The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-05-21
AN OPEN LETTER.
Opposing the Sale Of Land by the State
~ Corporations.
Protecting the school children.

DEAR 5In: IN the Quill OF ihs l7th mat,
read with no little Interest your editorial
on the land aud grass question, and on you
state that l, Ia Tor our especial concidsra-
tioA, am tempted to writo briefly explani'
tory OF my viewn NJ compared with your
governor have written but fow private
letters. AMI none for publication. What
ever record made rs a senator whh not
made with view To future political prefer.
ment; and neither would / abandon any OF
my convictions Tor that purpose; but my
youth aud political inexperienos are sucn
that l realizs the truth .hst have much TO
learn. 30 far as the west IL concerned /
would not knowingly do It an injury, for
the commercial interests OF my people
are too intimately Unidentified with
the interests oil yonr people for me to be
prosperity. Moreover. when | settled in
Dallas II was considered frontier town,
and while II 10 nov the center OF great
agricultural dittfict, yet l csn safely say
that a. u senator ! reprelented class OF
farmers by lar TOO intelligent to expect or
tolerate rom me anything but o fair and
Just course In dealing Win tho people OF
other portions OF the state | think you
have, to some ex.snt, miscor ce!ved my
views o a these questions, though, to q great
extent, matters OF record.
First-As u senator, by bill and otho-
wise, always ooptonded ihht there should
be no salo OF Iaud 10 oihsrs than actual sat.
tiers, and In bodies not ,xcesdiog GAO acres.
MY reasons were that cheap homes for our
children ana the future citizenship Of
Texas was OF paramount political i'm
postAnce to increased tsxsble values and
that the longer such condition Of things
existed, 10 much longer would the nttra..
ton for immigration continue.
Second-For this same reason, and others,
opposed the sale Of land by tho state TO
corporations, and even opposed the grant
ing OF franchises TO purely land corporations.
Money 10 now cheap in foreign and domestic
financial centerR, and cheap money invested
In cheap land means an early enhancement
In market value OF land, and the result
would be no more cheap moneys for the
people. This ~ truer Of investment by COR
porate than individual capital, because cor.
porate bodies have facilities for holding
land, which are not common to individuals
who are susceptible to repea'ed changes In
circumstances, dispositions and life itself.
Moreover while it Is true th.. certain great
enterprises osn on,y be accomplished by
corporate capital, 1t Is equally true that
the ordinary avenues o. trede and
livelihood should not b. usurped BY corpo-
retions to the detIiment ofindividual energy
and enterprise. Commerce and even sgri-
culture Is dependent for activity upon bOr-
rowed money, but o great dsal OF corporate
capital, unsccompanied by n fair proper
tion of flesh and blood, contributes very
little socially or politically 10 the prosperity
Of q country.
Thirdly-My views on the lease question
are and have ~ Representative been briefly
as follows:
/ am opposed to leasing any school land
In counties where theHs are only 10 900 acres
or less. / am in favor OF keeping open to
actual settlement, not snbjsct to lease, this
much OF the best school land in each county
a<l Sfxw, Las
10 favor OF u voluntary lease system 20 to
the balance Of the school land in such
counties.
opposed the Terrell bill, and all other
legislation with herd-lsw features, because
did not believe IL practicable or applics-
BILE to all sectionr, and did not wish TO see
the state use its 70 ser to coerce citizens to
pay the school fund very small amount,
and the landowners, corporate and indi-
vidual, large amounts OF money. The
policy OF voluntary leaes system, based on
the law Of supply and demand, and the
aggregation Ia each county Of sufficient
land for actual settlement, 10 policy based
possibly intSriere with healthy settlement
Of the country. The state cannot be ex.
pectsd 10 deal so unfairly by the great mass
Of itu people, aud especially by It, school.
children, ~ to sell en- actual settler .
As%s m. with Rsr a Sss o. on i sstsnsy
and at the came time give him the free
range Of all the surrounding country, when
there are others willing TO pay for its use a
handsome revenue to tho school fund. The
school children OF Texas are entitled, under
the constitution, not to the land itself, but
to tho revenue to be derived from the 49,.
100000 acres OF land belonging to That
fund. We must either lease or cell his
land 10 realize tns annual revenue bt-
queathed to us. II we sell In unlim ted
quantities, at low prices, we have parted
with the land and are forced 10 search for
doubtful investments al low rates OF inter.
EFT. Selling Ia large quantities would
erect barriers to settlement much greater
than are erected by short Ieases. II We
lease the land ali except ctrtsiu well de-
fined actual settler rsservAtions, We
derive revenue for the &C hools and don't
intsrfrs with the settlement OF
the country and get the bsuefi. OF the en-
HANGED value of the land; and surely II
there Is any speculation in the matter, the
school fund should be the beneficiary rath.
or than syndicates or individuals. This
was the evident intention OF our fathers
who founded and required Of Us the per.
your position correctly. the only difference
between No 10 this: You agree that there
should be no sale to any but actual settlers
and insist that the 81, 900, 900 acres Of school
land should lie idle except 20 much as Is
necessary to satisfy this actual settler de-
mand and to this point will address my
Taking the last few years OF active immi.
grafton % . basis. there have been a.
shown by the land Office records, an aver.
age OF only 10000 acres Of school
land per snnum sold to settlers.
II you will admit, what seems 10 me very
evident that there must he either lease or
reasonably speedy sale OF these lands, then
10 not the lease preferable, both ~ II effects
the settlement Of the country. and the In
porary, sale permanent Investment OF
title, aud II the owner no Determined. means
. permanent barrier TO settlements. Say
q must be either lease or sale, because
the American people are too nervous and
fast and too anxious to realize on an Invest
ments 70 walt . century. and Texse he's I'M.
der mistaken policy already sold large
bodies Of this school land ct . sacrifice.
Give them revenue from it, lease and you
viii sweep everything before II in the
near future - In the recent pest.
On this iair basis and with this average you
viii psrcsivs By dividing 100000
0ores ~ the annual sales, 10000 scrss, that
it would take $50 yearS 70 realise on the
school fund. But say that increased popu.
lation aud immigration would reduce this
~ one hundred years, In this day and time
this z !cns period g wait 2 .ssli ss's On IN
uSolsos nearly one-third Of . century. With
3 growing money demand for the nee Of
this land Il cannot be expected that the
people OF Texas will continue 70 pay taxeo
70 support schools whom the same revenue
can b derived from lease Of this land; foe
under voluntary lesss system without IN.
terfsrine with the settlement q the