Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-14
THEY love THEM 50.
The Interests Of the Horuy-Handed
Farmer Of Paramount
Importance.
Then the Stock-Raiser Wants Relief
from Nippers and Grass
Burners.
A Resolution with several Counts witch is
isieh and Hare Reading ut
This Tisnc.
Special 60 The Gazette.

1--we Stock asSoclatlon met at 10 u. IN.
Telegram vas read from Denver, Col,
from ! NJ Taylor, agent, saying the cat
tie associations in the range country will
send iolI delegation 70 the Denver
meeting, one delegate to every 10000
head OF cattle.
James F..Scott, chairman of the com
mittee on protection Of stock, reports a
continued decrease OF the depredations
on cattle, and that the laws, properly aa.
minIstered, afforded ample protection.
MIR. Henry Seeligson, for the committee
on public lands, submitted the following
AUSTIN, Jan. 10, lss6.--To Hon. John
N. Simpson, President Texas Live Stock
Association, SIR--Your committee ape
pointed on public lands, after due con-
sideration of tho subject, beg leave TO re-
port as follows.
/. The law regulating the sale of the
school and public lands OF the state, aud
the vacillating 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.
>. We earnestly recommend settled
state policy in regard 70 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 a 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 bad resulted
I IN throwing vast number of herdsmen
out OF employment; the Illegal inclosing
I OF hundreds of thousands OF acres Of our
public domain by foreign aud do
mestjc land companies, who own large
herds OF cattle and hut little or no land,
and who invade peaceful neighborhoods
aud consume. the grass, at.e anonE iha
/ prominent featuresof the hour, and cali
/ for redress TO prevent lawlessness, which,
TO great extent, has been cherished and
I tostered In our state by free grass, and
iorwhich some speedy remedy should be
applied
i A. Our state has of school and nublic
I lands 30, 000, 900 OF acres, out OF which
/ wv dbbuh bfRNbtNNV uAliN uNNt Uitl
4 leased, This shows loss OF something
| like 81, 900, 900 TO The taxpayers Of our
! state and Is the best argument against
the past land policy. We are OF the opin-
lou that for the present, at least, the land
should be sold olly 10 actual settlers;
and the greatest safeguard should be
thrown around our land policy TO prevent
their acquisition by foreign companies
8. Recognizing that our state can best
be developed by the fostering OF good
class OF farming immigrants, affording as
they will protection TO the stock and grass
of the pasturemrn, 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.
tion with the honest settlers OF The soil.
9. We recommend that a limirbe fixed
10 the number of cattle a party may have
leave 10 Craze IN his pastures when he
owns the lands, and 10 that end would
suggest that they should be permitted TO
pasture one animal for every ten acres OF
land so owned or controlled.
z. The controversies OF late between
our state officials show conclnslyely that
our laws are imperative, so far as the
public domain is concerned In some
counties and believing that laws
should be executed under any and all cir
cumstances, We would suggest that pun
ishment OF violations Of the laws rcgu-
latng the sale or lease Of school lands
should be attempted al first so near as
possible 10 the nome Of those Interested,
but II the laws from any cause should be
found imperative there aud in that court,
the same should be changed 10 county
where justice can be enforced as true
liberty is only such when regulated by
law.
8. The first great interest OF our state
IL that Of the horny-handed sons OF toll,
who comprise 800, 900 Of our population,
who spent In the year 1879 over three
millions OF dollars for fencing alone, 10
prevent the herds Of the open-range stock
raiser and fIee-grassers from depreda-
ting upon their crops These farmers
pay over one million dollars for taxes 10
educate the white and coiored children
OF our state, and yet 10000 acres OF
our school lands are dnleased, which
would give us over 81 900 900. The
controlling or leasing OF these lands
would In itself abolish free grass and 20
far towards solution 81 all the vexed
questions that have Of late proved such
an insurmonntable barrier to our state
offlcials.
The second great industry OF our state
being that Of the stock raisers, they also
are entitled TO protection from the nip
peers " the fence cutter and from the
grass burner. The contention for free
grass being the great incentive or cause
Of wrong doing by parties who have stock
aud no lund, the abolition OF
free grass would give protection to that
interest which Is only second OF the many
great industries Of our growing and pros
porous state.
10. Believing that the expression Of the
views Of our convention Is what IL needed
TO place The farming and stock interests
Of our state upon friendly basis that win
give us prosperity, pence and security,