The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-03-13
GOVERNOR L. s. ROSS
Being Unable to Be Present at the Inter
state Cattlemen's Convention at Fort
Worth, Does the Next Best Thug and
Sends Them n Rattling Good Letter.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE, AUSTIN, TEXAS.

Dear Suitcase express my reSreIS
to those who will be fortunate in be-
ing present at the Cattlemen's con-
vention that circumstances beyond
my control deprive me of that great
pleasure. To me it would have
been something more than an
ordinary satisfaction. l served
q long and faithful appren-
ticeship as a cowboy, and not only
| feel at home with them at all times,
but am Justly entitled to the shibbo-
leth chat would secure the grip and
greeting of warm hand.
1 can assure your distinguished Wis
itors from abroad that they will re-
ceive nothing but courtesy and kind
ness from our people wherever they
may go, but it would have been like
visiting Egypt without seeing the pyr-
amids for them to have come to Texas
without seeing Fort Worth. The peo-
pie of this energetic city have made it
like the Comstock lode. Just when
you expect it to shallow up it opens
| out in newer and richer vein than
all preceding ones.
Their highest ambition, best pur-
pose and most earnest wish being to
see our State stand first in free and
liberal institutions, moral fiber, intel
lectual reach and all the glories which
crown the most elevated civilization
they quite naturally want to make the
whole country better acquainted with
the growing hopes of our young
State, which will soon stand in the
halls of congress like young Her
cules, conquering by obvious strength,
leaving her club behind.
The wise minister of Henry Nv
taught his sovereign that pasturage,
tillage and commerce were the
three great nurses of a
State, and indeed, since the
days of the patriarchs they have pro-
crossed and prospered with an equal
step in conjunction, and have often
thought that the pillow, the anchor
and the branding iron would form no
mean coat of arms for any state or
empire.
But here are the representatives of
a single great industry, which for
years was the greatest in wealth and
! prosperity, and the foremost in our
State resources, and it is no more
than simple justice to say that from
the days OF the Republic to recent
years the cattlemen have been the
avant couriers of our civilization and
settlement; not only standing guard
as a living wall around their ranches,
but staying the work OF the scalping-
knife by repelling, pursuing, and pun
ishing rowing bands OF Indians, and at
the same time pushing out with their
herds far in advance of the village or
settlement of the agriculturist.
Depending alone upon their man
hood, skill and courage, they were
mainly instrumental in wrestling from
the Indians and buffaloes vast do
main whose lands, now known to be
fertile to exuberance, were then sup
posed to be something like self-right-
eousness, the more of which q man
has the poorer he is.
1t is matter of public record that
for more than twelve years prior to
1874 no new county had been organ
lied in this state. On the contrary,
the counties of Young, Coleman and
Stephens had lost their county Or
carnations and were completely de-
populated except by Gordon offearless
cattlemen like the Slaughters, Good
night, Browning, Reynolds, Mathews,
Carter Harrisons, Braggs, Gholson,
Elkins, Lovings and score of Others
equally worthy of mention along the
border line. These men, aided by
battalion OF rangers, who were ex-
pected to guard frontier line of
nearly 800 miles, stood between the
savage and his victim. In that year
the assessment roll of the
twenty-four border counties, Ban.
dera, Brown, Burnet, Clay, Com
anche, Eastland, Frio, Gillespie,
Hamilton, Jack, Kerr, Kinney, Lam
pasas, Llano, Mason, Maverick, Men
ard, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker,
San Saba, Wise and Young, showed in
taxable values only Sic, 100000, while
today, on the same basis Of valuation,
they present taxable property of
over $65, 100000, to say nothing OF the
forty or fifty prosperous counties once
organized beyond the then frontier
line, and which are now filled will,
well-stocked and well-cultivated farms
as the homes of an industrious,
law-abiding people, the pride
and glory as we'll as the true
strength ola country. These are some
OF the indicative trophies of the Texas
cattlemen and the legitimate fruitage
of their dauntless courage and pioneer
sufferings in the pursuit of their avo-
cations and in justice should entitle
their interests and possessions to the
equitable consideration Of the gov
eminent and the people gener-
ally. And yet strange enough,
while for years they have been the ex-
emplars of chivalrous generosity
and bravery, which made them the
heroes OF tales recounted the world
over, in many instances they have
l,o l,