The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-09-10
aho cnwnov,a orl.ynnca.

aho CGwhoy'a Grievance.
within that portion OF tho Unitoi
States known (with any approach u
thorough Erowlodge) hy tho 'ramers
OF our land system, and 10 which 1t
WAS especially intended 70 apply, tho
homestead gift OF 100 acgos, and tho
pYe.emption right 20 purchase 100
acres more, constituted 8 more mu-
niGceut grant TO the sottloc than
wonld the gift aud nominal sale Of .
tract 30 times sc large within this arid
region. Fu. purposes OF titago lOp
ucIes ia unOugn-mor', indeed thaa
most mon Gsu SUCCESS luilv hanai1'
But in q country whore bset-gruwing,
for example, is tho only possible in
dustry; ard where, IN order 10 turn oil
enough tuGtured boeyea Tnnu-
ally 60 pay expenses and sup
q family, aIous ono thousand hoad
Of cattle OF all ola IS must be kept on
| hand; and whore, at least, 50 acres o.
| lnnd Inuss 30 20 a O Kepp Of oscn AMI
| nal-of what use are 100 or $40 acze3,
on even 10 times that amount, II the
| settlers righg OF pnsturag9 b2 Limited
| 10 that area? it wOuic simply mean
| absolute prohibition % bis setting IN
the country, or would "orls his speedy
| bankruptcy and exodus II DO had nj
ready Settled.
Bui with characteristic American
| faith in his government doing tho
right thing ct The right time, our set
| tlar believes that az just anu polite
provision will eventually ba made for
| ma protection as was made tor thu
BENEFIT or SETTLERS
and Cmigrauts further East, ond pco-
Goods 10 locate his relatively hnmWo-
puhic riEhjto purchase 100 ceres upon
some remote spring or "wet gdlch,"
and hords his little "DunCh" OF cattle
or sheep upon tho adjacent public do
main,
1.-The be @ prudent man, With the
qualities of thrift and ambition which
| nelp make agoOd citizen, he VIII soon
see tho need Of securing come utle TO
| the water-b holes or springs lying near
est him-both because the grass tribU-
tary to one watering place Will not
carry enough cattle Tor tho proper
msinbenance of family, and because
even that inadequate supply OF grass
NAV be IeseeOei by come inludlciouS
or untrieudly squatter claiming the
adjacent water-hOle and turning out
there another herd OF cattle. The
control of 8 second, or even third
Watering place may be of the great
est Importance to hiin-mOre essential
to the maintenance Of his home than IS
any part of his 100 acres 60 the Mis-
souri, or lows settlsr, beyond, perhaps,
his first 40.
But how shall he acquire this con-
troi? Very likely the purchase of ONLY
40 acres so each water holo would
COVER ALL THE WATER,
and his 100 acres, properly divided,
would thus 0e ADEQUATE 20 ais needs,
SO far az water is concerned. But Ghls
division tho law .orbids. lie must ex-
oeud his entire homestead or pre-emp-
zion right upon ono spot only, eVon
though no acquired by IL only i've
acre Water-hUle, True, ha A'ed EoS
purchase more than A. acrSs, DuG IN
DOUG so he exhaust9 al his "eqnitios"
under tho lSw, rs 1t now % ends, and
his right to ths remaining 100 acres IS
tneraby forfeited. Thus our settler
nnds that, however hJJle aid he asks
from them, thesa laws, wisely framed
| Tor totally different conditions ana not
understanding in thsic proper sphere
| 5no praise bestowed on them, are 10
him, whichever way no turns, deiu-
sion and q snare.
Frequently have settlers ia this
plight said 10 me, half by way of self
solBce, half apologeticailY for govern
ment shortcomings: "Of course this
sort OF thing cannot last! Govern
| ment is bound to find out before long
| what wicked ana idiotic thing 1t Is
| to apply these Eastern land laws to
| this country. They will soon give us
| a fair show" But pending the con-
| Adently expected reformation OF tlc
| law, the settlers only recourse for
self-protection is to tind some quail
| fed pre-emptor or HON ssteader VINO,
not desiring to hold land himself, is
Stilling to use his Gland rights" in ac-
curing land for sale
AT A GOOD PROFIT,
and to have him purchase from the
| United States the 40, so OF 160.scre
tract, which embraces the needed
| watering place, and afterWard pur-
chase the Same from h!m-ususlly at
| a good round advance over the gov
arnment price, which. indeed, the pre-
emptor is justified in asking, as ne
can never prs-empt another tract.
! This eXpedienG, howe yer, Is attended
with nuGberless vsXe5ions TO tho set
tier, involves 81 heavy, needless ex-
panse, and entails considerable waste.
| he must pay the pre-omptor, In az
dition TO his profits on the land, wages
and subsistence, for the period (neyer
lass than six months), during which
no is compelled by law, TO live on tue
tract before ne can pre-empt 1t; must
purchase from him his dwelling house,
and other Improvements, which ne is
required by law to erect thereon be-
lore presumption, and ior which the
settler commonly has no use; ana
! farther, he must take the risk OF MS
nra-ernptov acting in bad faith and
selling out tGs and TO, perhaps, the
| very nsrsoa or company whose COM
ipg tho settler deprecated d, and sought
to ,,,IarG against, and whose larger
haris are sure to "swgmp" him-ren-
de~ing ali Nis labor end expenditure
comparatively v'luelass, and com
reliing him "a move furEner into the
| New YORK Nation.