Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-02-02

city has prepared and circulated:
FoRT WORTH, TEX, Jan. q, 1855.
To the Hon, w. y. Pendleton, Representative
districts OF which our county forms nor.
uOng;
Sirs-We, theundersigned citizens of
the United States and of the state of
Texas, would hereby respectfully state.
that we are, and for some time have
been, anxious TO go TO the frontier and
settle, as community, but not as
partners, as we wish for each and
every person TO have absolute control
Of his own affairs SsrJainlng to proper,
ty, and all other personal rights and
interests, while for public aud moral
interests, we wish to make our settle
ment In n manner that will enable us
to contribute to each others benefit,
to-wit; the maintenance OF good gov.
eminent, public schools, places of
divine worship, etc.
Our number is composed Of practical
people, containing thoroughly eNpe-
rienced and skillful farmers, stockmen,
carpenters, civil and mechanical engi-
neers, painters, millwTights, black
smiths, school-teschers, olS-keepera,
and persons Of nearly all other lpgih-
mate and useful occupations, but not
withstanding that we always have
been and feel that we now are self
sustaining and able 10 make reasonable
progress IN the accumulation Of prop
erty and the requirement of position
and so forth, in the midst of civiliza.
ton, yet we believe that we can better
our condition 10y locating as
. settlement somewhere in our
orthwestern frontier, and acquiring
rural homes according 10 our means,
varying Ia dimensions from forty
acres up to six sections or moro per
family.
just at this point we would cay that
AS practical people we think that we
comprehend the relation that labor
and capital naturally should bear to
each other, and their natural depend.
ence upon each other, in view of
which fact we sincerely believe that IL
would be very bad policy TO curtsil by
law to less than six sections or more 10
any and all families consisting of hus-
band and wife or more persons, and Of
three sections or more to any
and all single ersons over
eighteen years OF age, who
have absolute control Of their own
time and actions, as such policy
would induce persons OF reasonably
liberal means to join In cur enterprise,
and, by investing their means, in max
ing improvements and raising inn
proved stock Of all kinds, thereby
greatly benefitiug the less able men,
hers Of our proposed community, as
they would be glad 10 furnish them
young horses or mules to use and fresh
cows To obtain milk from for the COnsid-
Grafton OF tanning and breaking them,
and by also furnishing them employ
ment as wage-workers; and further.
more, the middle class of our cOmmu-
nifty would be enabled greatly TO inn
prove the quality OF all their different
kinds of stock, by breeding to or OBJ
tanning animals from the goOd-bloOded
herds Of their better oiIcumstanced
neighbors.
Furthermore, we are remindful OF
| the fact that easy circumstances gen.
orally conduce to make people enter
| prising In the erection of mills, gins
and all such necessary improvements,
and also liberal in assisting in the
! erection ofechOOl-houses, churches, etc,
In view OF all the immediate foregO
! ing, we respectfully ask you as oul
representative in the Legislature tC
use your earnest and individual infiu.
ence In preventing the legislature from
curtailing by law the quantity Of land
| to be puTchas cd by presumption, by O
! family, with or without children, &
widower or " idOw, with one or more
minor children under eighteen year,
old, at their option, to lees than six un
| watered sections, or by a single
person, at his option, to less
than three unwatered sections, and
| iR addition thereto q strip or parcel o
! land running clear across any WateTeC
| section within fiS emiles Of his wateTeC
lands, but not bordering upon or GOV
| ering the general course OF any springs
lakes or streams for greater distanc'
than forty rods In width, for each anC
every section of unwatered land pre-
empted by said person, at the state
own price, term of credit, and rate o
interest.
TO protect the state against loss, /
should further be provided by law tina
any and all persons propos
ing to purchase a stril
or portion Of wetered land from
any watered section. should be de
barred the privilege OF leaving unpur
/ chased an unWateTed tract of said rec
ton, but in all such cases the pur
chaser should be made 10 take In eE
cess of his watered land said remain
ing dry portion at the price fixed b!
law for wateTed lands.
We believe that each pre'empto
should be required to reside on som
part Of, and continue to improve, hi
land from four TO five years befor
being allowed 10 acquire
title or dispose OF II. w
further believe that all person
desirous to pre-empt any smaller par
eel OF land should also be required {
occupy and improyelt as above stated
for al least from four 10 five years, :
the end that all of our frontier by I'll
pursuit of such a policy might an,
would be in a very few years perma
nently settled clear west 10 New Mes
leo and the Rio Grande, by good Las
; abiding citizens.
We now Wish respectfully 20 stat
our views upon the land.leasing poll
cy, that il very intimately conneetel
| with and IA we DelleNt