The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-10-25

ana look at In6 i1QCereSIS OF all Ln6
citis els of this state. Ibelieve in Civ
ing the stockmen chance of having
permanent locations in this country.
81 recommended to the legislature
that lands should be sold for ranches,
out in the western country, in any
quantity that persons were able to pur-
chase, giving them ample time 10 pay
for them with reasonable interest.
There was another failure of relaxing
the rule as to farmers, but at the
called session the attention of the
legislature was called to this mat
ter, and the sale of the school
lands was extended to three sec
lions of pasture lands and one of
arabic; but it did not require
cultivation and settlement and the
int rest was reduced to Sper cent, and
ten years were allowed for payment.
What was the consequence? For
about five years We had been selling
about ten thousand acres. Within
eleven months we leaped from ten
Thousand to three hundred and sixty
thousand.
AT the last session of the legisla-
turc | again recommended the extern
sion of the limit of lands to be pur-
chased, and they yielded the point so
far as to allow seven sections of land
to be bought by one person, and if he
had few cousins he might buy as
many more acres as he pleased.
Gaughter.) That was not in the law,
though. daughter again.)
81 know the stock men and other
men who want to grow wheat on a
large scale have sense enough to know
that they had cousins who could buy
it, and they furnish the money. We
got $4,000 from one man in South
western Texas. We understand the
thing. What was the consequence?
In less than six or eight months we
sold one million acres. How does
that compare with ten thousand acres
when settlement upon it was re-
quired?
AT the time came into Office there
was Il great necessity and propriety in
selling these lands and increasing the
sale of them; and l will here mention
a few of the reasons why:
Upon looking to the scholastic
population of this country, | discov-
cred that the scholastic population
was increasing ten per cent per an
mum, and that it had been doing so
for five years previous; but when l
looked to the interest bearing bonds
and other means for raising the avail
BILE school fund, l found that IL in
creased only per cent, and the only
source for increasing it was by the
sale of lands. The only means we
had of increasing the income to sup
port the schools was by an increase of
the sale OF the lands. At that time
our credit was not SO coed az it is
now. At that time our long 7's-7
per cent bonds that were not due I'M
til 1900-were selling at SLIP, and
other bonds proportionally. 1t was
go9d investment to sell school lands
at that price and invest their proceeds
in these bonds. How is it nowl By
the first day of next May we will have
$4,000 accumulated in the treasury
of the common school, university and
asylums funds for investment in
bonds. About three months ago we
made a purchase of the long per
cent bonds at $1.40, amounting to
100000; that is we gave nearly
SIX years interest in advance to pur-
chase the bonds; and the fives that
were issued little over two years
ago in order to call in the 10 per cent
bonds that, were outstanding, now
bear 10 per cent premium on the $1.00.
Therefore, our prosperity and the in
crease of our credit has changed the
policy in reference to our school and
university lands.
ave ought now to sell them on
long credit, or lease them upon such
terms that stockmen can take charge
OF them, and pay that reasonable sort
OF compensation that will send your
children to school eight months of the
year, instead of four; and that will
build you up magnificent university
that will be credit to your state, and
enable your sons to do honor to their
country in its councils, at it's bar, and
on its bench.
"That is my plea to-day before this
intelligent audience"
The governors address was re-
ceived with quite hurrah by the as
soclation, as coming from one who
spoke by authority as governor, and
advisedly as a former chief justice of
the state. No wonder they whooped
up the land business, and it is not
strange, accordingly, that the assess
mentS have so wonderfully increased
in the large cattle counties.
The pertinent point now in connec-
ton with the address of Gov. Roberts
is, that it was but natural for men to
respond to what possibly, whether
correctly or not, seemed an invitation
if not license from high authority to
go like gophers for all the land they
could get whether in their own or
their cousins names. The law, it is
true, did not say that they could; but
it failed to say they couldn't. and
those who had the money to invest
and used it ever so freely, can hardly
be expected just now to see anything
gangre nescent in the contract. The
wonder is that more did not follow
the examples of such land wise-acres
rs Buckley and Harold and lizard and
Lane and Randolph.