Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-13

boihVVIauc party. Nearly all the people
west OF Fort Worth will have TO be helped
oy contribution or evacuste the country -
Ihese are the conclusions Of gentle
man who, according 70 his own state
ment, bad soiOurped In Texas barely two
weeks when he wrote, stopping al hut
two places, neither one OF which is with.
In 100 miles of the drought.stricken dis
trict. Yet such hastily formed and un-
warranted opinions as these are accepted
here as true aud used with great effect TO
the uetrtment OF Texas. | have no In
terest to promote by the denial OF such
misrepresentation save that which every
man must feel In his adopted state, aud
which, trust, will be deemed sufficient
to excuse this trespass on your space
The lack OF Information on the part Of
the correspondent from whom quote is
sufficiently indicated by tha date line
which he uses When 1t IL stated that
what Is popularity known as "Norih vest
Texas" includes an area more than twice
as large as the state OF Tennessee, the ab.
surdi y OF the attempt TO describe the sit
uation Of the western portion OF that sec
ton from the view obtained from the
eastern portion will be apparent The
correspondent, II at his Tennessee home,
would DE as fully prepared To describe the
situation 81 affairs In Southern Illinois as
he is TO make report on Western Texas
at the point from which fe writes.
AS TO the drought, undertake 20 say
that in the agricultural districts OF Texas,
which include the region East OF the
lOOth degr Of longitude, Il has not been
more severe than "a any OF the Gulf
states. An Inspection of the crop reports
sent out from the government bureau at
Washington will bear out this assertion,
The crop, while not 50 good as in more
favorable years, is not In any sense fail.
ure, but would, dare say, be regarded
as a fair yield by the average Southern
farmer. That distress exists TO a certain
extent In the western districts OF the
state can not be denied, but even then the
sufferers, as rule, belong to that unior-
tunate class who are always In distress,
no matter where they chance to be, un.
less nature and fate unite to minister 10
their necessities Many OF then landed
In Texas with large families and scarcely
dollar In their pockets TO purchase be
necessaries OF life; without the means to
secure good teams aud farming utensils,
Is 1t strange that in undertaking to
convert the grazing Il Ids of century
into farms, they should be compelled
TO undergo hardships, even under the
| hbNb AANhAhpll NlAIuhNbhuNtNE lut truth
Is that whatever suffering exists ut pre-.
sent Ia Texas Is not the legitimate result
OF the drought, but ia the natural conse.
quenoe Of the extreme poverty OF a con
siderable portion OF It's immigration-a
cause which entails the same result In
fertile as well as In barren regiops This
fact can be ascertained by writing to the
authorities who have charge of the dis
trlbution Of relief contributions.
carload OF supplies was recently
shipped from Fort Worth 10 Midland, a
place over 200 miles further west as a
donation TO drought sufferers, and It's re-
ceipt occasioned an indignation meeting
on the part OF the citizens, who in mass.
meeting declared that they were amply
able to take care OF themselves. No srot
in Texas has been without rain for
"elghteen months," or one-third that
time. Less than four months ago CO.
pious rain fell all over the state.
The statements which have quoted re-
lating TO the political condition OF the
people partake more OF positive equivoca-
ton than OF alb urdity. Thai, for instance,
} which represents the laburing class OF
: Texas as ''the worst tax ridden people IN
the Union" is so gross a fallacy
J hat one seeking the truth could
| bGhlCNi1 uuNt uuOUltu - lug hlhhN
ad Talorem tax is 22I cents; state
} school tax, l21 cents. the total OF cnun-
ty taxation rarely exceeds 60 cents
There you have an aggregate taxation OF
90 cents on the 500 for all purposes, a
rate higher than that which prevails in
the majority Of the counties. II should
be remembered, too, that the public
schools are maintained six months In
the year by the state--a singular bene-
faction II its condition be such as has
been represented.
Every legal protection which the poor
man could reasonably desire Is given by
the statutes OF Texas. Such is the home
/. stead law, more rigid, perhaps, in Its
operations than in any other state; such
the mechanics and laborers' lien law, and
such a score Of similar enac ments which
an inspection of our statutes would re-
veal
The personal property OF the agricul-
turist is exempted from taxation TO GER
tain extent--the amount ! do not remem-
Der ut the privilege Is doubtless as ex-
tensive here as Ia any other state The
only taxes Of which, after twelve years
residence, nave ever heard the farmers
complain were dog tax and smoke
house tax, both OF which were long since
ltpthhCu'
Every discrimination which exists in
the present constitution and statutes OF
Texas favors either agrlculturer or labor.
er. The constitution was famed by a
convention composed almost solely OF
farmers. So great was their indignation
at the excuses OF the Radical legislature
that they gave the state a constitution 80
rigid aud seye e In It's economical pro-
visions that 1t is popularity known as the
Rutabaga constitution, after one of the
noted farmer economists Of the conyen-
ton.
The rural population OF Texas out.
numbers heavily that Of the cities, and
controls the Legislature without an effort.
With population Of $500 600 people the
state can not boast OF single city with
40,0 900 souls.
1t is true that poll tax of sl.5o Is
levied by law, but out Of an adult male
population OF over 400 900 not quite one
III half nav IT, and no penalty attaches to the