Omaha daily bee., 1884-08-07
THE SCHOOL LAND FRAUDS.

nal, which is the defender and champion
of all public pluuderers and jobbors, con-
corning the alleged school land frauds in
Keith county. Kendall's version vindi
Gates the lind department and places the
entire blame upon "a gangloi spectators
whose noses were put out of Joint by the
promptness of the action of the commits
sioner in ordering a new appraisoment of
school lands in Keith county.
According to Mr.. Randall the board
of public works and buildings decided to
lease the lands in Keith county last May
and the clerk of Keith county was duly
notified to have them appraised. GA the
goth of June this county clerk notified
Kendall that one of the appraisers, under
improper influences, had retained the
list to prevent the disposal of the lands.
Thereupon a new list was forwarded and
the clerk ordered to appoint q new set
of appraisers,
Mr.. Kendall also entered a virtuous
protest against the crooked methods of
the first appraisers by a solemn declara.
ton that "this department will not ooun
%tenanoe any improper influence in the
matter Of appraisal or disposition Of
school lands, and will expect your in
fiuence and the assistance of county Off.
GERS in protecting the state from SUCH"
When E,au sold his birthright for a mess
of pottage, the blind patriarch exclaimed
the voice is the voice of Jacob, but the
hand is the hand of Esau. Glen
Kendall, in the role of an honest man is
a little too much for the most
credulous. Had the head of the depart
ment of public lands and
buildings been man Of
character and integrity this special in
junction against improper influence
would have cleared his skirts
But MI. Kendall protests
altogether too much. Why has
his voice eve been raised against land
spectators in his own office and under
the shadow of the state capitol. How
comes it that he has never in~terfered
with the land sharks down in Lincoln
who have cleared all the way from So, 900
to $40, 600 each out of school land trans
fers during the past eighteen months.
How comes it that Glen Kendall himself,
who hardly had a rag on his back
which he could call his own,
when he came into Office has
amassed a snug fortune within less than
four years on a salary of $1,000 a year,
But We digress. According to Mr.. Ken
dali, the grounds upon which the Keith
county injunction suit is brought is base
less, because Attorney General Powershas
rendered an opinion that the lands ap.
praised at less than 300 an acre need
not be offered for sale before leasing, and
as the Keith county lands are only ap-
praised at TWENTY-FIVE cents an acre they
could be leased without that formallty.
Here is the milk in tho cocoanut. Ken
dali, struggled a law through the legisla-
ture that can be interpreted to suit the
land grabbers, and her they fortify
themselves by an opinion from the at
torney general. Lands that are worth
twenty dollars an acre are appraised at
Fifty cents an acre, and being so ap-
praised they need not be offered for sale.
Six per cent on m appraisement at half
a dollar IN acre would cost three dollars
a year for 100 acres, or $50 a year
for 1000 acres and no taxes. There
is millions in it. A man with
very small capital can do a land office
business. How does this honest land
commissioner regard such ap"praisements2
Was it in the interest of the state that
lands in Keith county, which are report
ed TO be worth three dollars an acre,
should be leased on an aprraisement for
twenty-five cents per aore2 Six per cent
on twenty-five cents an acre and no
taxesl
There is one thing which does not
seem to be kept in mind" said Mr..
Kendall, sand that is that tho school
lands are r%e-appraised every five years.
IL is accordingly better to appraiss them
at a reasonable rate and get them under
lease thar to appraise them too high aud
get no income from them"
What does Kendall understand by a
reasonable appraisemsnt2 Dies not every
school-boy in Lincoln know that whom
the bars were let down by allo wing ap.
praisements at any price, a high premium
was offered for wholesale perjury and
fraud3 What do the land sharks care
about reappraisement five years hence2
They don't intend to hold the lands FIVE
years. They simply sell out ON a bonus and
the parties that purchase these leases are
put on the track to secure low appraise-
ments the next time. Meantime the state
has been systematically swindled and mil
lions of acres have passed out of its con.
troll for twenty-five years at a mere song.
1t will take a great many interviews in
the Lincoln organ of the ''forty thieves"
to explain away and justify those school
land frauds.
IMPROVE THE HIGH SCHOOL
GPnUNDg