Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-25
cH1cAGo1NrER OCEAN ON TEXAS

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The Chicago Inter Ocean, commenting
upon THE GAZETTE's statement thai
there are 25,00O,O 900 acres of public land
for sale in Texas at from 81 to 81, snd on
forty years time, says:
And yet the great public don't rush to Texas
Why? Because the people of sturdy mold do
not care to raise families where they can count
| $50 900 Democratic mSjority, with thousands OF
befoh de wah Democrats loose and not counted.
A round Republican msiority in Texas would
he worth slO0Ooo, 600 10 ner the first year. Look
f-DaEofa- Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas and
California for the proof of the fact. And yet
Texas has natural resources equal 10 any of the
states mentioned.
The Inter-Oceau surely cannot wish to
occupy the position OF inveighing so Bit
terly against an existing condition with
out being able 10 give reason therefor.
VIII It please give reason why Demo
cratic m,jority should keep people from
crushing" to Texas.
It cannot be because this 10000 Dem
ocratic majority has elected men to office
who have squsrdered the public money,
for since the state was wrested from the
csrpetbsg men of the E. ]. Davis regime
the government has been singularly pure.
Only one defalcation by state officer has
occurred. That was by sergeant at
arms OF the Senate, amounted to only
$500, and the deiaulter, in spite OF sup
posed strong political "pull," was
promptly sent to the penitentiary.
It cannot be because Of burdensome
taxation, for, of the states named by the
Inter Ocean, Texas levies state tax of
rs cents on the 800 Valuation; Kansas
leyies Al cents; lows, %; Nebraska, BIZ,
and California, sc. 1t will be seen that
Of the states mentioned lows alone has 80
small levy for state purposes, while that
of Nebraska is more than three times as
great.
It cannot be because OF burdensome
debt created by this 10000 majority. In
spite of the fact that Texas independence
was carved out with the sword, in spite
of the fact that she has since passed
through disastrous civil war and a more
disastrous reconstruction period, In spite
of the fact that state ranger service has
had to be maintained for the protection
of the frontier, the total debt OF the
state to.dsy amounts to but S4,237, $50,
of which 80, 991, 900 is held by state
special funds, the interest going into the
general school fund. This lesves net
debt of 81, 245, $50, and the estimstes of
the state Comptroller show that there
will be in the treasury, August 81, 1888,
a balance of Sl,ls7,67o OS. In short, on
August 81 next, there will be enough
money in the treasury to pay all but $685.
100 of the debt, and that without ircress-
ing taxation 8 penny. But there are
other resources from which the debt csn
and will be paid, without calling upon
the taxpayers for nickel.
It cannot be because Texas wants lib
crafty in dealing with the public schools,
for in no state in this Union is the school
system more thoroughly eugrafted in the
organic law, IN none is its welfare more
judiciously guarded, in none is it more
cheerfully supported than in Texas. The
state now has permanent school fund Of
s5,9ls, 757, invested in securities which
pay from to per cent. interest, sll o
which goes into the distributsble schoo
fund. A state school tax Of 121 cents Il
, levied upon every 500 valuation, anC
the proceeds added te this distributabl'
school fund. The money arisirgfrom th'
ing in 1887 to s25O,Ooo) is also added
List year this school fund amounted L
81, S26, 526. In addition to the fund de
J rived from the state, each comfy he
lT,7I9 acres of school lands, the proceed
from the sale of which are put into inter
? est-bearing securities, and the none
} srising therefrom devoted to the supper
I of the schools. Each district ma
t also lsy an additional levy o
, twenty cents for the support of it
? schools. Many of the districts in tn
!. different counties do this and the conse
8 quence Is that Texas is filed with goo
j schools which are open from four to min
q months each year. In 1888 the aversg
r duration of the school term in the stat
1 was six months. When the sparsel,
!, settled condition OF the country Is eonsid
| cred and also the fact that Of the larg
!. negro population in the stste very snsl