The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-03-30
WORK FOR THE LEGrsLArURE.

The positive demand for the meet
ing of the legislature, at this time, is
that the state may be properly re-
districted for congressional and for
legislative representation. Eleven
congressional districts are to be
carved out of this vast terri
tory, and senatorial and repre-
sentative districts for representa-
ton in the legislature are to be
made. This work is a long and
tedious one, for in it old dis
trict lines are to be forgotten, since
the changes in population between
1870 and 1880 have been wonderful,
populous counties now existing
where ten years ago the savage and
the bison roamed at will. AL these
districts have to be SHAPED accord
ing to population, on the basis fixed
by congress and the state legisla.
ture, and to say that these may be so
shaped i'll few days would be evi.
dence either of ignorance or of folly.
This work is big one, and it is i'm
portant, for out of it the people
are to derive a proper and
an equitable representation. This
is the imperative work required,
while next there should follow, in
order of Importance, the various
questions already or hereafter to be
presented by the governor. Among
these none are so imperatively nee
essary as the legislation regarding
the public lands, and unless
such needed legislation be obtained
the state is destined to lose millions
of money through the failure. The
wretched system of valuation for
school lands has already occasioned
heavy loss to the state, and were it
not tor the heroic determina-
tion of Commissioner Walsh to
protect the state, even IN violation
of an unwise law, the next month
would see a vast quantity of the
public lands pas away from the
state at prices absolutely disgrace
ful TO the cause of public economy.
In the extreme west, and in a
few of the more broken regions of
the state, the minimum price now
fixed upon school lands is III some
instances too high, but we would
not have it reduced, even in such
regions. For one hundred and fifty
miles mol tn of Presidio del Norte,
and two hundred or two hun
dred and fifty miles south
oft, and extending eastward to the
head waters of the Colorado river,
the minimum price, one dollar, is
great enough, for private lands are
now offered for sale at less than this,
and, since the state should not as
sumo the attitude of excluding from
this western wild the settler and
purchaser, it would be proper to al
low the limit remain as it is, guard
ing the valuation with every safety
that may be thrown about it. But
only in this somewhat inaccessible
region should the minimum
price remain as it is. In
many of the counties the
lowest price at which school lands
may be purchased could reasonably
be advanced to two and half dol
lars per acre, even more, probably.
Besides regulating, according to To-
cation, the price of lands, there
should be a complete reformation
in the manner of sales. Especially
should the attention of the legisla-
ture be directed to the abolition of
system, which encourages specu-
lating rings to prey upon the bona
fide purchaser "a plan of rob-
berry that has been resorted
to in many places, disgraceful
to the state, because it is done
under the direct sanction of bad
law, and because it is conducted in
many instances under the manage
ment of officials more fit for asso-
ciatlon at Huntsville, with land
grabbers, than to live among hon.
est settlers and land purchasers.