Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-15
The Interests Of the Horny-Handed
Farmer Of Paramount
Importance.
Then The Stock-Raiser Wants Relief
from Nippers and Grass
Burners.
A Resolution with Several Counts which is
Rich and Rare Reading at
This Time.
Special te the Gazette.

AUSTIN, TEX, Jan. l3.-The Texas
Live Stock association met at l0'a m.
telegram was read from Denver, Col
from II. NJ. Taylor, agent, saying the cat
tie associations in the range country will
send full delegation to the Denver meet.
ing, one delegate to every $4,000 head OF
cattle.
james H. Scott, chairman of the com.
mittec on protection Of stock, reports q
continued decrease of the depredations on
CATTLE and that the laws, properly admin.
istered, afforded ample protection.
Mr.. Henry Seeligson for the committee
on public lands, submitted the following
AUSTIN, Jan, rs, lss6.--To Hon. John
N. Simpson, President Texas Live Stock
Associations: SR-Your committee APP
pointed on public lands, after due consid.
Grafton of the subject, beg leave to report
as follows
/. The law regulating the sale of the
school and public lands of the state, and
the facilitating action of the land board,
and the strained Interpretation of the law
by the land board have proved themselves
inefficient agencies for those who have
sought in good faith to lease the lands or
to purchase them as actual settlers.
2. We earnestly recommend a settled
state policy in regard to the disposition
of our public domain TO the end that the
majesty of law may be held supreme, and
that all persons unlawfully holding school
lands be compelled to abandon possession
of them or pay legal rental for the same.
To this end we recommend that grass
commissioners be sent out and lands
classified and leased as required by law.
3. The rapid increase In immigration of
small farmers to our state; the construc-
ton OF large pastures, which had resulted
in throwing vast number of herdsmen
out of employment; the illegal inclosing
of hundreds of thousands of acres of our
public domain by foreign and domestic
land companies, who own large herds of
cattle and but little or no land, and who
invade peaceful neighborhoods and con
sumo the grass, are among the prominent
features CT the hour, and call for r1drcss
to prevent lawlessness, which to great
extent has been cherished and fostercd ia
our state by free grass, and for which
some speedy remedy should be applied.
4. Our state has of school and public
lands 30,000,000 of acres, ont of which
but about 3,500,000 acres have been
leased. This shows loss of something
like 100000 TO the aX-payers of our
state, and is the best argument against
the past land policy. We are Of the opin-
ion that for the present, at least, the land
should he sold only to actual settlers,
and the greatest safeguard should be
lhroWn arounu our runu poliCy 10 prevent
their acquisition by foreign companies.
0. Recognizing that our state can best
be developed by the fostering OF a good
class OF farming immigrants, affording as
they will protection to the stock and grass
OF the paSturcmen, we would recommend
that they be dealt with in the sale of lands
on the most liberal terms The stock
raiser who rents or owns his lands finds
no antagonism when thrown in connec.
ton with the honest settlers of the soil.
.. We recommend that limit be fixed
to the number of cattle party NAV have
leave to Craze ia his pastures when he
owns the lands, and to that end would
suggest that they should be permitted to
pasture one animal for every ten acres of
land so owned or controlled
4 The controversies Of late between
our state officials show conclusively that
our laws are imperative, so far as the