The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-02-22
The Legislature on Public and School
Lands

LanUb.
DALLAS, Feb. 49, [Editor HERALD :
The bill reported in your Austin dis
patches of yesterday as suDsti'
tute in the senate for several PROPOSE.
tions in regard to the future sale of the
state school and public lands, embodles
the worst and most dangerous feature OF
the former law, which has been repealed or
suspended by the present legislature. 1t
seeks to re-enact the preposterOus ana dan.
gerous provision that the school lands shall
be classified and appraised by the district
surveyors. These districts are two or three
hundred miles long and two or three coun-
ties wide. If the lands had ever been prop
eily surveyed and marked, it would be an
impossibihty for any one man, or perhaps
half dozen men, i'll any reasonable time,
honestly and intelliglbly to comply with
the law. The territory and the number OF
surveys are too vast to be reached by any
such means; but every honest man ac-
ouainted with our district land matters,
Unless he is wilfuily blind, must know that
it is too great, too dangerous and too
tempting a power to be placed in any one
mans hands. 1t has practically amounted,
aud will again amount to locking up the
lands from the humble man OF small
T. cans and leaving them open only TO the
rich.
And this is not all. The truth is that a
vast IuaJOllly Vi thS sShOOi anus Nu'
never been surveyed into SECTIONS and
marked, nor the streams meanuered or
correctly laid down, and hence
the district surveyor, il on the ground, has
no means of determining the boundary OF
any particular section, or what Is ana what
is not watered section. To do SO the
lands must be surveyed and marked, as
thew ought to have been in the first place
instead OF the occasional erection ofacornrr
and the pl ting OF the great body on papt"
guessing at the location If streams, lakes
and springs.
Then what is the remedy? 1t is two-fold
First, pass the senate bill, which has been
reported favorably, for runu Dg and mark
ing the true lines of the LuOrganized coun-
ties. Secondly, to pass that other senate
bill which, most strangely, has been
reported adversely by the committee
on public lands, to abolish these huge sur
yeying land districts. by which large
number of unorganiZed counties are at
tached TO some small outside organized
county, for surveying purposes, and author
izIng the governor to appoint surveyor
for each uporganizeu county, with the
power 70 give TWO or three counties " one
surveyor Ia certain cases. To illustrate the
absurdity and wildness of the district plan
now in force: Baylor is q small frontier
organized county, casting in November
last about 275 votes and electing a surveyor
with a vote of PIG. Yet, under this system,
that surveyor, the choice OF ZIG men, has
under dis control and arbitrary rule the
apprai,ement and sale OF
all the school lands OF about ten counties
extending west TO the line of New Mexico
and, in similar way, We have the land dis
tricts of Palo Pinto, Young, Clay, Oldham
and Wheeler. / know the present surveyor
of Baylor county, elected last November,
and believe him to be an honest man, and
be will declare, If questioned on oath or on
honor, that no living man can do the state
justice and rightfully discharge the duties
imposed in the classification OF land in 50
large a territory, even If lines and corners
were to be found in one-fourth the cases
wnere they ought to be, and he knows full
we'll that they are not there TO be found.
But il the governor has the power 10
appoint competent surveyor for
each unorganized county, or each two
counties, as the c.se may be, 20 be under
bond and required to reside aud keep his
ofiice in the county or territory TO which he
Is assigned, being furnished with maps and
field notes from the general land office, the
whole evil is blotted out and a sale and
3 reap agency is established FOR the classin-
cation and sale OF the lands. Such a SUE
yeyor will cost the state nothing. His IN
ZONE will be from railroads and iudiyid-
uals owning or wishing to bus lands IN his
both needing q large amount II
actual surveying 10 idelpiiy and MARI
lands on the ground, which nave only been
named on paper. IL will be mis- in
ierest TO make such surveys, afiix
corners wherever possible, determine The
exact position Of county lines and corners
As provided in the bill first retired to, aud
thus enable the general lsnd Ofhce 10 make
absolutely correct maps Of those counties,
which il now an impOssibIlity. There are
hundreds Of good surveyors in Texas who
will accept Of s1ch appointments-men OF
mall means who viii blend with their
iuties cattle and sheep raising according 20
heir ability 20 do 30. Under this plan. |
Then poor men. or men OF limited meana, |
10 out there 20 End q section for q home, /
bev can do % ct q few dollar expense. /
IL il Il nov, such q man has no showing.
4e csunot pay q surveyor 70 30 from
ne hundred 20 two huDdre1 and hity
niles. 20 find, run out and mark him &C
ion Of land. Only the rich man, wanting
.rre tracts. can shoulder thsf expense. and
was surprised that IN the speeCh Of the
bic. patriotic sDd experiences sensfor
ON Parker. -0n this suhject, be seemed
holy uninlormed e. 70 tbe Insurnounta-
le evils In the practical v0gklnrs Of the
resent laW-a laE that = oesfh TO TIE
lrurelinr poor man ana berebcihl 70 the
- 0nlr. Ofan measures pending before
b legislature. no too are 81 such tran
-.udeut fuporrancs 20 tbe STATE IN The
II porulsfiOD. % The
400 fI1rd In The enhaureuneut 81 ifs lands.
! - he tsns 81 rboasands q lmmigrsnfs
- saekfur uau md cheap homes il