Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-06-19
MIDLAND.
The Oitv Of the staked Plains What i
Was Few Months Ago and What
It Promises to Be.
Give the Man With the Hoe a Chance to
Decide for Himself Which is Grazing
aud Which Farming Land.

land county. How does this sound
to those who never tire In making
light OF West Texas Just think OF
IL, we "knowing ones" here Ia new
county and new county seat, the
former only four months old, and the
latter lust Selected and located by an
election held on the 18th inst. This
ia itself speaks columns in favor
of the btaked Plains -
country that Is not appreciated by the
people OF our state as ltshould be- The
frat we ever heard OF Midland was
thirteen months ago. A town was
laid! on "away out on the plains" In
the northeast corner OF Tom Green
county, county as large as some OF
the old states. After the town was
started people began to settle In the
country, taking up the school
lands and buying and settling on
the railroad lands. During the session
OF the Nineteenth legislature those
people petitioned that body to create
for them new county out Of this inn
mense territory This was granted,
not, however, without a good deal OF
opposition, and, strange TO say, the
opposition came from source least
expected, viz: the gentlemen who
claimed 10 represent that section of
country. Both the representative in
the house and the senate oaposed
the creating of this new county,
and at the same time they the
representatives. OF that sectionl knew
no more of the wants OF the people
they claimed to represent than they
did OF the country the people were liv-
ing in, which was simply nothing. 1t
WIS fortunate both for the people and
the state that their opposition did not
succeed in defeating the bill creating
the new county. Here we have to-
day prosperous and happy settle
ment OF good and law.abiding people,
who have faith enough In that country
to buy the land and settle on
1t. This class OF people does not want
to lease the land they are willing
70 buy and improve IL. If the state
had succeeded In leasing this same
land they would have to-day one man
where they have, as IL Ia, a large set
tlement started, which will continue
20 grow and spread until that whole
country will be thicllly settled by a
thrifty and well-to.do class Of people.
small farmers and stock .raisers.
Had this land been leased there
would be no Midland or Midland
county for years to come, and now we
feel safe in predicting that there will
Ia the near future be several new coun.
ties and county seats on the "Staked
Palms, To convince tho most skep-
tlcal OF this we have but to refer them
10 the German settlement, which Is
but few miles east OF Midland. This
colony has to-day over 1000 bushels OF
wheat, raised this year. which will
average nineteen bushels to the
acre, to say nothing of good
crop of other grain. Their
corn is made now, and they have q
good prospect for cotton. What has
been done by this settlement will be
repeated by others, providing the land
Ia moi leased, thereby keeping out the
actual settler Nineteen bushels Of
wheat to the acre and roastlng.ears In
June on the "Staked Plalne, y where II
never rainsp and in a soil that twill
not sprout white peas,r Is not 80 bad
aud ought TO convince any man, who
has any interest In the state, that tn,
land should not be tied up by lease
but should be sold to those who will
cultivateit
Here Ia u great scope of IA fin,
country Is there is in the state. with
good, rich and productive soil, wher,
excellent water can be had by digging
from fifteen TO forty feet and an abun
dat ce OF II, and a climate that Ia pur,
and hracing, the elevation being from
1000 TO $500 feet.
We would suggest that the Ian,
board and our legislature investigat
the country we refer to and ne
for themselves and be convince,
that the agricultural land has not We
been all settled upon, and that Their
areyet millions OF acres OF as good Ian
unoccupled by 1.-THE man with tn
hOe' rs any OF that which Ia occupied
ifthls be the case the land should nc
be leased. for, as we understand Il, tn
only excuse for leasing the land il this
ut Is ut for nothing but stock" al,
not ft for farming. If the countr
we refer to Ia what we clail
for II, we would think the prop,
thing TO be done would be to make a
effort to cell II TO actual settlers an
not by Offering to lease II brand II as
"atrictly grazing oountry.n The sin
pie fact of Offering to lease the Ian
carries with II the idea that It Is n
III for farming, hence the result,
far as settling the country IL co
cerned, is the same as IL the land we
leased.
The state has In this the "nan
without the game,n for she Is Meth
leasing nor selling the land. The on
true and safe policy 10 secure the Il
tlement OF the state I'VE take Il I
granted this is desired by the malol
~, az least lls to class all the land
agricultural. and let those who con
first have choice, providing they b
come actual settlers. This, IL don
would in few years settle the gu,
tion which ia "farmingp al
which In grazing Ian
After giving the actual settler
chance nc the land, for say thr
years, we would then be- better able
decide what land 10 lease--or tie up
which is the same thing, 1.-THE M
with the hoe,n II Is safe 10 say, ia /
best Judge of what he wants and II
want population why not give hi
first choice for a few years. III
gets the best Of IL the state "
be the gamer. We will gu
antee that the ''nesterh W