Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-10-07
A Foolish Land Policy.

The following article from the Gal
weston News Celebrates what has 30
often been asserted by THE GAZETTE,
viz, that the knowledge of the ex-
istence Of lease law in Texas deferred
immigrants from seeking the state for
homes. The annulment of the lease
law and the public announcement that
Texas lands would be reserved exclu-
sively for sale TO actual settlers would
revive the immigration so essential to
West Texas development and to the
good of all the state:
IL is to the interest OF every taxpayer and
every merchant, mechanic and industrious
laboling man in Texas 10 have the idle lands
in the state occupied and cultivated, 1t may
be true that there are lands which will never
be cultivated, but the bulk of the school lands
and railroad lands, long believed At only for
pasturage, have been in recent years shown
to be well adapted to agriculture Out OF &c.,
0eO,00O acres OF school lands probably 2l,00O,
900 acres are good farming lands, so that out
OF G0,OO00OO acres OF school lands and railroad
lands together 4OUO0OO0 acres are adapted TO
farming. Forty million acres would furnish
$40 acres each 10 62,5OO farmers. That many
farmers, with their families hired help, the
mechanics, merchants and professional men
and their families drawn to these lands,
would comprise population OF over mill
ion persons. Taxable values would be in
creased hundred fold, and the available
school mnd, from interest on the invested
proceeds OF the school land sales, would an
nually receive sS,OC0,pOO. And yet policy
OF utilizing the lands for stook-raising, un-
der a lease law which does not increase taxa
BILE values or add 10 the population, is pre-
ferred TO the plan OF forcing the
settlement Of the wild lands with
farmers. OF course IL is sound policy to
lease lands not in demand or not likely
to DO in demand for agricultural purposes,
whether they be good lands or not; but is IT
sound policy 10 lease all alike and to thereby
advertise to the world that renters are pre-
ferred in Texas TO actual settlers, owners and
filters of the soil? Lands may not be in de-
mAnd but demand may be created for them.
If there were ever go much inquiry abroad
for Texas lands by the dissatisfied and ham
pered farmers of the older states, would moi
the present land policy Of the state discour
| age that inquiry and prevent the actual In
spection ofthe country by those who would
| otherWlSe become settlers IN TeNnsY IL IL
said, on the other hand, that Texas does not
propose TO force immigration that people OF
9th ST states viii find out for themselves IN
good time and gradually come in and taxi
mp the lands. Let that idea be applied u
other affairs. A railroad company desire
TO establish city OF town on the line of IL
road, but does not propose to lay out towt
lots and lease them until by the Academia
visit OF some venturesome footpeddler tn
trade emporium is discovered. The con
, pany advertises far and wide that the lots ar
for sale, usually upon a certain day, and III
result is, without exception, this
the lots are sold and tn
town is made. II the railroad con
, pany ia able to build up populous and pro
porous towns and cities in that way, viola
! ing no statutory, moral or CONNER clal Law
! wherein is 1t wrong in the Atate 10 adopt IL
S like practical, common-sense policy? Iftl
r railroad company laid Off its towns Into 10
: and advertised them for lease as cattle-peI
Q or goose-ranohes. until enterprlsing peop
found out by accident that they were bett'
Q lifted for mercantile and manufactu ing pu
d poses, its course would be condemned
egregious folly, and yet such is the policy
Texas. Members OF the Nineteenth legisl
ture ought TO be prepared to adopt a mo
. liberal, progressive and salutary policy.