ur grass uu II, that
hc has liberty 20 build 70 house aud live
on il; 20 enclose u part of IL and rui-u
crops, hut that he mus, let them use the
water, the timber and the grass, lust ~
they did before he bought Il. They are
ui.u 81 welded tn the notion, that the
men who settled the country and lived
on IL, without Labor, shall still have tho
rght 10 do So, that they can't see the
want Of difference between cutting
down the owners fence, that prevents
their cattle from eating his grass; aud
killing his cattle or his horses and
sheep, or cutting down and destroying
mis- growing crops. They are 50 uhtUsr,
that they would be prepared 10 excuse
The midnight perpetrators of the one
class of crimes, and wou.i themselves
join in a mob to lynch the perpetrators
Of the other.
Free grass with the ignorant, Is fence
cutting in Il diluted form, II is the
assent 10 u sentiment that is offered to
the system of stGckraiSing in Texas,
lately accepted, of owning and en-
closing pasture lands, instead of raising
stock on lands not owned 10y those who
use them. The pcrplcXing feature is
that men who entertain TINS sentiment,
ignOrantly connect ii with the political
issue of "Ircc grass now before the pco-
pie. They cannot be made
10 understand that this que~-
ton only relates to the land:
that Texas has set apart for educational
purposes and The support of her asylums
none OF winch are located IN ms ~
adjoining counties, and that the contin-
uation or the repeal Of the lease law can
not possibly affect any pasture or open
lands here. They are told that free
;rass," rs now agitated, is boon to the
poor man. They understand it to mean
that the owners of grass shall! keep il
open for their stock to cat. Ii no more
means that than that the owners Of corn,
wheat, oats and beef cattle shall furnish
chem bread and meat. Free grass, a.
now agitatCd, has no possible legal or
moral connection with either. Ii is
simply que ton ~ 10 what the State
will do, for the time being, with the
lands she has dedicated to the purposes
above stated, the education OF the child
rem and the support of the aSylums for
the unfortunate and afflicted. The state
was rich in lands not demanded for set
. clement. Some she gave TO her soldiers
who have rented ana used them; some
70 railroad companies and to other pub
lie uses; some to counties for school pur-
poses, all of which have passed into the
hands of the owners. Some have settled
and improved them; some sold them nj
low prices: some still hold tnCm.
But tho right to o." free grass" is no.
set up in any of them. except by the
lrncc cutters to which | have referred.
Those set apart Tor Tree schools and a>y-
.ums. the state holds in trust for the
asses designed. They are in the grazing
region of Texas, where they have not
been required for actual settlement, auu
many of them not likely to be for long
ime to come, but were actually being
used and made the source of large HrOf
its by men who were owners OF stock
II was simply "A question with the lcgis
laturc holding the lands in trust for TN,
purposes designed, whether they shall
remain open to the public to use free, o,
Tor such time rs they were not decided h,
actual settlers who would buy anda sctt
on them, or be leased 1T Il nominal rate
in order to supplement the educationa
fund raised by taxation, and always sub
iect to actual sale and settlement. Tn,
repeal of the Lease Law, or "frce-grass'
will stop all this income. and license ca
tlcmcn to get rich on lands not thci
own.
1t is said the Lease Law obstructs tn
sale ofthc lands and prevents the settle
ment of the country, and authorizes cat
Jlencn to engroSS the country by larS
Das.urcS. This is in he face of the stat
ate, that gives the actual settler prefer
ence; ana the right to terminate an,
mans lease by actual purchase and set
clement, and in the face of tn
fact, that no settler ha
in any instance been Kept away from
lands desired for and suite,
to agriculture. And in the fac
of the fact. that the lands are il
alternate sections, and the lessees vii
have to buy the other alternate section
in order to enclose large pasture.
If the operation Of the lease lay
or the retuSual of the State TO sell thei
lands should keep them of the mar
ket IL few wears, the price will be sui
,icent to educate all the children Of tn
state, while to sell them at the nomina
rates now paid for such as are sold, is I
virtually suuander and waste this vas
treasure. II sold rs the county schoC
lands in many cases have been, only tn
interest can be used. Let us have TIA
rental and hold the lands, instead of tn
interest on the proceeds ut nomina
prices, until such time as the prices pal
! will yield fund to run our tree school
all the year. The lease law is the poo
mans law; "frec grass" is bonus and
monopoly to cattle men, who care ne
for the education of our children.
, q,