Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-11-05
A LIE NAILED.
THE SAN FRAN CISCO POSTS
LIBEL REFUTED.
Something Important for the Peo-
pie to Consider.

Some of the State papers are copying a
libelous article from the San Francisco
Post, alleging that George Ernst defeated
the Hatch land bill from selfish and inter-
ested motives, and that he was then, and
now is, interested in a wood speculation in
Nye County-when the facts are that Mr..
Ernst never owned a wood ranch nor sold
a cord of wood or stick of timber in his
life. Mr.. Ernst was but one of fifty mem
bers in the lower house of the last Legis-
lature, composed of as honorable mel as
ever sat in that body, and if he did single
handed, as the Post alleges, convince that
body that the passage of the bill would be
a calamity to our School Fund, and that,
too, in the face of the pressure that was
brought to bear to secur its passage, his
arguments and reasons must have been
good. We learn from Mr.. Ernst to-day
the following facts, which will be OF great
interest to the parents OF our school
Children:
Congress donated to Il State at an
early day a little over 700, coo acres Of the
public lands for University, State build
ings, and other purposes, giving the State
the right to select this land at such times,
places, and in such quantities as it saw fit.
Fortunately for the State there was some
member in the Legislature who had the
wisdom and patriotism to draft the law
under which every acre of this vast dona-
ton was sold. The law is in force to-day,
and wisely provides that not al acre
should be taken from the General Gov
eminent until there was a purchaser ready
to buy it, and he must show his good faith
by depositing in the State Treasury
twenty-five cents an acre, the receipt of
which must accompany his application.
Then, and then only, is the Surveyor Gen
eral authorized to select land from the
General Government. The wisdom of this
law must be apparent to every thinking
man in the State. For were the State to
select land without having O purchaser for
it at the time it would run the great risk
of taking worthless land, and never be
able to realize a dime an acre. Land,
once selected by the State from the Gen
eral Government, cannot be exchanged.
1t then belongs to the State whether it be
good or worthless. The State cannot sell
land faster than there are purchasers for
it, hence the wisdom Of letting the ranch
ers and land buyers be the judges Of the
land to be selected by the State.
Congress also donated to the State the
sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections, non
mineral land, in every township for public
school purposes. When the whole State
is surveyed up by the General Govern
ment the amount thus granted would be
about e nln 0nn nrn nuut,u 10 tIn
mountainous and desert character of the
lands in our State we were able to sell but
a very small portion of this land.
Four years ago our Legislature proposed
to Congress to surrender the 5000, 900,
and take in place of it 1000, 900 acres, with
the right to select it in large or small
quantities and at such times as the State
deemed best. Two years last June Con-
gress granted Jul request. This land is
to be selected as fast as there are pur-
chasers for the same. The Hatch bill au-
thorized the Surveyor General to select
the whole of this 1000, coo acres and pay
him for his services out of the State
Treasury, in addition to his salary, two
cents an acre. Two million acres at two
cents an acre would amount to $40, 600.
Our intelligent readers can readily per-
ceive that it is not to the interest Of our
School Fund to take one acre of land from
the General Government unless it is sale
able. Suppose it was advisable to select
this land or a portion of it before the
State had q buyer, then surely it ought
not to be selected without personal in
spection by some honest and competent
person, because the good and saleable
lands lie in our State in small and widely
scattered tracts. How far from Carson
would the Surveyor General travel to in
spect 100 acres at two cents an acre
(S3 20) ? He could only select from lands
that have been surveyed by the General
Government. Not more than o%ne-fourth
of the State has been surveyed, aud
that the saleable lands have
been taken by the ranchers and others,
hence the Surveyor-General would only
have the refuse to select from and saddle
the State with land that it could never sell.
The selections would undoubtedly have
been made from the township plsts now in
the Office. The bill also contained a Sec
ton making it unlawful for any person to
cut or remove a stick OF timber from any
land so selected, and subjecting any pros
pector or rancher 80 offending to a fine Of
$500. For every acre selected that could
not be sold hereafter our State School
Fund would have lost ST. as. II one-half
of this grant 30 selected should prove
unsuitable our School Fund would
lose 81, $50, 900, Yet, because Mr..
Ernst had the courage and ability
to defeat the ring in the Assembly, he is
now, in the eleventh hour Of the cam
paign, attacked and misrepresented with
out an opportunity to answer the foul
charge. The Post says the defeat Of the
bill lost the School Fund 81, 000, 900. How
500 Has an earthquake swallowed up all
the land in the State2 There has been no
timber land sold to amount to anything
since Mr.. Ernst defeated that bill. The
coming Legislature can pass the Hatch, or
q similar bill, if the citizens Of the State
are anxious to run the chances. We be-
lieve, as Mr.. Ernst does. that by the time
the whole State is surveyed the 1900, 900
acres will be sold and the money in our
Treasury. We asked where is this timber
land that can be graded and sold on an
average Of two dollars per acre? How is
it that, if it is in existance, it has not been
gobbled up at 81 ASP The mere fact that
we still have nearly all Of the 2.000, 900
acres to find purchasers for is conclusive
proof that they only exist in the chimerieal
brain of the author. We do not believe
that the voters of Nevada will allow the
pen of calumny to slaughter one OF our
ablest aud purest.minded citizens.
A Trick