The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-11-29
IN DEFIANCE OF LAW.
GRASS COMMISSIONER eoss
Tells tho LAND nosrd What He Saw In
the Panhandle Counties-xillions
offAcres OF the Peoples Land
Snlawraliy Fenced by tho
Cattle Earena, Gte.

siouere, and with the aGswers will be
made part OF TIE records Of tho land
beard. TRe qusstioAs we're aus yerpd
by &r. Goss, aud sVoy VIII apply in all
main particulars 10 tho answers 50 be
mede by the cther commissioners IN
the stock seotipn CT the State:
"What territory did visilg Name
the counties aud sivs appsoximate
arear.'
my distrios was composed of 60
COMMITTEES ia the Panhandle, viz: Col
liugsworih, Donley, Armstrong, Ran
dal, Poster, Moore, Sherman, Haue-
tnrd, Ochiltvee, Iipaeomb, HeDphiu,
Roberts, Hutcnins, Carson, GRAY aud
Wheeler, having IN area of $50 square
Miiea each; ths onunLlos of Oldham,
D8at Smith, Hartley and Dallaln, each
having an area of LASS square ,niles;
ia doman county, |, $50 square miles;
WilbargGr county, 937 square miles,
making total area OF 22,457 square
miles, or 1882 4s0 acres"
"Give the population outside of tho
towns In your districts"
"ln the counties named, outside OF
Wheeler, Dnniey and oldham, ! DO not
think the population Will exceed 500
In those three counties, outside OK
the towna Of Clarendon, Mobeo
aud TaskosR 90 not thiuk The poop.
!siGn will exceed 200 or $50 each.
Rardeman snd Wllhargar have prob
ably 500 TO 500 population eauh."
"Dn yoe fiud the country generally
occapied with Stock 2'
"Yes; principally Nth csl6a.n
SIN what WAY? By isnce, liae-rii-
iug or herdins?'
"rhe Panhandle counties, except q
posti ~ Of Lpscomp, Ochiltree and
AsNs'o5d, al ~ Sherman, aud Is psgt
OF Moore, Hartley ano Dsllsm, probs-
bly, thn area ot iouc coustiullinsai
counties, are ali Wnder FENCE sud oceu-
piH& by largo pasture cOmpanie.
Whsfe gsns do appear in tho ienes
they ar9 guardea ~ line yiders. Ia
tDs oonntlas OF Wheeler, aud Z portion
Qf Gray, the land9 arc occupied by ak
on slors large stCos ownorR sud n num-
Der of &C usi settlers, farmers, etc,
With the range liue marked out by tho
taolt COnseut OF stock owners, all of
whom own 500 or more cattle, which
are held by i0oso hording or limo rid
ing. Hsmphili esd 0ldhaia counter,
sna portions Of Hartley, Moore aNd
Potter counties Sro in e similar oondi-
tit n"
"Dld you hn1 shat the occupants
had generally complied with the law
regarding the purchase or lease OF
these isD0s?h
"rhey have not. I find that 5,C00, 900
or mOro Scres Of Tree school lands in
my district have been fenced ead no
leases have been made with tho State
isnd board"
"When you found parties using said
lard illegally. were thsy ~ g rule
arers OF tho ibct, or were thoy iSnor.
ant of suoh fact?p
"They wers cognizant OF the fact
Inst they had fenced and werl usins
school lsnds uDlswtully. Three or
four # the large pasture non showed
your agont their range nit0s gud gave
him the exact numbsr "a ecgions or
acres they hsd, euclo sad,n
"Fr0m the general eontimcnt of
thoso with whom you oOnyefsad do
you think innch OF anything could be
accomplished by appealing to The local
c0urts Tor tho punishment OF such
tIespns sers or FOR the recovery of
reuts?"
II do not believe that any good
csuld 10 accomplished by appealing 10
the local courts of thD Panhandle
country, either by civil aution 10 re-
cover ronts due or under criminal
prosecution under tho uBlqwiul on
closure act. 1t might he possible 10
recover or convict sgRinrt the cattle
mon shd pasture Owners IL u jury Of
nesters and actsat sealers w6ra en-
peneled q Try Eueh c0ssg, and tho
uesler or actual settler mighG b. CON
vicied Of timber cutting or trespgssisg
upon the public land by a jury com
posed OF cattlomen entirely. To use
common law phrase, unless tho jury
could be htocked 10 either case do not
think the law could 10 oniOrcsd.p
"DO tho occupants oI these lands dis.
courage or oO truot settlers or small
stockman from settling up0n those
iand?u
']ome OF theri do, somedo not; only
tWo casea oil actual intimidation Uerp
reported 90 me. My information is,
however, that 80 . general rule tho
cattio auN rsEch owners discourage
the idea that tho Panhandle Ia suitable
for farming, aud by various methods
c,Bsoursge or prevent sctrs, settle
maut. The fencing Of large psnturos
.!so prevents actual settlunent.n
"Dld you ilua any doprsda,lous on
the timber OF the scAG0l lsnds?"
"Yoe; ~ evory county where there
were settlements aud timber. Timber
tor fire wood Is scarce, and / seriously
doubt II thore ero hut f0w raDchman
or settlers 10 the Panhandle counties
who have not violated tho laws Tho
fact IN that ti.ubgr is 30 scarce that tue
country could not ba Settled unless the
inhabitants arc allowed On cut lumbar
for ilrewoud. | would suggest, how
over, thas the State .ook after tho &C.
dar brakes In G0odnlehps pasture, ara
on tho north Side ot Inc Canadian, both
oil which ars icing dopredgted on. The
government contractor who HupDlied
tho post Rt Fort Ell,olt, Wheeler
county, with wood gets 81 thero.n
"Did YOU ind that tho school lands
had generally baen surveyed and
merked on tho ground, or " they wsYo
known ~ Power turveys?r
"The lands rAtned hsva never been
Annually surveyed or marked upou tbs
ground"
'Dooa ~ noi coat tho settler consii.
erablo .um 70 have section identified
upon which he wants 10 settle9n
us does. The surveyor Of the
wheeler district Informed me that 4
usually cnsts frsm ta5 TO SIS TO locate a
toction OF land. Ono case WAS brought
TO nv notice whore tho surveyor had
togo for osrncr on tho Canadian rivor
~ miles IRON the lasd wanted, at nm
expense OF $40 Tor ouo sscllon for eur-
veyor's fees niune."
"Do you think II the State were TO
send agnuts To remove illegal fpncrs
froin eDboughb or unicssod lands,
euch agents. would inset with ply deal
ieeistsnceg"
al do not"
Abiding 70 the inability Of the local
forces to enforce the laws, Grass Com.
missioner Stephens says that Ia Tom
Green county, whore 90 indictments
were found and where witnesses could
be had, the county judge dismissed all
tho suite.
The Tsrs wsrth D Denver.
A map Of Northwest Texas and the
Panhandle has last bssa issued By shs
sfonoPs1 sunorioaa ndamA ~ 49, 49,