Barbour County index., 1885-05-29
Comarcha Comfy.

An article under the above caption
appeared in the Barber County INDEX
last week. Bro. Caruthers does not
seem to fully understand the situation
and the law applicable to the case. In
the first place the petition of which he
speaks did not purport to any one that
it had been signed by majority of the
tax payers of this county. The law on
ly requires two thirds of the number of
legal votes of the last general election
and there were about 1854, two-thirds of
which would be 242. The brother
don 't,seem to know that our commits
siOners have power under the act Of ~
to issue an order enforcing the herd,law
without any petition whatever; but un-
der the act of March II, when legal
petition Is presented according to law,
it becomes compulsory ON the part of
the commissioners to issue said order.
And that sheet thas the effrontery to fur
ther state, that herd law would de-
crease the nowiprevailing prices of our
land at least fifty per cent, by driving
the bulk of the live stock out of the
county. He seems to forget that suf-
ficient amount of crops will be raised
under herd law to more than repay
the amount of taxes received from the
stock, even admitting they would all
leave the country, which is not a fact
by any means. There will be large droves
of cattle kept here and herded whether
We get the herd law or not. The ma
jority of the people of this county are in
favor of the herd law and under our
present form of government, it is con-
ceded by all reasonable men that a ma
jority shall rule, and if the Barber
county papers think that this county
will be controlled by handful of stock
men, then it will soon awake to find it
has been simply dreaming or else sadly
deluded. OF course we admit that the
stockmen of this county have rights
and they should be respected, but they
should not for a moment entertain the
opinion that we are living under a mi
nority rule.-Coldwater Star.
We have no property in Comanche
county, but if we had we would consid-
der it worth one-third less to-day than
three months ago. Had the people
there been satisfied with the old order
of things, the taxable wealth of the
county would have been at least $500.
600; but now with the cattle driver
from there, it is not likely that take.
will be levied on more than S25O, 600
OF course the rate of taxation must
necessarily be twice as much as on tn,
former valuation.
And who profits by herd law? Com.
anche might raise ten millions of bush
els of corn and yet the producers wou,t
be poor. There is no market there; tn,
railroad is sixty miles away. and eyer
If it passed through the county, ther
would be no money in shipping grain
1t must be ted where raised to be prof
table Herd law has driven the cattl
out Of the county, ana now where vii
be your grain market?
A gentleman who was a candidate II
the recent election in Comanche count,
told us that where he found man witt
even a small garden spot fenced he wa
not in favor Of herd law; but that th
.'squattersr-parties who were simpl
proving up claims with the least possl
bic trouble and expense-were invaria
bly, in favor of herd law, and were lou
in their demands for protection agains
the giant cattle monopolistsl"