Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1883-02-26
Kansas School Lands.

taDnSnment OF q state land Offlcc and
the appointment of commissioner,
and providing for the appraisement
and sale of school lands, which passed
the senate yesterday afternoon after
quite protracted and exhaustive de-
bate, is a measure of much more inn
pOrtance than would be considered at
first glance. 1t was subjected to n good
deal of amendment before passage, and
as 1t goes to the house, is about as COM
plete and comprehensive as it can well
be made.
1t is one of the strangest things in
the world that there has never been n
custodian of the common school lands
in Kansas; but such is the case, and
this accounts for the further strange
fact that there is no way of ascertain
ing the exact quantity of school lands
now unsold or the exact quantity
sold. In round numbers, the original
amount of land credited to the common
school fund was 10000 acres; SO far
rs can be ascertained, about 100000
acres have been sold and about 100000
acres patented, leaving about 2,250, 600
acres of school lands yet to be disposed
of. The case is different with lands
belonging to the state university,
normal school and agricultural college
| funds.
For the past two years it cost some
thing over $37 900 to sell the lands be-
| longing to the common school fund
that were sold-say $4,000 per year.
AS the years 60 on and the sales in
crease, the cost will increase also, to
$4,000, $4,000 and so on per year,
while under the provisions of the Sluss
bill, this work will not or at least ought
not to cost more than $4,000 per year
BY the present method of appraisement
the value of the lands is always put
low, while by the method of appraise-
ment in this bill the appraiser, not be-
ing an Immediately interested party,
will fix the prices of the lands at least
somewhere near the figures they are
actually worth. AS the law is now, nc
school lands whatever can be sold un-
} less twenty landholders of the vicinity
give their consent Should they hap.
pen to want it for grazing or other
purposes they naturally would not give
their consent to its sale. Should they
; desire it's sale, the usual method is tC
have three appraisers appointed from
among their own number, and they
would naturally put the valuation low
l for the benefit of the party purchasing
: who would doubtless be one of theiI
own number.
3 The possibility of Kansas schools arr
l certainly dazzling. The fund nov
e amounts to over 81, 10000 and there
s are, in round numbers, 2, 900 acre
S of land belonging to the fund remain
e ing unsold. These lands ought to b
S worth, by any sort of q fair appraise
e ment, five dollars per acre and shoult
}, they all be sold this would amount t.
G S11, 900, or $13,125,0 900 for tn
| whole fund. 1t is not the desire, how
!, ever, to sell the entire amount of schoC
V lands at once, for their would be n
n means of investing the money, as ther
G is now S500.000 belonging to the com
|, mon school fund for which there is n
investment, and this large sum there
fore lies in the state treasury idle an
useless. The Sluss bill does not re
> quire payment of anything more tina
y the interest upon the purchase none
inside of twenty years, and by tina
time some means will doubtless hay
been adopted for the safe investment {
y the fund which will have amounted to
collosal fortune-something near 500
100000. Large as the fund is now,
does not provide for more than rs cent
for each child of school age, so thi
the necessity for doing something
, increase the amount paid to the varior
/ / counties is very apparent. In fac
" the amount received from the fun
!; amounts to but drop in the buck'
when the expense of each county fC
the education of its children is take