Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-11-12
SELL THELANDS.
The Failure Oithe Lease Law and The
Demand for Its Repeal by the
interests OF the People.
what whilom Advocate of the Lease Law
Has to Say Of 1t Now, After
Ten Years of Trial.
El Paso Tribune.

One of, II not the most, important
questions agitating tine minds Of the peo-
pie, is the disposal OF the school and
other public lands In Texas. The issue
has been made, end the struggle is be-
tween the advocates OF the lease system
on the oae hand and its opponents on
the other. The term free-gfass has been
turned into an epithet Of reproach, end
applied in not very complimentary terms
to the anti.leaee element. Under the de-
lusive expression Of the "children's
grass more demagogism has been prac-
ticed and ISLANDERS perpetrated than ever
before known in Texas. II has fastened
upon the state system OF landlordism
as serious in effect as iniquitous in prac-
tice. Contrary to sill precedent, sound
craftsmanship or enlightened progress
iyeness the short-sighted policy was
usnered in. 1t was the natural out
come of the lease law, and has lain like a
mighty incubus upon as fair domain OF
country as the eye OF man ever gszed
upon. 1t has stayed the tide of immi-
grafton, kept out the actual settler, and
given over millions Of acres
of land to barbedwire cor
porations. No state in this
American Union has ever had grander
heritage for school purposes, or been
similarly cursed with inetflciency in its
management. How the idea Of combin-
ing the lease and sale features in one
law originated is indeed mystery. As
a miserable, stupendous failure it stands
alone in the history of Texas. Not a
single promise has been redeemed or
hope realized concerning the working of
a., 4, a f,l Tho
to the school fund from this source has
scarcely been thousands, when millions
of dollars were to be derived.
TITS a foul blot upon our statutes and
needs to be wiped away. Anti-lease argu-
ments have been based upon reasonable
conclusions and proven correct, The
claim was made that this lease law would
rotard the settlement, check The growth,
paralyze industries, and hand over to the
control of the few West Texss and the
Panhandle. That the man Of small
means would be driven ont OF the
state and corporations dominate the
country. The actual settler is myth,
while aliens and non residents are In
| possession. In many instances entire
counties have been Enclosed, and that too
| in defiance of law. Have not reports
made by the comptroller, attorney general
and land commissioner during the last
two years shown clearly that the lease
system was delusion and snare? Land
| lordlsm has proven costly experiment
| on the part of the state. Instead OF legis.
lation calculated TO advantage the chill.
dren OF the present generation the ten.
| dency has been to hoard up an income fol-
those to come after many years. Does
not craftsmanship prompt people TO be
careful of their wealth and waste 1t not
upon schemes and useless ventures? Car
we point with pride to the results Of the
lease law and wish its longer continu
auce? Is not its failure strikingly ap
parent? "Is there no balm in Gilead, nc
physician there, then why Is not the
health OF the daughter Of my people re-
stored?u SO spoke one in the centuries
of long ago, and so do the people OF Texas
now. Then the balm was found, the
physician came and the daughter OF tht
people was restored. To-day there II
a balm for our wounds, remedy
for the evils entailed by state landlord
ism. Let us return TO first principles IL
government, cease all costly experiments
and abolish from our statutes this leas'
law, A cnlld of doubtful paternity III
career has been full of sorrow and to III
grave let us commit the corpse In the full
assurance OF no hope of resurrection here
after. Then VII dawn for Texas a new
and brighter era. An impetus will b
given to business, improvement become
Inc order of the day and the sun o.
prosperity shine bright upon III
as people. Do not stop mere on
20 still further. Remove every wire
around land Illegally enclosed ana place
the school and other lands on sale to &C
tual settlers only. II needs be limit SAID
Gales to seven or ten sections and re
ouire purchasers TO give lanes for road'
aronnd his pasture. Have these lsnd'
carefully surveyed aud classified into Asri
cultural, grazing, timbered or minera
sections. Place price upon each &c
cording 70 adaptation TO one or otner o
these Glasses and location as to waterS elc
Make II as much crime 10 fence un-