The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-09-27
MARTIN AND MoNopoLIEs.
A Searching Arrangement of the
Old Swamp Fox.

Old Swamp Fox.
We wish to tell how Marion Martin
voted on land monopolies. Marion Martin
is now posing before the people of Texas
as the only Simon Pure anti-monopolist
now in the gubernatorial ring, and the
atmosphere in his immediate vicinity is
thick with denunoiation of railroad mo-
nopoly, land monopoly and every other
kind of monopoly, and already he has ex-
hausted a good sized onion patch in cry
ing over these expressions of the people
and the destruction of their rights. We
have already taken occasion to- show up
Mr.. Martins record on the railway ques.
ton, in which We demonstrated from the
official records, that, as a member of the
constitutional convention, and as SEN
tor, his votes on every measure
affecting railroads were invariably
cast on the side of the railroads and
against the interests of the people, who
were trying through their legislators to
bride corporate power. But, reader,
would you suppose that this denunciator
of land grabbing and the monopoly of
our public domain by foreign syndicates
had actually worked and voted to bring
about these very calamities and over the
vigorous and manly protests of patriotic
men who pointed out in terse English
the very disasters which have come upon
us? Yet, here is the record and 1t
speaks in thunder tones in condemnation
Of Marion Martin, and shows that he
was false to the people and to their inter-
ests when he ought to have been true.
The two measures of legislation which
precipitated upon Texas the evils of
cor porate and foreign land ownership are
the laws of 1879, authorizing sales of
public domain and also the school lands
at so cents per ucre. These measures
were stoutly resisted and attempts were
made to increase the minimum prices
from the lower sums fixed in the bills, but
all to no purpose. On February 10, 1879,
the bill authorizing the sale of the school
lands came up on its final passage, and
Senator Homan moved to increase the
minimum price from fifty cents 10 $1.25
per acre, but this motion was defeated and
Marion Martin voted against the increased
\ See senate journal 1879, page 316 SEN
ator Duncan thereupon made the follow
ing vigorous protest against the passage
4
negative of the passage of this bill to
\ have my reasons therefor spread upon
\ the minutes. l. Because now is not the
: time to sell our lands in large bodies,
values being 80 shrunken that return
to good times and sufficient circulating
medium for the demands of trade woulc
UNNECESSARILY appreciate the value of the
land as measured by the dollar. 2. Tit
terms of the bill are such that 18,000,00t
acres of our territory will Immediately ~
into the hands of capitalists and corpora
tions who own contiguous lands of like
character, and thus for time barring Out
this actual settler and subverting the letter
and spirit of the constitution by offering
a premium to monopoly, and discourage
ing immigration. 3. 1t ia expected under
Its provisions to sell the lands to the cap
italists who will be led to invest in it only
because they will have certainty o.
realizing better profit by q re-
sale to actual settlers than can bt
found by investing elsewhere. l thinl
that the actual settler who produces value
from the soil pays the debt after all
Then why cannot the state sell to tn
actual settler and thus save the profit o
the capitalists. 4. The increase in tn
price of these for the last five years ha
been more than five times the amour
which could have been realized from TIN
value of the lands five years ago, invested
in any bonded security as is proposed Il
invest the proceeds now, and this in tn
face of an unparalleled scarcity of none.
and its consequent high value, and Their
is every reason to believe that the in
crease of the value of the lands in tn
immediate years to come will be fe
above that of the past. B. Under tn
law as it now exists there wa
. sold nearly half million dollars wort
of land last year at one and ha
. an acre, nine-tenths of which, remainin
: unpaid, draws security 10 per cent inter
est, or as much as an invested capital o
one million in 4 per cent bonds. Whereas
it is provided by this bill that the mini
mum price of lands be 80 cents and :
per acre, and the experience shows tina
every acre of it will be sold at the mini
mum price should this bill pass. TIL
existing law fixes the minimum at $1.5
per acre, and the sales under it increas
rapidly each year, though it is nearly a.
returned to the minimum price. 6. Tn
fund received from the variable sohoC
funds each year from proposed sal
: would be about 81 at most for each chill
of scholastic age in the state, whereas, /
the lands were held until their pric
8 reached so and So per acre. it would yiel
enough to send every child in the state t.
!. school four months in the year, and If W
, waste the lands now the time will com
I when half the general revenue will nc
support the public schools.
The commissions TO be paid agents t
sell this land is out Of all reason, being Q
i an average price for land not less tina
one-fourth of million dollars. The bi
provides for half dozen unbonde
agents, whose pay depends upon quic
sales at the lowest price. See senai
journal 1879, page Bill On March
1879, the other bill authorizing the sale
> the public domain at 20 cents an aci
o came up on its second reading, an
motion made to increase II
price from % cents to
cents, which motion to increase WI
defeated by majority of one. Mario
Martin voted against the increas
II and the bill passed. See senate journI
1879, page 445. Senator Duncan aga
entered bis protest against the passage {
the bill in the following prophetic la
9 guage: 81 vote no upon the passage of th
bill and consider it my duty to record
solemn deprecation of the recklessness
thia and like meaaurea for denrivinp ri