The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-07-18

d. thrr. iug generation from tho be
l.ul,I pTl-Unhulse of lHuumIcs q
lnr broad mad ever expansive he.d, o
'nl and knowledge, ~ ia dcubtm.
vn.n.f lu the h.ttuIyCf civilization
.u,l uu unaulmily OF sentiment upnu
amy one subject has ever before ex,
lied, as now exists in regard 10 the
Uuly aud binding obligations resting
moon the present generation tn pdu,
..tp. aud prepare ~ mind and heart
OF the rising generation Tor the 10,
.uuusibilIlies and euloymonts OF life
IAr mechanic no his workshop, the
rTmcra ut HE plowi the merchant be,
hind hIs counter together with the
various professionals aud politicians,
rIpall, all united upon this vital Ques.
ton,
10 shall not therefore, be my PROV.
lncc In this communication 10 occupy
your valuable space In discussing the
necessity the benefits or the pleasures
lo ba derived lrum a subject on which
ALI nre agreed. For after a people have
hpcume convinced Of the Importance,
and thoroughly aroused 10 the accom-
pliyhment of any object or duty, il
then becomes Il question not OF per-
suusion, hut Of accomplishment.
As 10 how the people Of Texas can
best raise the means by which and
with which 10 secure this much to.be.
desired object, is u ga stiou for her
statesmen 10 solve. While | make no
cMm toslatosmanship aud only write
M .ho request OF the Dallas county
council of patrons of husbandry, to di-
rect attention to the subject under
confederation, shall presume to give
my individual idcaa, without assum.
mg that they VIII be endorsed by
single member OF the order
Assuming TINT public free schools
are Indispensable ANA Mat il Is tue
duly Of the atato 10 foster and eucour.
by furnishing ample means
for their support and maintenance
and in view OF the fact that il has
been determined by the people Of
Texas, in ratiiying and adopting the
present constitution, that no direct
lax ehall be imposed for This purpose
! shall proceed di!ecly TO give my
views ltor what they may lie WORTH
as 10 the best, quickest, cheapest and
most substantial mode of making
available the vast and almost mex
haustibIe school fund of Texas. BE it
remem bered that Texas has two kinds
of public free school understandable
ana WdraHdbIG The available school
funds are:
First Interest derived from what is
known AZ railroad bonds, 800, OU0 sec
lnG, interest on state and United States
uouds, sos, 500; third, poll tax, 100000;
Ioauh, one fourth OF the general reve-
me, 500 coo, making a total of about
s72S, 500 ~ the annual available school
tuud--a sum too insignificant to run
the public free schools of Texas for
more than two months IN the year.
The unavailable school tuud consists
n princely domain OF public lands
I'd more than twenty millions Ofacres.
Twelve millions of acres are already
located and surveyed, aud the field
notes returned to tie general land Of
lee, which up to this time has re-
NAMED dead capital to the state, be-
ng neither available as school fund
Ior as % source Of general revenue
"hs vast amount Of land ut the low
ate of fifty cents per acre, would yield |
he enormous sum of ten millions Of
collars, which at ten per cent. would
.ipld q revenue of one million annu-
lily, or at one dollar per acre would he
wenty million dollars, which ut eight
,or cent per annum w0uldyield an an
,uul revenue of one million six hun
lrca thousand dollarsto the available
ehoul fund. 1t seems to me that
here could have been plan or policy
.dopted which would have made
arge amount of this unavailable fund |
.vailable as a school fund in COM
,ound ratio, by this time, as well as q
ourre OF a vast amount Of general |
.pyenue. The plan that | shall sug- |
,cst is that this land shall
ne put on the market as
.arlv ms possible, ut a minimum
yauatiou, not less than one dollar per
acre, free from the unwise restrictions |
mrosed by the present law. That is,
+ shnll be sold il quantities to suit |
purchasers, in tracts of eighty, OF one
hundred and sixty, OF three hundred
lnd twenty, or OF six hundred ana
Iorlv acres or more, Is may be desired,
and that the purchaser shall not be
.euuired to live on the same; but that
he shall be required to pay one'tenth
# the purchase money annually, ana
-n1 uer cent. interest annually on the
lnpaid balance, together with state
and county taxes on the same, from
late of purchase; the full amount
# pnrchase money and interest to be
mliy paid at the end of the ten years.
,r sooner, If desired by the purchaser
fine patent from the state to issue on
the full payment of the principal ana
accrued interest, together with all the
state and county taxes due thereon
by not limiting the purchaser IN tle
number of acres, and by not requiring
him TO live upon the land, and by not
restricting the purchaser to I've non
real estate owner many persons, ooth
i'm Texas and in other states, VIII oe
induced 10 invest their money anu
become citizens, who will not, under
the present limited amount OF lana
and restrictions OF the present law
Many would now purchase, II the
amount of land was greater, even
under the present law. Many Others
would purchase homes, even with inns
if they We're not
required to live on the same
i'm a given time. They are too poor 10
attempt to improve home in the will
derne5s, from which they must sup
port their families and make the one
tenth of the purchase money ana IN
terest of of an unimproved wilderness
home. ,,--
Many others who have small homes
anu even larger ones in the interior,
would purchase 800 or 6lO acres OF
more, and hold il for n future nome
for themselves or children a. soon ~
it was safe or convenient to occupy w.
if they were not restricted. by invest.
ing the principal Of the purchase l.ilss'