The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-03-12
rHENoRMALs oHooL LANDS.


THE NORMAL SCHOOL LANDS.
Report of the Special Legislature Com
mIttee Regarding the Recent SAIe-ser-
IOus Charges Against Regent sharp.
The special Legislature committee sp-
pointed to investigate the recent sale OF
the Normal school lands Thursday made
the following report which was adopted:
To the Legislature OF Kansas:
Your joint committee appointed to In
vestigste the matter of the sale OF Nor
NAL scho j lands in Mitchell and Lin
coin counties, Kansas, have performed
that duty and beg leave TO make the fol-
lowing report:
The committee has had before it q
large number of witnesses on the part of
the state and on the part OF the board OF
regents, and all persons requesting q
hearing have been heard, 10 the end that
the investigation might be thorough and
impartial.
STATEMENT OF FACTS.
Your committee find that in March
1884, the state NOrpal school owned
about Z 500 acres of land, all being in
Mitchell county, Kan, excepting one
section in Lincoln county, said lands
being contiguous and comprising one
had been on the market under an APP
praisement made IN the spring OF 1882,
said Appraisement having been made by
the board of regents AT an average OF
over 90 per acre, at which time, March,
1884, by order OF the board said lands
were ali Withdrawn from the market and
COMMITTEES appointed, consisting OF
Sharp, Thanhouser and Orner, mem Ders
Of said board, aud directed to visit said
lands with 4 view of ascertaining the
value of such lands and the advisability
of their sale in body Said committee
visited said lands about J July /. 1884, and
made a partial examination thereof
That Isaac Shsrp. president Of the board,
afterwards prepared q report In blank,
which was signed by the commit
tee about the 10th day of July, 1884;
that said report was never presented to
nor fled with such board. Nor did said
board ever adopt. notify or confirm said
report. or take any action therein what
ever. During such time one Van K
Holmes of EmpOria, Kas., was the state
agent for the sale of Normal school
lands that said Holmes, from March,
1884, up to July 10, 1884, was not author
lied TO sell said lands, except by private
direction from the board, at not less than
So per acre in gross. That on OF before
the 10Th day OF July, 1884, Isaac Sharp,
president of the board, sold the entire
tract of Normal school lands in said
! Mitchell and Lincoln counties. aggregat-
ing 1920 acres. at the price of 80 so per
| acre To one Il. Q. Cross of Emporia;
and on said 10Th day of July said land
agent Holmes made aud executed q con-
tract OF sale to said Cross. That said
sale was made by said Isaac Sharp with.
out consultation with the board of re-
gents, and no order of the board was
ever made for the sale of such lands, nor
has the board ever ratified the same
| since and no authority was ever given
by the board to said Holmes to make
| such contract of sales.
That said school lands were desirable
lands, being about half tillable and the
balance good grazing lands, well water
ed and marketable. That the tillable
lands were, at time of the sale, worth SO
al acre, and the grazing lands 81 per
acre, the whole worth In body SIS an
acre That no notice was given, after
the lads were withdrawn from the
market, of an mention to again place
the same on sale, and no
OF any member connected Herewith to
solicit purchasers for the same. That
many persons were anxious TO purch 6se,
aud two responsible persons submitted
| formal offers for the land to members of
the board at 81 per acre, taking the en-
tire tract under one contract, either all
cash or on deferred payments, as might
be preferred. Said offers were made
both in person and by correspondence
and each of said parties would have
gwen $3.50 an acre tor the entire tract
rs one sale If any opportunity had been
given.
That ON the 10Th day of July, 1884
when such contract was executed, Agent
Holmes refused TO sign the contract with
out an order from the board to that of.
feet; that President Sharp directed
Secretary Dickson to write up such an
order, purporting To be an order of the
board; that Dickson declined on the
ground that the board had never made
such order. That hereafter an order waC
prepared from said committee to Holmes
to sell the lands to II. @. Cross for $3.50
an acre, signed by Sharp and Than
houser, and purpoTting TO be signed BY
Orner, but, in fact, Orner's name wa
written by Sharp, without his knowledge
or authority. That Holmes retained
the sum of about $500 as his commits
sion for such sale. That in the latte
. part of July or August, Sharp wrote
letter addressed TO the members of thu
board. stating that he had an offer o
SO 90 an acre for the land, and askinl
the opinien of such members as to thu
advisability of accepting that prices salt
, letter purported to bear the endorse
ment of ThanhouSer, Dickson and Halle
in terms approving of the offer, and wa
by Sharp forwarded to Orner in CaIifor
MA, asking that he should also endors
his approval theron, which was don
with the qualification, provided ths
was all that could be got for the lands.
and returned by Orner to Sharp. Tha
: as matter of fact said letter was writ
, ten by Sharp after the sale had bee
concluded, and the pretended endorse
| ments by Haller and Dickson and Thar
! houser were not written or made b
4 them.
That all the conversations and negC
r tiations leading TO and resulting in tn
bargain and sale OF the land 10 eros
, were had and made by said Isaac SharI
4 and with a studied effort ON the part {
!, both Sharp and Cross to consumate sal
sale and TO avoid the solicitation {
I competing bidders, as we'll as in dlsrt
. gard of satisfactory offers from resDonS
\ lille parties to take the land at a bette
price, and on terms IN other respects g
r good as those imposed upon Cross.
| CONCLUSIONS
n Your committee are of the OpInio
: that said sale was made by collision an
fraud that the same was without autho
q ity OF law. and against the best Intere
b of the school; and that the Responsible
N therefor rests almost wholly upon II
a president of said board. lat in ii
N opinion of your committee the said sa
a should be set aside.
a s. B. CLossToN,
r. E LAWRENCE