The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-12-16
GOVERNMENTAL.
GENERAL LAND orEIcp
Continued from Eighth Page }


GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
The following is taken from the land
commissioners report:
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
AUSTIN, Tex, September /, 1886. (
Hon. John Ireland, Governor.
L have the honor to hand you herewith
my official report of the operations of this
1886. "-'
Exhibit A.-Showing the issue of 1900
patents, covering SOL, 1923 acres.
Exhibit Showing issue of 143 certifi-
Gates, covering 177,76O acres.
Exhibit C.-Showing 10,432 new re.
turns, covering 5,635,545 acres.
Exhibit D.-Showing present liabilities
In excess of unappropriated public do
main, 3,152,591
Exhibit E.-Showing receipts as fees
of Office; all sources, S96,176.
Exhibit F.-Oomparativ statement of
files, letters, patents, &c. This shows
the transactions, in the past eight years,
OF from fifty to seventy five per ceat OF
the total amount of work done by the
Office since its first establishment.
OFFICE FEES.
1t is perhaps we'll to call attention ia
the fact that the remunerative work OF
this department is rapidly diminishing
while the amount of clerical labor required
remains about the same. This, in view of
the constitutional requirement that the
office must be self-sustaining will soon
present a difficult question for solution.
Ii the surplus, over expenses, collected and
paid into the treasury for the past few
years can be credited TO the future ex-
penditures, the issue may be postponed for
some years. The sale and lease of the
SCHOOL LANDS,
Notwithstanding the clerical force pro
vided for the special work, adds largely
to the labors of this office
and entails an expense foi
which there Is no provision of fees. Dur
ing the past eight years the disposition OF
these lands has been an absorbing ques
ton, and brief glance at the expert
mental legislation of that period, may
not be Inappropriate ia closing my con-
nection with the government.
The act of 1874 limited sales to 100
acres at $1.50 per acre and required an
obligation to settle upon the land within
one year. As, however, the purchaser
could pay out the land and procure
patent, at any time after making applica-
ton the result was to defeat the theory of
actual residence and to enable those who
desired large bodies of land to secure
them. Under this act the cost OF APP
praising each section was thirty-six dol
lars, to be paid from the school fund.
In my report for 1878, these points
were noted and in 1879 new law was
passed, authorizing the surveyor of the
county to make sworn appraise-
ment. For this he was to receive one dol
lar per section, provided the tota
amount should not exceed $50 for any
one county. Sales were extended to one
section OF arabic and three sections OF
pasture land.
The act of 1881 adopted the same mode
of appraisement but increased the sur
veyor's remuneration to 500 per county,
and extended the limit of purchase to
seven sections. The allowance to survey
ors was certainly made in ignorance of
the fact that it was in no way common
surate to the work required, and the re-
suit was lot of "paper" valuations, in
which all lands, whether valley, hill or
plains, or covered with valuable pine
we're classed as fit only for grazing
and valued at the minimum price
of one dollar per acre. Following
these valuations came application for
sections for each member of entire faml-
lies, and often the names of friends and
acquaintances were borrowed. Inc et'
forts of the commissioners to check this
abuse, and his report to the governor fol
the use of the called session of 1882, Sc
cured no relief, but marshalled against
HIM and his recommendations a very
powerful lobby.
With the adjournment of this session
began a saturnalia of Gland grabbing
The act of July IA, 1879, known as the
"Fifty cent law" coupled with the intro
duction of two great rival railroad sys
TENS into our state, focused capital, en-
terprise and greed upon our public lands
and for the following ten months tnIS
part of the world seemed "land mad
Millions of acres were banded about anI
sales negotiated in the two hemlspheres
before compass had been set or chali
stretched. All private land transaction
we're suspended, and the "Col. Sellers" o
the day would scorn negotiation which
embraced less area than a constitutional
county. These operations became so no
torious that the Eighteenth Legislature
assembling in 1888, promptly applied tn
remedy and the rush ended.
After thus calling halt, the Legislature
went to work and on April 10, 1883, pass.e
the present law and gave to the world tn
statutory nightmare, which has since Sc
cured fame and abuse as the
STATE LAND BOARD.
Unless the idea of this creation wa
borrowed. entire, from an execresent O
the late war called the estate Mllltar.
BOARD" it is hard to imagine its concep
ton. composed as it was of the governor
and heads of departments, each seiec.ec
by the people for his fitness for specln'
duties. the board was required by tn'
legislature to formulate plans an'
control the execution of an impractlcaoi'
law. Each member, under the constitu
ton and laws then in force had full occu
patton for his time, and the wonder 49, no
that errors Of detail occurred. but that Sc
many we're avoided. The law dehnitei,
declared certain terms, and then PROVIDES
that until otherwise provided Dy 'h'