San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-10-20

many men we're on the ground that
| there was not work for twO-thlrd5 Of
them and wages were crowded down to
. the lowest possible figure. The surplus
wOrkmen went away, and the contract
Ors fearful that they could not keep
wages down to starvation rates, sent
over TO Europe and imported foreign
stone cutters and masOns to still force
down the price OF wages. Then the pen
ilentiary was raided and the convicts
taken out of the ielons cells and put TO
work side by side with the citizen labor
er to degrade the idea OF labor and swell
| the profits OF the contractors. This
! thing which IL was in the power OF the
democratic legislature TO prevent ana
which they did not; this Withdrawing
5000 900 acres of the public lands from
settlement to relieve the property hold
crs of the state from being taxed to
build the capitol he laid at the door OF
the democratic party. prolonged ana
voCiferOus applause.) Well the lands
were not all gone. Some were left open
to settlement. Now how did they treat
THE ACTUAL SETTLERS.
The speaker here drew a graphic and
intensely thrilling picture OF the settlers
from far off states, in a body of some
hundreds, coming down to Western
Texas 10 settle upon her tate lands.
They make their selections and choose
| their locations and the commissioner
comes along aud is glad to see them and
they prepare to make their entries, when
| they are coOlly informed that they can
! not settle upon the lands chosen because
| there is water upon these lands, and
| watered lands are reserved for cattle
| kings, the actual settlers being permit
| ted TO choose only such dry knobs as are
unfit for grazing purposes. Remon-
| STRANGE was useless The people were
there, they had paid their $36 down Ms
| the law demanded, and the interest on
| the deferred payments, amounting in all
TO about $50, and cOul1 not get away,
so they were forced TO make the
| best of a bad bargain and remain.
| Cheerfully and uncOmpainingly they
went to work and built their humble
dwellings and broke up the soil and
| planted their crops and dug their wells
| in the dry knobs and were so busy that
| they forgot the day Of actual payment.
| or were 30 poor that they were waiting
| for some money to make it with, until
the time for the second paymen was past
| Just twenty-fOur hours when their lands
were declared forfeited and reverted
| back TO the state. Lands all gone, money
all gone, provisions all gone. everything
all gone, nope hil SOht' meeting iht
owner OF some thousands Of acres OF
railway lands, the poor settler, tremb-
ling, enquiries, land do they take your
| lands away when you miss the cOndi-
| tions by day in this way?" y! no, oh,
no, no sir! The democratic law Of
| Texas provides in its wisdom that rail-
way lands can only be forfeited by
| special act of the legislature.
THE TEXAS CATTLE KINGS
next came in for share OF the Dr's. at
tentOn. He declared that he liked the
cattle kings, he did not believe in iniur-
ing them or their property, but he
| wanted fair play. The millions of acres
| of school lands in the state were not
opened to actual settlement and were
| held as leased lands. The picture was
drawn of these lands leased by the thou
sands of acres to cattle kings. Within
the t rritOrv thus leased there were
many actual settlers. To drive these
out and prevent their occupying land
for actual settlement, which the cattle
kings desired to lease at 6 cents an acre,
the cattle barOns fenced in their lands,
fencing in also the lands of the settlers
and prevent .ng them from reaching the
highways and having free ingress and
egress. After standing this imposition
as long as possible the settlers combined,
and arming themselves with nippers
commenced cutting the wire fences that
enclosed them. The difficulty increased,
and the legislature was convened in
special session to consider the matter
and relieve the poor fenCed-in settler;
and they actually made it Il felony to
cut wire. Did they make it felony to
fence up the lands? No. they punished
that with fine. | do not believe ii is
right to cut wire. Neither do | believe
it is right to fence the peoples lands. II
you make it felony to cut wire, make
it also a felony to fence land. This in
Justice, this class legislation, lay down
at the door of the democratic party.
During these charges o. class legislation
against the democracy of the state DIR.
Cochran was frequently interrupted
with cheers that fairly shook the build
ing and at times prevented his being
heard a rod from the stand. The man
ner of presenting the subject WAS most
graphic and impassioned, carrying his
audience along with him irresstibly.
LOOK AT THE PLATFORMS.
Turning from the evils to their RENE
dies he read from the platforms of the
democratic party and also from the
declaration of principles OF the republi-
can party in support of the proposition
that they could expect no help from the
democracy of the state of Texas. In
their platform the declaration OF the
democratic platform reads: We denounce
unlawful interference or injury to cor
pOrate property and corporate rights as
equally inIOlerable as is such Interior.
ence with or injury to the rights of citi-
Zens, and while we recognize the high
obligation of the democratic party to
control and subordinate all public cor
pOratiOns to the general good, we pledge
ourselves to enforce and enact all laws
that may be necessary TO protect their
property from every danger, from what
ever source the same may come"
This platform of the democracy was
declarative only of desire to protect
the monOpOlist, and said not one word
believed in protecting property as much
as the democrat, but he would protect
labor as well as property. Now listen to
the republican declarations:
We recognize the right OF labor to a
just share in the wealth itself has Gre
ated, and we will do all In our power to
harmonic the interests OF capital and
labor and make the legislation OF the
State and nation as equally protective OF
ole as of the other. We also favor the
passage of such laws for the arbitration
OF all differences arising between corpo-
rations and those employed by them rs
will most eiiectually prevent strikes and
secure industrial harmony.
III they saw more comfort for them and
more hope In this platform than In the
other then he wanted them as honest
men to give him their votes. The demo-