Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-04-23


much tranin, and Ia 80 useful for ship.
building and other purposes, avethis
land from sale? VIII the post oak be
hickory, the pecan, the blackberry, the
cottonwood, the elm. the pine, the
| cypress, the cedar, render the land
exempt from sale? How large ehall 1t
be, and who shall determine?
! The twelfth section confines pur
4 chaser TO GAO acres. II 10 be true that
one section was thought TO be so In.
| significant that the purchaser might
| break up some other contract by leas-
/ ing over former lessee, why cOnfine
him to one section9 In the region of
country where the great body OF these
lands are, one section is not enough
for family, and the purchaser should
be permitted TO buy f'om one 10 four.
Contine the head OF family 10 one
section OF land i'm that country, when
| he depends on his Ii tie stock for
great part Of his living, and he is like
! ~ to starve, But | do not believe the
| right to purchase a home ehould be
confined to the head II y family.
There are Thousands of young men
who would like To- go and prepare
homes IN order that each might lit
! himself out to be The "htad of q fam
| ily.n In this respect the law seems
| UNEQUAL and to discriminate. IL is
| true that the single man can purchase
as high rs 100 acres, The young man
starts out and gets his l60 acres, but
unless il has fine water privileges, or a
| valuable miue, 10 is almost entirely
worthless in that country. No man that
expects TO become q y permanent citi-
zen, or even raise family, would ac-
cept such land as gift II he is COM
PEELED to live upon it. he has adjoining
him a neighbor who may have leased
| 200, 900 acres, because that neighbor
happens to have the money. He him
self may have the means to pay for "A
home of two or more sections, but his
government will not allow him tbs
privilege, This is not happy contem-
plation for that individual, or calcu-
lated to inspire patriotic regard either
for the laws under which he lives, or
his native or adopted state. True, the
tenure of the 200, 00U-acre man is not
so durable, but he may renew when
his first term expires.
BY the nineteenth section the origi-
nal purchaser may sell after three
years He may sell TO any one who
will go on the land and occupy it.
This vendee may be the head of FAM
lily, or he may not, Proof OF settle
ment may be made by the sub-vendee.
This bill recites an act making 1t q
penal offense to occupy any of the
lands named without authority, and
yet it gives to particular parties sixty
DAYS over other and unofIending citi-
zens in which to deliberate and pre-.
pare to purchase II il admitted that
large bodies of these lands are now
held in defiance ofaud In direct viola
ton Of the act of 1854, and yet the bill
under consideration gives such tres
psssers and violators of law the prefer
ence over other people in buying and
leasing! | do not think ii a correct
public policy to thus offer premiums to
those who defy the authority Of the
state.
: The twenty-fifth section provides for
one of the clerks employed by the
commissioner of the general land
Office to act as q trent agent, !" but
there is no machinery provided to en-.
, able this person to collect rent. BE.
sides, the bill provides that the rentor
} be declared forfeited. But this agent
ia to see that no one uses these lands
, without authority. Here, again, thu
power is not given him to perform THU
: duty; but even If 1t were, 1t Is wholly
r foreign to the caption and purposes o
the bill to require one OF the clerks Il
t see that no one violates the act passeC
I at the extra session, 1884, and reciteC
in this bill.
, The twenty-ninth section provides
! for selling the timber for S. per acre
g Now, the lands may have timbe
: suitable for shingles and lumber, bu
\ the quantity may not be worth 81, anC
J yet IL cannot be sold unless it--th
l Undertakings So per acre.
1 The thirdeth section restricts tn
e sale Of lands, having timber suitabl
9 for lumber or shingles to actual settler
3 for SIS, Here, again, one section ma,
8 have upon or over 1t seme timber suci
i as Is described, yet not sufficient I,
l. make ii worth more than 81 per acre
i but the purchaser, II he desires to set
d tie on it, must pay e. for the land b,
II the last section the small tracks O
Q lands In organized counties may b,
: sold. IL will be remembers,
i that this is the constitutional obiec
= ton TO the bill that j pointed on
in the beginning OF these remarks
n This land does not belong to any OF tn
institutions named in the caption.
again. shtoO ohiAB9 Va bihUlA MT
y will furnish thousands of small home
y steads for humble people, and shoul,
}. be jealously guarded. Our constitu
Il ton still offers prescriptions free.
Q Adjoining these tracts may be mes
@ who own their leagues and hal
Q quarter leagues, and yet they are givel
u a preference To acquire more over tn
Il man without an acre and without
home. IL we restrict the purchaser II
: the Northwest to one section, no GOO
: reason can be given for allowing thos
J, who have comfortable homes, will
II thousands of acres, perchance, alread,
3 TO purchase the small tracts re
=? ferred 10, aud thus add TO thei
b abundance, in preference to the poo
r and deserving settler who tolls TO bull,
: for himself and his little ones th
8 means OF existence and the simple root
= tree which he loves to call his home
= But apart from all the reasons thu
O far assigned. there is one general OF