The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-12-21

tive departments may work IN full har'
mony 10 the end that the latter may finish
50 their labors within The sixty days.
lst, one Of the first matters for attention,
and paramount in importance, Is the school
land question. Speculation IN these lands
has been rife by parties who have been
seeking TO make quick and independent
of this state. and the sooner after
conyening the members shall take hold Of
this business the better. Some writer has
remarked that every acre of these lands has
been gobbled up by land.sharks and mo-
nopoly cormorants. There is probably not
foot of it left. One party gobbed up
million acres, which were sold Immediately
to New. York spectators for $1.20 an acre,
thus making profit of 100000 on au ex-
penditure of next to nothing. Another
party in north Texas gobbled 5000, 600
acres, which were sold at once to north
ern operators and to monopolists at rs
cents an acre, and thus making profit of
! $4,000 on an expenditure OF next to moth
ing. And thus the whole 100000 of acres
went in large bodies into the hands of land
sharks and monopoly cormorants, who will
freeze to them and demand and receive in
time whatever prices they may put upon
them. Now, to whose loss were these large
profits made by those who gobbled the so
cent lands ami sold them to monopolist
cormorants outside of the state2
A coorJ;po 70 tba constitution tho ,,,nooyo
received from the sale of the public lands
go to the school fund for the education of
the children of the state. These moneys
belong to the children of the state. There
fore, when that party made his profit of
500, 900 on those lands, he legally, through
the act of the Texas Legislature, robbed the
school children of that amount of money,
and when that other party made his profit
Of $4,000, he legally, by act Of the legisa-
ture, robbed our school children of that
amount of money. And so as regards
the entire eight millions CT acres"
I'd, The additional question as to what is best
to be done with such public free-school
lands as may be left, that they may be
utilized to the greatest advantage for the
present and the future scholastic popula-
ton, will require careful deliberaLion.
Whether it be hest to sell or to lease, or to
sell some sections and lease others, and how
best to effect such disposal, will demand
the highest legislative wisdom from busi-
ness minds. Sd, Our homestead law is
radically deficient and defective and full OF
Objectionable features. Its intent was
we'll enough, but it as often
hurts the parties proposed to be
protected as it benefits them. 1t
is so indefinite, Authoritarian and elastic in
its character that it does injustice to credi-
tors, and offers temptation TO the debtor.
1t is well known fact that hotels, livery
stables, manufacturing establishments
mills, etc., have been claimed under the
present law as homesteads. 1t is thus
snare and a cheat. For this reason the
credit of many of our people is not accep'a'
bic to would.be sellers of goods, or to buy
ers of their paper, except at figures that
look toward compensation of the risk IN
Cured. 4th, There should be some change
in the law looking to the collection OF debts
from merchants, etc. The attachment rem
edy is a harsh one, and is frequently ruin
Gus TO a merchant and creditors as well,
when only little delay might tide him over
AS the case now stands, attachments first
run take precedence over other credits.
One party, suspecting weakness or embar-
rassment of his customer knowing his lien
in this respect, attaches suddenly for his
claim under IN affidavit, Others take alarm
and rush in to secure accounts, and proba-
bly, three or four out of a dozen or more
creditors become possessed of the entire
stock. Here are wrongs and sacrifices all
around, without adequate redress TO those
injured. 9th, There should be some changes
made in the criminal law regarding the
payment Of witness fees in criminal and
attachment cases. As it now stauds wit
nesses may be compelled TO 60 long distan-
ces at heavy expenses to testify, and with
ont the proper remuneration. This is O
wrong upon It's face and should be recti-
fed. 9th, The occupation taxes is another
subject for early attention. If the finan-
cial condition of the state..will warrant it,
they should be repealed. They are errone-
Gus in principle, unequal OF operation, land
undemocraiic in policy. At any rate, let
the pruning-knife be freely and fairly APP
plica. Tho cash balance On hand the mos
pective growth of the state in the pop
ulation, wealth and general business, call
for severe amputation OF the cancerous off
shoot of consolidation theories. 9TH,
Pn,psr steps should be taken 10 have an
amendment 10 the constitution submitted
that our public tree school revenue
be freed from the unhappy entangling
alliance that makes II as now dependent
upon the general revenue. The latter,
as It Is reduced by so much reduces the
former. while the school fnnd should be in
creasing all the time and the general
revenue tax rate decreasing. We assume
that there can be but little discussion on
this subject so patent and clear. Sth, We
have shown on previous occasions In these
columns why sessions Of the supreme court
of the state should be held at Dallas rather
than AZ Tyler. The reasons for the change
are so numerous and 20 cogent that there
should be no hesitsncy about the transfer.
The paper setting out the facts that this is
the central aud infinitely more convenient
point for Iitiganis, witnesses, and the vast
volume Of litigation, and submitted at the
short called session last spring, put the
matter in such clear light that the opinion
vas almost unanimous that Dallas ought
At an early day be selected for the purpose.
ge trust that Austin will not have the