The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-03-09
SENATOR SHANNON.
Ease LAW VERSUS FREE GRASS
Able Exegssis Of the Questions In
|" .,,ed-Lightning Legislation Re-
viewed Fallacies Exposed
An Able Arrangement.

,hOle upon senate piiis NUS 10 anu y
s.n,ior shannon said: l move to sub.
ANTE senate bill IS, introduced by the
.notor from Norris (Peacock) for sem
w. hill 7, introduced by the senator
tom Wheeler (Houston), snd in adj
Voc Of any discussion OF the relative
"erits Of the two bills, will say that
= senator upon this floor took more
hide in, or enjoyed more than l did,
40 beautiful eloquenoe and classic ora
.ry with which the senate has just
..sn so highly entertained by my dis
soouished young friend from Wheeler
|Gouston.) l have been citizen OF
r,vss for more than 80 years, but long
i',ore begsme citizen of this mighty
nVmonwealth | had heard of and
,..rnad 10 love the name OF the hero OF
s,n Jacinto, the immortal Houston,
sIh rAlpt suli msntle h,ve descend.
W IN Ia worn win hon +, We may
snre nv the senator from Wheeler. No
.Spstor is pfouder than myself OF tho
s.nI;art achievement Of the Bon
man for whom have
|s'iuoys epaertained such profound res
neet and admiration.
In That disc ssion / propose to give
.,ief historical review of the legislation
A. the subi-cD We are now considering
A w doing which, there will be no effort
AZ NV part at forensic display, but
|.in,nIe recital TO the senate, If senators
|~iIIkindly give me their attention, Of
,ome few fats connected with such leg
|,Siation. The fourteenth legislature, #
II ,cmemher correctly, took the innitia
|to,v in this matter by providing for the
Tx 10 actual settlers OF tho alternate
|.sJions. or school land sections in the
|srganized counties. The country Of the
|Ig9reat west" 80 beautifully described by
,Se sanator FROM Wheeler, was az that
Nina an almost undisturoed wilderness,
"norganiged Rnd unsettled. Ire organ
lad counties reached out TO about the
/ lima Of n untague and Jack and Young
md Palo Pinto and Erath, aud 50 Oh
SoWn the border. AS stated, the land
was placed on sale to actual settlers a. a
|6yed price OF $L50 per acre. For
{,bout six years, L believe
Iibs law remained unchanged,
md not until the assembling Of the six
|tranth legislature were the school lands
hi the un0rganized counties placed upon
| Ma market. Ia the mean tim0 the pral'
His Of the great west were becoming
I,tocked with cattle and sheep anu
horses. The attention of capitalists be
Gan to ho directed to the wonderful
profits being derived from stock raising
md as consequences the stock began u
/,oncentrate inc the hands of the more
wealthy or more enterpIisiDg stockmen
Stock combinations and stock aYndi
Gates began To be organized. GrAs
which because OF it great abundance Il
Ipmparison with the amount Of STOCK II
The country had always been ireo to ~
who cheese to use IL in common VIII
Iotlers, now began to be an object Q
,nsideratiOn. Stockmen began
,rowd each other, and then the idea wa
conceived among the moro wealthy
induce the legislature to place th
XehoOl and asylum lands IN tho unOl
Enized counties upon the marke
nd tho sixteenth legislature wa
Ibset by pretty strong LOBBY
INIT interest. They thought 10 priC
ina lands and take them, and urged !
An argument in favor of tdelr rule I'M
The state needed the proceeds 70 10 q
rived from their sale, rs tund 20 sup
nent the tax for free-school purpose
They represented to the legislature tn
the lands out west were absolutely val
ltss except for grazing purposes, ~
Worth but little even for That, ana
,trongly we're the minds of many mel
hers Of the sixteenth leglslatu
Uimpressed with the idea
he worthlessness OF our. ~
fern lads, that they were willing.
VElthom at mere nominal price aud
II quantities 70 suit the purchasers l
eoyernor himself favored the scheI
Ind IN A message on the subject recO
mended their sale at such y pflco
would insure purchasers. Quite an
ue sprung up on the subject. The Ian
ObbV mustered in full force. The q
test was between those who WI
willing 10 sell the land in unlimil
mauiites at % or 30 CO
Ian acre and those OF Us v
claimed Il was WORTH and would prl'
VNan acre. In the committee on put
lands ghe contest was warm an 9
mated. AZ length the mean Of 90 &C
an acre was argued upon by a major
of tho committee. A minority M
ever, dissputed and carried the II
into the senate; / was Of tho minor
Alter a hardly contested battle, u
We succeeded, and the price IN tho
placing tae'sChOOl and asylum lAndS
the market was fixed At vi an a.
The CatIlemen, of course, ielt V
much aggriev0d. They were anxl
10 buy the land, they said, ana va
buy grea. deal Of II II they could
Il for so cents an acre, but were
wiling To nay more than that price
t,saylug. Ii would pay them beltel
invest their means In cattle Aud
their chances IN tho range than TO !
Sian acre for the land. / was vi
Ously Reproduced for the course l
In the matter. | was told more
once u my teeth that failed to 70
sent tbs best interests OF
constituency, aud that but
my stubborn resistance, they ",
haV0 succeeded in getting all the
they wanted ~ 80 cents an acre;
lalsO ,ailod to represent the best
terests of the school aud asylum luI
Nom the fact that they would not
IL ide lands, at all themselves, nor
mltit to be done nv others II they .
Il prevent IL, thereby depriylng the dl
emit funds OF the benefit OF any. proc
hNhA NheiI lAluS, AiN lutNlhb iNN'
taxation On the people. Mr.. Quart
| would have been glad 20 nave
Abln to accommodate my friends
thore, II could have done so con
emily with what conceived TO no
duty, as one Of the custodians
sacred trust. We had, "a then
mated, about forty millions OF acre
school lands. | honestly Thought
land was worth, aud would comm
an acre; aud, however much u
have been disposed 10 accomm'
and aid my hiends and constlluen
III aid not feel willing TO rob Tue -
children of the state Of S2lOOO'O,
selling out their patrimony AT MAJ
value,
III Well, sir, the contest was continu
ihe same line and with the.
notics up to and during the slttlt
lAe regular session OF the sevent'
III legislature. They still continues
represent the land they wished u
o. 90 cents an acre rs absolutely W
less, except for grazing purposes,
worth tut little even for that. II
was the land OF the rattlo-snake All
owl aud the prairiedog, and tnat
my In human shape could live anu
per there except, perhaps, the ~,
cow buy" Tue seventeenth leS'sl
look the same view of the quest
III to the value OF the land taken 10y :,