Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-06-24

cussed. In favor of the lease we have
the one argument, viz: the amount 1t
will produce to the school fund of the
state, and the relief to this extent, of
the taxpayers. This argument, es-
an appeal to mans selfish
ness, is the basis for all that has been
said, for all that can be said, in favor
of the system of leasing out the school,
asylum and university lands to be
converted into large cattle pastures.
The amount to be thus realized is !
varously estimated by the lease advo-
Gates according to the Imagination,
Ignorance or dishonesty of the man
using the argument, By the news
papers it is variously stated to be all
the way from 81 100000 to $1,000, 900.
Senator Gibbs estimates it at 81 ,400,-
MISUNDERSTANDING his plan is to
reserve fl 1m lease either 1000 or 10, 200
acres in each county for actual settlers:
and thus the senator tacitly admits
that actual settlement will be retarded
were all the land leased out for pas
lures. Let us see how much the lease
system will produce to theschool fund:
1t is estimated that there are 50, O0O,-
900 acres of this land, and it is on this
quantity that the lease advocates base
their calculations. This land is in al
ternate sections, and to get the solid
body necessary to make pasture the
lessee of school lands must secure the
alternate section belonging to the indi.
vidual or corporation. This makes TO-
00O, 600 acres of land available for pas
lures. This 10.OOO,G0O acres of land
will Craze 100000 head Of cattle !;
mare cctttic than there are ia all Texas.
Therefore, it every acre were watered
land it could not all be leased. Again,
of the 6,000,0 900 head of cattle in Texas
we must omit from the number to he
grazed on these leased lands all the
cattle in counties east of the 9Sth
degree of longitude, all. the cattle in
the great pastures in South Texas
west of that line and all the cattle in
the hands of farmers and small own.
! ers west of that line in North Texas.
1t is a liberal estimate to say that out
side of these mentioned there are
| 800 900 head of cattle. AT ten acres
1 to the head there cannot possibly be
required more than I5,000,000 acres OF
land to Craze the cattle; of which the
state would lease only one-half, or
100000 acres. At an average, of 5
s cents 1--WE are more liberal than Sen
4 ator Gibbs, who puts the least
= price at four cents per acre these
3 800, 900 acres would produce an an
u nual rental of 100000. Unless NOR,
a cattle were brought into Texas, there
u fore, it will not be possible to produce
e to the school fund more than S6O0,0OI
7, a year--and Texas Is the great eXpor
lr state; and besides, it is not likely tina
q men who have free grass in the north
l. western territories would bring cattle
II into state where the exp snse of graz
ing would be increased; nor woul,
o. the farmers of Central and Il ,st TeXa
ID who have free grass move their cattl,
out West where they could not hay
" free grass. AS matter of fact, how
X ever, up to this time there have beer
Sc leased, in round numbers, about / 800,
Sc 600 acres, which produce an annua
We rental of Sl2D,010 in round numbers
it. Let it be $4,000 as 1t is, or $500, 90
of that IL is perhaps possible to make
~ instead of s., 0O9, 000 at which som
he of the sanguine land lease organs plac
IN it, what does Texas pay for the Sl2O,
g" 900 or 100000? This is
b. vital question, and has neve
er yet been answered by any advocate {
to the leasing system. THE GAZETTE
or liberal ir placing the revenue to b
1t. derived from The lease system at $500
at 900, but we are willing to give ever
We advantage IN this dis ,ussion-all "
RS ask is argument, not misrepresent
rs, ton, prejudice or garbled extracts
ty the free-grass argument. For thi
he 100000 we ask. What does Tex As pa
for what will Texaspay? We challens
dy the land lease orators and the Ian
10 lease newspapers to answer.
OF The state board of education. i'm
no special report made for the scholas,
year ending August 81, 1888, places Il
lot scholastic population at about 275, 90
ry The increase, as shown 10y late return
In to Austin. is about 20 per cent, NAL
cir ing, say $4,000 school children, VIII
is receive less than 81 each from the lar
ps, lease rental. This Is the benefit of Il
AN system. What does 1t cost Texa
he What does II cost the parents of the
an children to get less than So annual
ces for each child? Will some of the lar
! Of lease advocates answer the question
icy The influence of pastures on pop
nd iation has been shown In TIE G
'ial zErrE; II is seen In all that section
ess the state where big pastures aboun
'm- 1t Is seen In the few counties In ii
Of northwestern part OF Texas that co
Ing tain pastures; il is admitted by Go
pir- ireland that pastures impede the st
ost tlenent Of the country; it is admitt
sed that pastures retard the settlement
all the country by Senator Gibbs, VIII,
n l.