Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-12-20

transactions OF the state land board
during 1854 exhibit some startling
facts, and yet they do not show all the
facts. The total amount OF school
land leased was 1902, 800 acres, Of
which $4,000 acres were leased in
January, previous to the passage Of
the resolution increasing the rate OF
rental. The remainder, 0s2, sos acres,
the leasing Of which extended through
a period OF ten and one. half months, Is
fair exhibit Of the workings OF the
present policy OF the land board. III
the figures are conclusive OF any fact
at all they establish beyond doubt
that as matter of revenue alone the
four.cent lease Is much greater sue
cess than the eight-cent lease At the
the former rate $4,000 acres were
leased in one month at the latter, ten
and one-balf months were required to
lease 9s2, SOS acres. The truth Of this
becomes more apparent when 1t is re-
membered that of the later leases
nearly 10 per cent. are watered lands,
while the January leases included
none but dry sections. Thus with the
additional ineentive'of watered lands,
which 1t is fair to assume were placed
upon the market by the board as par
tial compromise for the increase in the
price, the leases during the entire year
under the new policy or the board were
but little in excess Of the leases in one
month under the operations Of the law
az passed at the regular session OF the
Eighteenth legislature. This result
becomes the more bewildering from
the fact that the operations OF the pol
10y Of the board were really more ben
eficisl to the cattle interests than the
law as originally passed. Ifauyoue is
disposed TO doubt this he Is re-
| ferred TO the figures coming from the
land board itself In January 500
600 acres of dry land were
leased at an average Of four
and one-half cents an acre; since then
ss6,070 acres Of dry land aud
81, 728 acres of watered land have been
leased at an average Of nine cents an
acre. Now ask any intelligent cattle
man which contract, az a whole, he
would prefer and this question Is
easily settled Itshould not be forgot
ten in this connection that while the
proportion of watered lands In the
leases made by the laud board was as
one to ten, the actual percentage of
watered lands in the school land dis
tricts is probably not one acre in one
hundred On tins basis, and il is be-
low rather than shove the truth, a
very simple arithmetical calculation
will demonstrate the actual area Of
which lessees have acquired control,
hut small proportion of which is
yielding revenue.
But we have considered the leases
ma ie by the land board under the new
dispensation as whole, and even
while this shows an immediate and
overwhelming decrease in the amount
of the leases, it gives nc
adequate idea of the actual results.
The truth is, that after the adoption OF
/ resolutions Nos eight aud nine lin.
creasing the rate of rental from four Ia
eight cents, and placing watered lands
. on the market 10 lease), there was not
3 only an immediate falling OIL in the
! leases, but II has continued, In a
: greater proportion under the opera.
e tions Of those resolutions, until leasing
3 has in reality almost ceased. AT this
I meeting Of the land board in Novem
t Der, after vacation of two and one
half months, the total amount o
r leases was only 1880 acres, at whiel
/. rate Il would require $50 years to less
y out the entire body Of the school lands
Q The inevitable conclusion Is, that Sc
3 far as leasing the lands is concerned
the policy pursued by tae land board
has been fiat failure. There ar
many, however, who will be dispose,
! to consider this in the light of yer,
II thinlv disguised blessln-
y, The causes which have produce,
- these results are not easily understood
Il. To attribute them TO the increased rat
OF rental, in the light OF the facts abov
ID portrayed, clearly exhibits q willfC
is perversion Of the truth. They cannc
h be explained upon the ground oftinaI
At clal depression, because they were a
ready under full Roadway before tina
" depression was visible. The mos
10 plausible theory, and, in reality, tn
y, only one that Is horne out by the fact
o Is grounded upon the unwillingneas
10 the cattle interests to pay for ths
er which can easily be utilized withou
any expenditure. This Is a fact whic
(, needs no demonstration, and fully e,
y plains the otherwise incomprehenslbl
! operations Of the leasing system. 1
ic January the caltlemen, Just emergln
10 from the general alarm superinduce