San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-07-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Cor respondent.

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Sparks, commissioner of the genera
land office, has had complete list o
all the cases where the public land
have been improperly fenced mad
out, with statement of the presen
status of affairs. In all these case
the parties have been notified to re
move the fences. In some instances
they had consulted attorneys, who
have held that reasonable numbe
of openings in the fence are sufficient
In such cases the openings are guard
ed, and to all intents and purposes
fences still exist. The total amount
of land that has been appropriated il
this way is between one and two mil
lion acres.
A very common way of stealing
the public lands is for some man tc
hunt out a good water-hole or stream
and to locate his premption claim
so as to take this in. He can fence
this, and then he practically has al
that joins it for many miles around
for the land in much Of the Western
territory is worthless except where
there is water.
The men who have done this illegal
fencing in of the public domain, have
a side to their story which they try to
tell with great force. They claim
that the land is worthless except for
the purposes of grazing, and that
they, by taking possession of it, and
rearing large herds of cattle, are ad-
ding to the wealth of the country, do
ing something for themselves and for
the people at large. 1t is a pity for
them that the department here does
not accept this fallacious reasoning,
but holds that the honest settler is
driven away by the fences, and that
they must all be removed.
The penchant Of many pereons for
writing anonymous letters to public
officials here in Washington surpasses
ordinary belief. There is scarcely
man in high public place who does
receive more or less anonymous let
ters in every mail delivered to him;
and the higher his position the more
he is target for the anonymous let
ter scribblers. Many of these effu-
sions are palpably from cranks, while
very many have the impress Of minds
that are ordinarily intelligent. Dur
ing the pendency Of senator Bayard's
resolution in the senate condemning
the assault of dynamiters upon public
buildings in London, the senators
were fairly deluged with letters and
postal cards, all without signatures,
admonishing, warning and beseech
ing them in regard to their vote upon
that resolution. There is not mem
Der Of the cabinet who does not re-
ceive anonymous letters, giving him
advice, beseeching him for office, or
criticising his course. Nor does the
anonymous writer confne himself to
the mails. He frequently resorts to
the telegraph; and one of the most
experiences of public Of
ticial is to receive telegram marked
. Collect" and after paying for it to
discover that it emanates from some
crank or theorist who expresses his
sentiments, but omits to sign. his
name. The president is also a shin
ng mark for the illusions OF anony-
nous scribblers.
The president is preparing to de-
part from Washington on a summer
yacation. His plans have been ar
'anged, and it is expected that he will
De able to get away within day or
.wo. He will go 10 New York state
md betake himself to the woods for
ew weeks, to get away from the wor
Y and bother Of the Office seekers,
nd he will probably leave as soon as
he settled time arrives, without max
ng any previous announcement The
'resident wants a period OF perfect !
est, and does not propose to be fol- ,
owed into his retreat The Office
ecker will wake up s)me morning
cry soon and find the White House
eserted. :
The summer exodus from Wash {
lgton has begun. and the city is
repairing for its long summer siesta-
-hings are already growing inanimate, !
nd a languor has come over the b. I
eds who siill remain in town which I
iakes them only care to sit still in the |.
iade. holding on b. a straw 10 some ,
mlg cool l. !
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