, 1888-08-15
LAND LEASING.
School and University Lands are
Made Available.
Leases for Five Years May be
Obtained.
An Excellent Bill Which Has Become
a Law.

1t may have been noticed in the Associ-
ated Press dispatches of last Saturday
that Judge Carey's bill providing that
school and university lands in Wyoming
may be leased has been passed by both
houses of congress. signed by President
Cleveland, and is now a law of the land.
Judge Carey who prepared and introduce
ed the bill and who also engineered it
through, did not leave Washington for
Cheyenne until its final passage in both
houses, for it is a measure of considerable
Importance to the territory, and our dele
gate felt much interest in its final out
come. But few people in Wyoming have
ever seen a full text Of the bill, and yet
the people of the entire territory feel
much interest therein, and desire to know
just what it contains, and such being the
fact THE LEADER this morning gives be-
low a compendium of the measure so that
all may understand it.
The law permits all school and univer-
sity lands within the territory of Wyo'
ming to be leased to responsible parties
for not exceeding FIVE years, under such
rules and restrictions as may be provided
by the territorial legislature, and in refer.
ence to certain matters by one of the ter
%ritorial officers, to which a~llusion will be
made further on.
Under the law the government is to ap-
point an agent whose duty it will be to
select what are termed lieu lands"-that
is lands which shall take the place of
such sections of the school lands as by
measurement are found to be fractional
mot a full s%ection) and where lands now
known as school lands have been settled
upon prior to official survey or where they
are found to be mineral lands, her these
lieu lands are to be selected by this
agent to select other government lands
which shall thereafter be school lands a.
though they were originally set apart as
such. Under the organic act of tie terri
tory, which although at present practi,
callY obsolete, its provisions however hav-
ing been merged in the general act appli-
cable to all of the territories, sections l6
and 81 in each township in the territory
are set apart for school purposes, and
when Wyoming becomes a state these
may be devoted to school purposes in such
a way and manner as the legislature may
provide. there are in this territory up
wards of $780, 900 acres all told which
have been set apart and dedicated to this
purpose. The university lands comprise
forty two sections, amounting in all to a
triie over AZ, 600 acres, and these have
already been selected by the territory
through a competent agent. 1t will
readily be seen therefore that the yearly
rental OF this vast amount of land will
eventually go far toward supporting the
public schools Of the territory and will be
of material aid to the tax payers Of the
various counties.
The law provides hat the governor, the
territorial auditor and the territorial super
intendent of public instruction may make
needful rules and regulations under which
these lands are to be leased, but not for a
term exceeding five years, as already
stated. This board is to have the leasing
of the university lands and may revoke
any lease for good cause shown while the
school lands within the respective coun-
ties of the territory are to be leased by the
board of county commissioners of each
county respectively, who are also vested
with the power of lease revocation if it
should become necessary.
1t is provided in the law hat all leases
shall expire six months after Wyoming
becomes a state. so that the state shall
have the absolute control at once, or within
a reasonable time, of all its available re-
sources so hat they can be applied and
appropriated to the best advantage and
such as in the wisdom of the legislature
of the new state may seem wise and pro-
per.
Altogether this is a measure Of great
Importance to the territory and our people
may well congratulate themselves on the
fact that it has become a law by virtue of
congressional enactment.
Fresh oysters received daily at Saddle
Rock.