The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-02-23

IL contains, upon a rough estimate
furnished by the commissioner OF
the general land Office, 10000 squar,
miles of land, u territory as large al
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indians
thrown in, or about that.
The children have 25,OO0,0oC
acres west of the lOC
degrees west longitude. They
nave already surveyed over
22,OOO,000 acres, or abont that, west
of that line, and then they have at
least 100000 of the lands re-
debt.
The university has million of
acres, and ii will not be my fault II
the university does not have three
more millions, taken out of reserved
lands by the next legislature be-
cause the convention of 1876 took
away from the university one-tenth
OF all the school sections that had
been surveyed since 1858, and
turned them over to the common
school fund; aud now, the only
show that we have for reclaim
alton. is from the lands reserved to
pay the public debt.
shall endeavor to have
that done, that we may build
up the magnificent university, that
shall be an honor to this whole coun-
try.
We need a higher education Just
as much as we need the lower. There
ought to be common schools for the
millions, colleges for the thousands,
and universities for the hundreds.
IL is for you, gentlemen, who are
familiar with the localities and who
are acquainted with this subject, to
devise how this can best be done.
L will now answer the gentleman's
ton acres to raise a 1c;5@o, GdEe dEe4ting.
raised, il will be on an
average, worth $15 to $40 when four
years old. Five cents an acre rent for
the support. of that animal would
amount TO 81 in four years; and that
would be about equal to a low in
terest on the money that would buy
the lands-$1 an acre. Or. IL that
is TOO much rent at present, there
might be rising rent, correspond
ing with the rise in the price of the
lands, which will certainly be worth
from $3.50 to $5 an acre within
twenty years. If we sell the lands,
we not only get interest on the
bonds that the money purchases, but
also get taxes upon them from the
time they are sold. You pay no
taxes upon them, and you only pay
taxes on the stock. If you do not
purchase the lands or lease these
lands, brokers will have lands sold
in the middle of your ranches.
Now having gone over this subject
to the extent have, [ wish to say a
few words in regard TO what is said
in my little book on Texas. did
not say that civilization commences
and ends with the plow. said re-
publican local self-government COM
meT ces and ends with the plow.
The police officers we have on the
frontier are a necessity for your
protection the police that they have
in this city are necessary for the
protection of the citizens, and they
are both military in substance,
whatever may be their form.
advise, that as soon as practicable
the arming of stockmen for their
own protection cease that you quit
marking mavericks Qaughter) and
thereby you may, in the course of
time, establish such civilization on
the frontier as is consistent with re-
publican government.
Partly at my instance our delega-
ton in congress got bill passed,
providing that the Indians of the
reserves should not be allowed to
come into Texas, and thereby the
keeping your men armed is, to a
great extent, done away with, but
not entirely. This cannot be effected
at once; il must be done gradually,
as you have better law and order
on the frontier. L would rather run
a fence through country and take
in q piece of land with IL, than have
all the military men you can put
there. There is nothing like fence,
because the worst of all men know
il IS against the law to break
through it. [Cheers.l That would
civilize your country, and it would
protect you III your property. IRE
newed cheers
Our school lands are intermixed
with the railroad lands, and there
will have to be some arrangement
made by which we can sell together
and lease together.
/ believe | have gone over the sub
ject as fully as the little time al
lowed has enabled me to give re-
Election upon it.
In making leases. the legislature
will have to make arrangements, so
as not TO embrace mines that may
be discovered in the ranches that
are leased, but shall retain
the right to utilize them by getting
greater profits.
The government must so manage
these lands as to subserye the pur-
poses of the schools and at the same
time extend the interests of agricul-
ture, and give prominence to the
stock interest, thereby protecting
and harmonizing all of our great in
terests, thus contemplating the time
when we shall have all these interests
fully developed in our great state,
and its shoots developed to increase
the intelligence of the country, SO
that every man will know how to
read and write, irrespective Of color
or condition; so that our mechanics
and agriculturists may be educated
here in Texas, and our statesmen,
our lawyers and our scientific
men generally, shall receive educa-
tions in Texas, and not come
home strangers, talking of the great
things of Virginia and other places,
but holding up the institutions of
Texas honors to the country of their
fathers and the country Of their own
destinies. Texans all.
What will be the condition of
Texas?
Imagination fails to portray the
grand result which will emanate
from these things; and you and l,
and everybody that is in Texas now,
are but each of us units in the great
fabrication of these results.
SAN ANTONIO.