Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-11-09
STEPHENS SPEAKS.
Grass Commissioner Stephens Reviews
the Condition Of Affairs In His
District,
Purchases ~ lands Made undr, The s.,en
section Act County Surveyors ranis
OF Cntticmcn.
correspondence Of no tIatclto.


Correspondence OF ,he Gafclto
son AFRAID 70 TAIN
ACsItN, TEN., Nov 1.-THE rctum Of
GrnsS Commissioner j u. stephens from
HIS district was an incident Of some IN
tcrcst. His district Includes the counties
ot Mitchell Sunrry, Dawson, Borden,
Crockett, aud Val Verde, Mr. Stephens
suomingly duos not stand IA 30 much
drCad OF the land hoard ns some of his
cumpeefs IN the WORK OF rnoing ont who
nro unlNwiunS occupying public innds
lie talked freely 10 the reporters, and
gave tho substance OF his last report to
the board
AntuulI uoUNN.,
Speaking OF Mitchell county, Mr. Ste.
phrnH said quito a large proportion OF
school lands In that county have been
bought by Spectators under the seven.
teCt0n act 81 the legislature. There afc
many instances
on ntEVAL lNeLosuiR,
but the county n uot 80 bad
IN this respect, az somr Others Ia
his district S0mc lands ~ Mitchell
county are claimed both 10y the state and
by the railroads
~ scunnN COUNTY
heHays thoronro plenty q fine agricultural
lands and IN largo hodlre, a0Ounding 10
abundant aud nutritious grasses There
Us good deal OF grhang done in this
county without paying Tor w. Large
quantities ~ The finest graEng land Ia
Soary Mr., stephens found occupied aud
tcnecd ia by wealthy syndlcatea, who do
not and hive nol paid il nickel for H., and
arc therefore delmnoilR tie state gov.
erumeut, the revenues aui the children VI
The state ont ui vast sums
Mr. stephens gives as nn Instance
large cattle uNupr 40 NculY WHO told
him Dee hld not paid hut $50 taxes Ia
scywn years 1bp onmmisgiouur says
only hall lha cattle nl ScHly urc nAsursrd
aud ~ free ui iuAca, WHILST no tlNrs Htt
paid on tho remainder Tho agricultural
ana other lahds Of the county arc we'll
WHctod,
RON un1rN COUNTY
/ III equal 10 about ten ordinary counties,
and Mr. stephens Thinks ID ought 10 he
/ divided into 80 many. lis whole east
Orh hall ls completely undcr Nuce, tho
iNsluns being uf every iigufc
known to geometry and few heIng
usod Tor anything but cattle
! The shtppmen OF Tom Green are having
q good que, Ha tho commissioner vsH
/ ng un lands mol belonging To- tbulr own.
/ cts aud for which they don't pas cop.
| per The sheen rtnRcs nre fenced The
comfy nbonnds lu stfeauh OF pusc winter.
/ Of Midinnd county hu eprRNs highly,
aud gays much OF the luudB ur used fur
/ Tree grazing As regards the proper 1lnHsi.
! hchtlon Of the lAnas, farmers hold that
! they are properly Agricultural, but cattle
men assert tnHt they legitimWcIy bclOng
! 10 The grazing class, water can be- hat
almost anywhere by digging lltoou feet
or 80,
MARTIN COUNTY,
hut little OF the land In Martin county
| has been leased, huta good dcal has been
purchased under the seven sections net
alrendy alluded to, aud Kept for Hpocua.
| ton. This IL the ease, more particularly
| with the lands along the Texas Pacific
| ln the county ia this way these lands
are kept out Of the reach OF the actual
settle, aud, MIR. Stephens anya, very many
| OF these spectators have taken the net.
nnl settlers oath, but tailed 10 comply with
II, and their residences cannot be ascet
tsiucd
DAWSON COUNTY,
pays Mr. Stephens Is lnc county, aud
IN chiefly under control Of u wealthy citi-
zen, Mr., g. G, Slaughter, who posscssce
all interests ia the county except a
few sheep men The total length OF
MI Snngbter'e fences ia, perhaps, one
hundred miles, His possessions com
prise chiefly "Llnno Estncado," with
splendid range and good water a. depth
varying from forty 10 eiSty foet. lie
makcs use Of windmila 10 water his cat.
tie, Of which he owns 10000 hcnd. 'ihr
county has no timber, but rich aud pro,
ducilyH soil. The commissioner nHys Mr..
Slaughter has some 200 sections under
lease Ia Dawson and Howard counties,
but occupies all outside lands for FREE
grazing for his cattle. Many parties re-
| iuSr 10 lease lands occupied by them In
Dawson, Scurry aud ilorden counties, be-
cause, ~ Their opinion, the state cannot
tater them "a doEo
Tho commissioner makes some Inter.
oBtlng statements regarding Howard
county, Onr.hali OF this county ~ under
fence, II IL sheep county. Some sheep
men have leased, others have not The
general sentiment Ia The county IL free
grass and they prefer holding 0n to The
Old way of doing business, Alr stephens
makes the important aud rhRRetiiFe suite
mrnt That Tic surveyors ARE often mere
agents for the blk rutilumcn Who control
the county, Tho surveyor " Howard
county IL snld 0be ME-. Slnughler'H agent,
l'hu oommiihionpf's report VIII include
other egGhtlge, but the above n fair
sample OF the whole.
as-s-frs.-e
what WIN 1hry 10 via, nicly
special % tltg Gazette.
Il