Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-05
TRANSFORMATION.
TEE RAPID RISE AND RARD Fall OF fHE
CATTLE BARON.
4 Picture on the Wall-Ths Nan With the hoe.
Col. Jim Brii.On's Siory-A Craze and
It's ocnssqusncss-Surpris-
ing Figures
CorresDoadsaes Of 81. Louis Globe Democrat.

Fort WORTH, TEX, July 27.-The
career Of the cow baron was short but
picturesque. Ten years ago he thought
he owned Texas. He counted his long
horns on a hundred hills. He held con-
ventions. Five hundred Of him sat
down to a $4,000 banquet at Dallas.
They drank champagne from big COB
lets. Diamonds as big as the pecans
which grow in the Concho country
sparkled on the bOsoms Of the baron's
wife and daughters. When he wanted
legislation the baron went down to Aus
tin and got It. He shouted "free grass"
and he called the farmer who moved in
and settled upon the water-courses Of
his range "a nester." His cowboys were
his feudal following and knew no other
law than his DEGREES.
One night after the end Of session
Of the Legislature the barons and their
friends entertained behind closed doors.
Ii had been a period Of satisfactory law
making for the cattle interests. Every
body who was present felt good. A
Governor, who had once said that Texas
didn't want immigration, sat at the head
of the table. Speech after speech was
made. The cattle interests were eulo-
giZed. THE hester" was ridiculed.
Such newspapers as had began to rebel
against the arrogance of the barons
came in for hard raps. and finally the
Governor, In a spirit OF fair play, called
on the only newspaper man present to
defend his craft. Nettled by the sar-
castle filings TO which he had been lis
tening, the speaker replied, half angrily:
Gentlemen, be said, "yOu may have
your sport tonight at the expense Of
the despised hester You may think
you are strong enough to defy the press
and public sentiment. But let me tell
you one thing: A man with hoe has
pOked his nose over your wire fence and
is looking at you to-day. You'll Kill him
of course. / know that very well. To-
morrow therell be two men with hoes
looking over that same fence. XIII the
two, and tomorrow there'l be four men
with hoes looking at you. Kill them,
and tomorrow you'll see eight men with
hoes in the same place. 1t isn't in the |
nature OF things, gentlemen, for an acre |
of land which will raise twenty bushels |
OF wheat TO be given up for all time to |
the possession of the five-dollar COW. |
Mark what l tell you. In ten years the |
man with the hoe will have you on the
run"
The barons laughed. But IL was their
'last banquet" They had never heard
Of 1.-The man with the hoe" till then.
Ten years? The prophet gave himself
10 ,,,fyhk |
ave cut HIS time In two. Five years
after the prediction was uttered the
uarOns' reign was over. ''The man with
the hoe" was a reality. He had pair
Of nippers in his pocket and walked
through the barOns' fences. To-day
"the man with a hoe" is everywhere.
he is Texas prOverb. As you get off
the cars at Fort Worth, his picture, ten
Fort Worth worshiped at the feet of the
baron and grew rich on the profits OF his
round-ups.
One Of the stories Of the rapid rise
and decline Of the COW baron owes au-
thOrshiD TO Col. Jim BrittOn. In the
DAYS when Texas had railroad COM
missiOnership, with only ornamental
functions, Col. BrittOn was appointed to
fiji it. He discovered the lack OF law to
make the Office in any way efficient and
sent I'm his resignation, saying that he
did not care to draw a salary for doing
nothing. There is not another instance
of this kind Of conscientiousness in the
later years Of pie-eating In Texas. But |
while he was Commissioner Col. Britt0n |
went out to Abilene. The time was the |
flush period Of the cattlemen. Mill |
ionaires were thick. At one Of the EEK
changes" OF Abilene, Col. Britton was |
a witness to controversy between two |
of the new millionaiTeS. These cattle |
barons had Just returned from their
first trips to New York, where they had
gone TO get rid of some OF the cumber-
some profits and have a royal time.
"Jim," said Jake, that's a pretty
fine watch you've got there"
eyes" replied Jim; Il got the ticker
OF a fellow in New York, 1 reckon it's
the finest in Abilene"
"WeU," continued Jake, drawing one
from his pocket, "here's better one"
sReckon not" said Jim. "Whatd
yours costP'
'sPaid 1925 for her." said Jake.
'What'd you give for yOurs?"
Cost me $780," answered Jim, with a
triumphant grin.
Jake was blue over the discovery that
he didn't own the costliest watch in Abb
lene. He stood, holding the now de-
spised chronometer in his hand and
looking at IL. Bracing up after few
moments he said: There amt much
difference between 'em. But I'll bet
can throw mine further than you can
yours.
Everybody laughed and looked at
Jim. The latter was not to be bluffed.
Quick as a fash no replied: "Pll just go
YOU one on that"
The crowd went out into the rocky
street. A scratch was drawn. 1t was
agreed that the man who threw his
watch furthest should have what was
left OF both watches. They threw, and
the fellow who won led the way back
into the Exchange and set up the
drinks.
"a few months afterward," said Col.
Britton, concluding the narrative, 81
was back In Abilene. saw Jake and
Jim. Each had Waterbury, and when
he pulled 1t out of his pocket he held it
I'M both hands for fear 1t would drop on
the floor and set hurt"
In 1878 and 1879 stock cattle roamed
over three-fourths Of Texas. The
ranges stretched from the Gulf to No
Mans Land and from Fort Worth to FL
Pnso. Those cattle were worth SIS a
head when there was any market at all
for them. They were called dOgies In
East Texas, sea lions down by the Gulf,
and lonr-hOrns In the Panhandle. In