Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-14
THE FRUITS OF 1T.

LitA~ Il Il = 4 - ~ L
The proof OF the pudding is the chew
ing Of the bag.
If Texas land policies have not been
radically wrong and hurtful in their
| operations, how are these facts to be ac-
counted for?
The census of 1880 reported a popula-
ton OF 1910 i'll the Panhandle of Texas
comprising twenty-seven counties. This
report is blank with respect to Greer :,
Carson, Dallam, Sherman, Ochiltree !,
Moore, Farmer and Castro counties and
accredits Randall with population of
but three, ColiingswOrth with six, Swisher
four, and Briscoe twelve. The re-
turns are manifestly incomplete, and
indicate population in the Panhandle at
that time of $500 at the very lowest esti-
mate.
In the recent election there were cast
in these twenty-seven counties POGO votes.
1t is probable, because of the large pro-
portion of single men in the west, that
the ratio of population to the voting
strength is about two and half to one.
Assuming, however, that the ratio is
three to one the population of the Pam
handle is now 6180.
Since 1880, or in nearly nine years,
twenty-seven counties containing more
that 20 900 900 of acres of land have in
creased their total population by $3.50
people.
But that is not the most startling reve-
lation made by the figures.
Since the-thSing of the census there
have been established in the Panhandle,
fourteen townships that are now recalled
by THE GAZETTE ;the true number is prob
ably over twenty. Childress, Amarillo,
Washburn, Cheyenne, Panhandle City,
Miami, Canadian, Higgins, Lipscomb,
Timms City, Ochiltree, Farwe1l, Hans
sites when the census tGkeT made his
rounds in 1880. Their combined popula-
ton is not less than 5000. Clarendon,
Tascosa and Mobeetie have increased
their populations in the aggregate by 500.
These then, are the results of nearly
one decade under the Texas land system
in the territory most vitality affected by
it: Total increase of POPULATION $3.50;
increase of township population, $500; net
increase in settler population, $50.
1t NAV be asserted that the sales of
school land reported from Austin tell a
different tale, that several millions of
acres have been purchased and occupied
by actual settlers since 1880.
If any one is so credulous as to believe
actual settler law have been sold to ac-
tual settlers, they can obtain better in
formation by applying to Ex-Land Com
missioner Walsh, Commissioner Hall or
State Land Agent Mccullough. A con-
sentative estimate places the amount of
public lands bought for speculative pur-
poses since the requirement of settlement
was introduced into the system at about
20 per cent.
1t will not be denied, of course, that
more than one hundred and eighty actual
settlers have gone into the Panhandle
during the last eight years. The mis-
fortune is that while some have been
going in others have been moving cut,
leaving net gain for the decade of $50.
With this ratio of incl ease the Pan
handle would acquire something near the
population of Tarrant county in the year
of our Lord a. d. 2l3S.
In the light of these facts, this clause
in the petition which will be submitted
to the Twenty first legislature from the
actual settlers OF the Panhandle, becomes
of great truth, ignorance of
which on the part of the state govern
ment has kept the northwest unsettled,
and continued ignorance of which will
keep il unsettled until doomsday:
1t is well known fact, proven over and over /
again, from the Atlantic TO the Pacific, in
every new country that has been settled that it |
is about all new country is worth to settle and
improve it.
We may deceive ourselves and few unsus- |
pecting individuals, but we cannot delude the |
shrewd men who are seeking investment for their
money, or country where they can locate pros |
perous homes.
We would further state in this our petition as |
the grounds upon which we base our demands, |
that we believe if the land law be not changed so
as to hold out greater inducements to the actual |
settler that the Panhandle and West Texas will |
remain unsettled and ,unccupied except |
BY latge eattla:. owners. Strenuous ef'
orts hare been put forth by those I
already settled, and large, expenses have been
to settle up the country under the pres