The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-02-02
A NEW SET OF LAND THIEVES,

a NEW SET OF LAND THIEVES.
A MOST infamous practice has
crept into our land system. The
law permits the sale of school Sec
tions on long time, with eight per
cent. interest Oh the purchase
money. The law also limits the
sale of sections to any one person.
This limitation is unjust, and ii
is also void. since one person
may acquire title to three sections
of land, and if he have a dozen
members in his family he may Sc
cure title to three sections for each
member. He may thus acquire
an unlimited number of sections,
so long as he finds an employe or
friend TO intervene and Sc
cure the states title, for so
soon as tins is obtained, re-
conveyance may be made to any one.
There should be no such limitation,
but any one, able to buy, should be
allowed to do so. 1t would, in fact,
be more satisfactory to the state to
deal with the fewest number of pur-
chasers, and even if it were
not wise to have no Limitation
as to sales to one person,
it would be more dignified on the
part OF the state to have this law re-
pealed, since it or any one like it
may be avoided, and hence it is folly
to keep il on the statute books. But
II was an infamous practice, touching
the sale of these school lands, to
which we desired to direct atten-
ton. Under the law one can file on
a school section and the file
holds good for ninety days.
At the expiration of the ninety days
the file expires, unless one twentieth
of the purchase money is paid to the
commissioner of the land Office. 1t
requires one dollar to make the file
in the county where the land lies,
and when the ninety DAYS eX-
pires, and this money is not
paid the land is open to a
new file, and so it may proceed
for an indefinite period under the
law as il is. The file holds the land,
and it may be thus held for one
year or more, costing only
four dollars to keep the file in
force twelve months. The scheme
is conducted by a ring, in
which some of the county officers
are usually engaged in this wise:
The entire alphabet is ring; A files
on the land and pays one dollar and
holds the section for ninety days.
A does not pay the commissioner
the one-twentieth part of the pur-
chase money, never intend
ing, in fact, to do so, and
when his file expires b
stands ready to file, and he holds
the section for ninety days more.
Still the money is not paid to the
land commissioner, and next G. files
and then D., and so the claim on the
section may be kept alive
where the ring Is even small.
Many fictitious names are used
probably. The section so filed
upon is in n most desirable region.
and many persons want to buy land
there. A bona fidc purchaser comes
along, wants n section that is so filed
on, and he pays for this right to the
land, and becomes its real owner,
only after paying, in some cases
it is said, handsome sums to some
man who had no intention to be-
come the real owner of the land.
The law allows A, b, e and ID to
hold the land by virture of the file
and they thus rob the bona fide
purchaser; who pays quite sum for
the file, which he is legally entitled
to for one dollar, besides
dealing with the commits
sioner, as directed by law, for title.
In this way, it is said, the entire
school lands, in many counties, are
controlled by rings, in which, as
stated, one or more county ofli-
cialst in each ring must GER
tainly figure. This is one of the
questions demanding the immediate
attention of the Legislature, and un-
til the proper remedy is applied the
state must suffer in reputation by
the Vaccinations of these tricksters
who are taking advantage of the
generous points in law, virtually
made for honest men. Many in
stances are reported, where
would be purchasers from other
states have become sdisgusted, be-
cause of this infamous practice, and
rather than nay the unjust demands
of members of these rings, they
have left the state without investing
as their fancy directed them
to do. The law should be
so amended as to make these fellows
come in with their payments to the
land commissioner, and honest deal
ers should be protected against this
new breed ofsharks.
A WESTERN judge, Zane, o
Springfield, Illinois, has decided thai
railway pools are illegal. He has
given an opinion that railroads have
no right 10 enter into contracts with
one another depriving the people o
the benefits of competition.
THERE Is q three-cornered figh
going on for the Arkansas United
States senatorship. A. III. Garland
is the candidate of the debt-paying
Democrats, who are a minority o
the party. p. X. Roots, of sta
route notoriety, is the Republican
candidate. and the anti-debt paver,