Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-06-08
THE LAND POLICY.
The Growth and Development Of Texas
Under Prse.Grass Rrle Versus
the Lease Law.
Time for Our Law. Makers TO Reflect
Upon tho Consequences Likely to
Result From Lease Policy.


The action Of the Francklyn Cattle
company in warning the stockmen OF
certain portions Of the state not to drive
cattle from those sections through
their range was eagerly seized upon by
leaie-law papers 10 point lease-law
moral. and TO show the great danger
underlying society from the spread Of
freegrass ideas, az well as TO call a.
tention TO the utter selBshness OF free
grass men. According TO this view OF
the case the Panhandle is given over
TO free grass and the Francklyn,a free
grass corporation, scorning to raise
yearlings on lands that pay
a rental TO the etate OF Texas.
Scarcely week elapsed when the
Fort Worth GAZETTE, a paper given
over TO hardness OF heart and perverse
advocacy OF free.grass heresy, called
attention to the fact that settlers were
pouring into the Panhandle, the coun-
try OF the Francklyn company, and the
same papers, commenting thereon, de-
clared II an evidence that the lease
law does not retard settlement, and
that II every free-grass man would but
shut his mouth. and every free-grGss
paper would but dry up and remove
sacrilegious hands from the sacred
yestments OF that holy law, the land
question would speedily settle itself.
Viewed in this light, the Panhandle IL
rloting In the blessings of the lease.
We cannot see how the two lines Of
argument can be made 70 harmonize
we will not try, but we want 10 say II
free.grass men and free grass papers
'dry up,n the land question Will be
settled by few men getting the
lands. and the balance OF the boys will
pe. kicked out We do not claim
70 be wise In all things pertaining to
this truly yexed question, but we
think we know fair, square argu-
inent when we see one. We are not
forced To subterfuge or sophistry to
nroye the correctness OF free-grass doc
trine, hut have merely 10 point back u
few wears to the unparalleled growth
and development OF Texas under free
Rrass rule, and let that growth, that
DEVELOPMENT, answer for II. But you
cannot down lease. law paper, or hem
a lease.law man from the fact that they
argue in circle, and, like the man In
the fable, blow hot or blow cold as
seems 10 them best to defend an alb
aurdity. Free grass Ia not selfish
The policy that would place the lands
upon the market for sale TO the settler
OF, easy terms --that would open up
the public domain (even though that
domain has been segregated and set
apart) to the use Of rich and poor,
large and small, Is no selfish or narrow
Doiioy, Bnt the policy that restricts
the use OF the range to the Iich and by
A system OF competitive bids renders II
possible for few men to monopolizt
the cattle growing interests Of
Texas, Ia not only narrow
and selfish. but Is unwis,
and unjust. That acts OF lawlessnesi
were committed before the lease, non,
will deny, that small herdsmen were
oppressed by their more powerful
neiqhbors, and in some casea were ter
rorIled by line riders, Ia perhapa true
but Il Ia equally as true that the mel
who acted thus, or permitted thes,
thipgs To be done, have not expert
epeed change OF heart, and that tn
lease law has not placed beyond thei
power these enormities, unless II b
Indeed that II has moved beyond thei
reach the men UPON whom they praC
ticed their enormities. The acts Q
meanneas have not been rendered le
possible or probable, and under tn
workings OF the law th
little herdsman stands less sho'
and unless he has leased lands IL easit
moved than he was before the passag
OF the law. There 10 just this and onl
this differences; under the old regim
free grass) u few men tried 10 monop
lie the range; under the new regin
(lease law few men do monopolii
the range. One had no sanction
law; the other Ia sanctioned, more
theshame, by the state
The action of the Francklyp Gait
company deserves and should recei'
more than passing notice, al
should cause our lawmakers to pau
and reflect upon the consequence
likely to result from a policy that pC
mita few syndicates, corporations
wealthy men To monopolize the pub
lands, placing them In their hands
keen back the tide OF immigration,
state OF aiiairs more likely to rest
from policy that ioaters and enco,
ages monopoly and dlscrimlnat
agAinat the settler and the little stoc
man. That action II permitted to p,
unrebuked will be repeated and /
example set will be followed by 9th
leasea and II Is only foretaste
what will be very common, II I
state peraists In lease policy.
The West IL being settled gradual
slowly, not because OF the lease la
but II spite OF IL. The earth-hunP