Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-02-28
cURRENT rExAs CoMlIENTI
What the Papers Are Saying Of Men
and Matters.

I be allowed to plead the tTulh OF puoli-
| cations in libel SUITS the lawyer-editor
/ OF the Times wTitef: THE newspaper
men ask that they be held responsible
| for libel They declare il they speak
| falsely they shall Ue punished for the
falsehOod. They demand "a right
that they may be allowed 10 prove the
! truth OF their assertions. This IL the
nature Of their petition TO
the legislature. The judi
Ciary committee No. would deprive
them Of this right If the farmers or
mechanics, or any other large voting
| class, were TO ask for the passage OF so
Just law, the judiciary committee
would be quick To bring In report
| favorable 10 the passage q such a pill.
! We DO rot desire 10 be interpreted ~
| threatening, but the unfair conduct OF
the committee iustiiies the newspapers
Ia "seeing It's members later
The Galveston Record, also, tries its
hand on the man who accused the
press OF venality: Representative
! Armistead's attempts to ridicule and
bellttle the press will recoil on his own
head. The typical dude Is not more
the creation of his tailor than is this
representative the creation OF the press
OF Eastern Texasp
The Mobeetie Panhandle is pleased
with the decision Of Comptroller
Swain, that all state school lands held
under a lease from the etate for a term
of three or more years are required to
Ice assessed for taxes ~ the property Of
the pers0ns holding the lands under
lease. In ref ring 10 this decision, the
Panhandle says: "The lease law was
gotten through legislature, partly
venAl and partly very silly, by Ger.
tain stockmen who saw something
mus. be done or their ranges were
gone over to settlement, on the al
legged ground that they wanted 70 pay
for the dear childTen'B grass Their
end was Igained, and their own indus.
try given its ueath-blow. Settlers
have been kept back under
the operations OF this law ana
smell stocllmen driven from the
ranges; and centralizing has been the
Tule and order until the syndicate and
great concern stands up almost alone
In the clear atmosphere GU the cheer
less prairie. The lease has brought
added and heavy expenses aud added
and heavy losses; fencing the range
has made II easy TO Overstock, or
rather, almost impossible tn avoid Il,
aud the results are in nowise happy.
We have tried 10 view this matter
from every standpoint, ana have found
In the leasing policy no redeemi1g
feature 70 anyone or any class, until
| now. Now we afford hunor for the
world"
The Austin sun Is of o curious turn
of mind, snd wants to know, YOU
know: "Who ia paying the expenses
of the regents while here lobbying
against the Pfeulier bill, and how did
| they happen to assemble just at this
! junctuTe? There Is a pith and point
IN these questions that the public may
not be able TO appreciate, bat time tells
all things.n
The Waco Day points to the finan-
cil condition of the Central road as
a forcible reply TO the popular belief
that railroads are vampires sucking
the liie-bl0od Cf the nation. The Day
says Another Of the gigantic cor.
poTauons OF Texas has practically
demonstrated how much truth there
Is IN the charge made by little poll.
lloieus that they are sucking the life
blood out of the prosperity of the
| people. The Houston 4 Texas Central
railway was the pioneer road of Texas.
IL penetrated the heart Of the state
when 10 was almost wilderness, and
after the war pushed on to q northern
connection which gave an impetus
to our wealth and progress which al
once brought Texas to the FROM
as the empire state of tho
south. This road has done ten
fold mora for the people than 1t has
done for itself. II has been moderate.
~ prosperous, but has been far out
stripped by tho prosperity and progress
Of the towns and counties through
which ii runs. The road defaulted OF
its January interest, and news cam,
yesterday that IL had passed into III,
hands OF receiver How far the fool
ish and untrlendly legislation on GU!
statue books Is responsible for this re-
suit we do not know, but Il may b,
iaken for granted that whatever 10
strlctions are imposed have operated
more or less ipiurioualy TO It's interests
AZ any rate, The embarrassment Of thi
Central road suggests halt in legis
latiye intermeddlinR, and tlleadoptior
of a broad and liberal policy with Tia,
railways OF the state.n
The good doctor of the Galveston
RECORD prescrihes remedy which
would be very popular Ia Texas, /
adopted 10y the Legislature, as follows
Some OF tho more ingenious of tn,
enemies OF the university are frank Ia
say that they favor the Pfeuffer bill,
because lis practical results would
probably be the death of the elckly i'm,
FAINT, The state has on It's hands tws
very sick patients, the penitentiarie,
and the university. Suppose the Lev
islature tries little rest and repos,
Tor the latter. The experiment h
worth trying
The Bolton Journal thinks "the
suggestion made by the peuitentlary
investigating committee that the peni
tertiary board be abolished aud th,
superintendent DO given entire su
thorlty, subject 10 removal by the gov.
ernor for cause, ID a good ono. Tina
would lodge responsibility in a reeOv
nized head, and we believe much o
the scandal that arises from time Il
time in prison management would en-
, ttreiy disappear lake the matter 81
4 "a ~ a.