The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-01-11
TIE DALLAS HER
o.sinn ,ha mo G.Ande from either

half OF Texas, accompanying their appoint
meats with a circular letter requesting their
acceptance end action, and copy OF the
extradition treaty between the United
States aud Mexico Of 1861. Upon communi-
eating these facts to the governors OF the adj
Joining states in Mexico, favorable answers
we're received, giving assurances OF similar
action on their part.
Since that has been done very little trou-
bic has been experienced in that matter.
FRONTIER BATTALION A"D POLICE FORCE.
The report OF the adj utantgeneral will
show that the frontier battalion and special
police force have done good service in ar
resting criminals and in preserving peace |
and good order in the western and sodth.
western portions of the state. Since the In
dian dcpredations have ceased thai has been
their exclusive business, and, that they
might feel and fully unders' aud their full
responsibility as peace Officers, copies of
the digest OF the laws have been furnished
to the companies. As the railroads ad.
yanced through those unsettled or sparsely
settled portions OF the state, aud as the SEES
Elements have advanced rapidly out upon
the recedlHg irontier,it has been practicable
to diminish greatly the annual expendi-
tureg for the support of these forces. The
same causes still continuing and increasing,
will enable further dlminution to be grad
ually made in the expenditures. The exis-
tence OF such force has been an absolute
necessity, and it must in some degree con-
| tinue to be so as long as there are large sec
tons of the state sparsely settled, in which
bad men combine to commit depIedations,
and cyade, or defy, or control the constl-
| tuted Authorities of the country.
All of these subjects have been ad-
verified to, because they directly or
Indirectly relate TO what has been done
in the effort to enforce the laws of the state,
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
During the early part OF my first term Of
ioilice AS governor, there was an effort to
provide the means to prevent the increase
of the public debt. AS 1t had been inCreas-
ing from year to year, Notwithstanding no
sinking fund had been paid, and the ad-
yalorem taxes were fifty cents to the one
| hundred dollars worth OF property II was
thought expedient to use part OF the UNI
appropriated public lands for that purpose,
which resulted in the passage of law at
the special session OF 1879, approved four
teenth Of July, OF that year, setting apart
the lands in the Pacific reservations" and
in many counties indicated by name, then
unorganiZcd, and the pieces oI land less
than $40 acres in the organized counties
amounting as estimated ,toabout eight mil.
lions Of acres, and directing 1t to be sold at
Fifty cents per acre, after the lands of the
new state capitol had been selected and sur
yeycd, and applying the proceeds of such
sale, onc-half tC the public free schools, and
one-hnlftO the payment OF the public debt,
There was generally but little known of
these lands in the unorganized counties,
and but little demand for them, until some
time after the survey of the capitol lands.
The price set upon them by the law was
much above the value set upon the lands OF
individuals that had been previously To-
Gated in said unorganiged counties,
When the board, composed of the gov
crnor, attorney general and secretary of
state, ih 1850, valued the capitol lands at the
minimum price of 30 cents per acre, they
had evidence of respectable persons en-
gagged in the land business in that section,
that lands could be bought there from in
dlviduals at much less price. The capitol
board, upon the second effort to sell $4,000
acres OF the most valuable lands in the CAPT
tol reservation, got for them but little oven
, 80 cents per acre.
The public notorety given to these lands
Nv I.gsqaontract made for the building OF
the new capitol, and their Cheapness com
pared TO the price %! similar lands in other
states, began 10 attract tho attcnlion of cap
italists, spectators and stockmen for some
time before the call Tor the meeting of the
legislature, issued on the LIST of March
1852, in which legislation in regard to these
reserved lands was specified, and by which
call the legislature did meet on the 9th OF
, April following.
IL was then recommended that the mini
, mum price of these reserved lands shOulC
, be raised to one dollar, aud that two mil
lions of ncres of them should be set apart
, to the university, not so much as gratuit'
Gus donation as III compensation, aAd aS 1
substitute for lands taken away rom tn,
p university by the constitution OF 1876
, which was then fully explained. Bills I,
protect these lands and to set apart u pOr
. ton OF them passed the senate, but faile,
|. to be passed In the house Of represt
|. may be asked why II was proper tina
these lands should have been valued an,
d offered at fifty cents per acre, and in tire,
r. short years an effort was made TO raise thu
h price to one dollar per acre. These land
q may be worth from five 10 fifty dollars pc
a acre, when the time arrives, ut which tie!
can be put fully into practical use US agri
I cultural and pastoral lands. Most OF then
/ then were not and practically could not b
y used for any purpOgs and the value Of lift,
y cents was then properly placed upon them
, upon an estimate based upon The expert
:. cncc OF the past, and upon the prospect
4 under the then existing circumstances, Il
~ to the length of time that miglt olapse be
Al
! bring their iull intrinsic value.
,. IL the purchaser had bought them then
II he would have paid iull value more tina,
!, they brought at private sale), and he woul
n have taken the risk of carrying them wit
(, the necessary expense. In three years th
Il whole prospect, us to the length of time 70
~ their utilization, had changed by the exter
r. sivo information OF their quality and uses
IS that hnd, during that time, been acquired
;. and unprecedented demand for such lands
which could hardly have been anticipated
=. Hence, upon this mode of calculating tn
a. value OF wild lands, which must always
,r rosorted to in order to fix any value upo
d them at all, these lands were better wort
- ono dollar per acre, as II purely bushes
i. transaction, IN April, 1882, than lif'y cen,
. per acre in JAY, 1879, when they were fir
~ offered Tor sale. IL was therefore prop(
~ / nat the state should then have raised tn
y. price to at least that amount.
10 Had the recommendation been hcedcl
"a and iavorably acted on, Texas would hay
,r now either many millions o. acres of Ian
N that have been sold, or the purchase ,
~ them secured under the law, or double III
/. amount ofmoney for which they have bee
10 aud will I've sold,
w For, us learn from the commissioner
. the general land office, there was filed
ne his Office up TO Marcn |, lSS2, application
~ for 21S3B acres oi these lands, bu, pa
mcnt had been made upon los, no acres
~ them, and over 100000 acres of them wer
4 scraps" that is, small tracts of less thu
Vi 6l0 acres in organized ooupties aud onI
n about $1,000 acres, in the unorganl2rd coul
90 ties, where the great bodies OF these lah,
.. are situated.
vi Since the adjournment of the special sc
w sion, on tho 9TH of May, lsS2, there ha'
Nj been, up to LIST oil January, 1883, filed in h
n. Office applications for $3.50, $50 acres, aud
n has unofficial, though reasonably accurat
M information of applications to be short
.s made, in the time allow d by law, for abo,
M 100. 200 acres, making the applications I'll,
ar and TO be Alcd since the close of the speci
# session for 6,350,iS OF these lands sold ~
n. TO be sold at tlty cents per acre by u
n. state,
u IL would DO useless now 10 recount II