The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1879-01-23

J. versity, under one general head, to b
Q known as tie State Land Department
: by which all contracts for the sale o
: lands should be either made or approx
: ed, and that all payments of principal o.
: snferest of land contracts should b.
l made to the head of such department
4 and covered into the State Treasury, t
be placed to the credit of the particular
: fund to which it belongs, and by tn
f Treasurer disbursed according to law
Luch a system for the disposition Of ou
: public lands would be less expensive
: insure greater safety to the purchases
as well as to the State, and would b.
r less complicated than our present system
/ There should also be q provision mad
! for the appraisement of all such land
/ by commission duly created for tina
! purpose. which should PERSONAL inspec
every tract Of such lands, and in theil
report give full and complete descrip
ton of each subdivision of forty acres
embracing quality of soil, stone, water
! timber, location, value, etc. Such Al
appraisement, being entirely freed from
local influences, (which make our pres
ent system OBJECTIONABLE, which would
be uniform and reliable, and more likely
to do equal justice TO all concerned.
The commission who selected the 1885,
600 acres of land recently secured to the
State by the United States Government
having in their report given such a de-
scription from pei sonal inspection OF
each tract described the value of such
land might be fixed without rcvisiting
it. Such an appraisement of all the
public lands once completed would new
er have to be repeated, as Board OF
Revision could from time to time lessen
or increase the valuation as circumstan-
ces might indicate to be for the best in
tesests of the State.
The policy OF the State should be to
dispose Of lis public lands as rapidly as
possible advantageously, and thus not
only place the purchase money on inter
est, but bring the land sold in for taxa
ton: and to this end suggest the rates
of interest on deferred payments OF
purchase money be reduced to not ex-
ceedlng seven per cent. per annum, pay
able annually, and that the principal be
made payable at the option of the pur-
chaser at any time within twenty years.
with strict provision for forfeiture
upon failure to pay interest within a
reasonable time after its maturity.
In pursuance of the provisions of sec
ton l, chapter 176, of the laws OF Kan
sas of 1877, authorizing the Governor to
appoint an agent for the State whose
duty it should be, among other things.
to prosecute to final decision the claims
of the State for school lands due to the
State from the United States on account
of Indian reservations, my predecessor
appointed rs such agent Hon. Samuel j.
Crawford, who, after being duly quail
fled, entered upon the performance OF
his duties, which have resulted in secur-
ing TO the State about 900 acres of
body of school lands already owned by
the State. No appropriation having
been made to defray the necessary ex-
penses connected with the selection of
the lands thus secured, and in view of
the rapidity of with which the Govern
ment lands in the State were being dis
posed of, our State officers, realizing
that the best interests of the State re-
quired that these lands should be select
ed at as early day as possible, united
in proceedings that resulted in the APP
pointment of Hon. G.. G. West. J.C.Mc-
quarry. O. +. Morse. l.. A. Thrasher, l..
b. Snow and j. +. Stone, citizens of
Kansas, as commissioners to select these
lands. The Commissioners faithfully
and promptly performed their duty by
selecting the amount Of land due the
State. and making full and complete
report thereof, which is now on file in
the Office of the Auditor of State, and
to which you are respectfully referred.
These lands are among the best in the
State /: and the average price received
for school lands patented to this date
will be wOtth to the State about 81 ,21O,- |
900. To meet the expenses necessarily |
incurred in selecting these lands and |
making full report thereof, the State |
officers, to wit: Geo. 7. Anthony, ThOs.
ii. Cavanaugh, =. |. Bonebrakc, John
Francis, Willard Davis and A. b. Lem
mon. united in borrowing. on their per-
sonal responsibility. S2.ss5.35. upon
which sum they are liable to payment
of interest amounting to $2l2.94, max
ing a total of $3,9S.29. ! therefore rec
ommend that a committee be appointed
to investigate the proceedings relating
to the selection of these lands. together
with the reports and vouchers now on
file in the Auditors office, and. if found
correct, that an appropriation be made
to reimburse these officers for the full
amount SO expended by them in the in
terest of and for the State, and for
which their personal obligation is now
The report of the Board organized in
pursuance of the provisions of the acts
of February 18th, 1865. and February
10Th, 1866, to audit the claims of citizens I
for services rendered. material and sup &,
plies furnished, transportation lost. and /
damages sustained from the Price raid /;
and in the Indian expedition under
General Curtis, in 1864. being unsatis- |
factory, the Legislature, by an act of j
February Goth, 1867. provided for a new {
Board to re-examine these claims. Bv t
This act it was provided that the State c
should assume the payment of the
mount this commission should award.
~ Issuing to holders of claims SO allow I
ng Understanding upon military scrip. | |
% be paid out of any appropriation that c
night thereafter be made by Congress r
o reimburse the State for such expendi-
ures. The Commission awarded: For r
crvices, $21S, $3.50: supplies and trans t
,ortaiion, SSl ,6S2.32: damages. 131 v
1888 property lost. $35.5l8. 47-mak- u
ng total award of 1857 .2293.37. c
BY the act approved February II. p
1863, a Commission consisting OF three +
lisihtcrested citizens was created to ex- k
mime in every particular into the r
laims rejected by either of the former
for want of proof. and not Ii
aving passed upon their merit. and all t
laims that had not been prior thereto 81
udited by either of the former Com Ii
MISSIONS. 1t is further provided by Il
his act that all claims audited and o
nd allowed by the Commissioners ap- t,
ointed under the provisions of the acts y
f February IL. 1865. and February %. -
$40, together with all blaims for servic- 81
5. transportation, forage. subsistence o.
nd property lost in action that might CO
hereafter be audited and allowed by {
ne Commissioners appointed under this b,
ct, should be and were thereby assum- W
o by the State of Kansas: provided III
lai no claims allowed BY the Commits 81
oners appointed under the provisions OF
the act of February II. 1866. and re- to
'cted by subsequent Commission. liz
iould be assumed unless re-audited and p,
nd allowed by the Commissioners ap- AT
ointed under this act and provided OF
lriher. that the amount assumed by W
he State should not exceed the sum of Sc
100000. III
The Commissioners appointed under OF
rs act allowed claims TO the amount of re
u .22f 80 making the aggregate amount lie
claims S52S.5l4.96. being S2s.5l4.e6 IA
ore than was authorized to be assumed ne