Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-16
TEXAS LAND LAW.
Suggestions Made by Fla Ralot are Good,
But They Don't Go Far Enough.
A Provision Should be Made That Would
Enable Father to File on Quarter Sec
ton of Land for Each Child
ABILENE, Tex, Dec. ID, 1855.

To the Gazette.
Ella Rolat in regard to Texas land law,
which appeared in recent number of
your paper, and you will permit me to
say the writer, in my opinion, is right as
far as he goes; but I think seriously he
does NOT go quite far enough. My idea
for long time has been that the true
policy of orr lawmakers is to pass laws so
ls TO enable and encourage our own
Texas people, especially the poorer
classes, t6zsecure q fair share of the
school, university and asylum lands on
favorable terms. And when | say "our
own people, / don't mean our men or
women only, or our eighteeu-y ear-Cld
boys and girls, but provision should be
made as well for the benefit of our
smaller and younger boys and girls.
That is to say, a law I think
would be a good one, that would enable
father to file on eighty To 100 acres
OF these lands for each of his children,
regardless of their ages, but i'll their
names and for them, these lands to be
on-transferable during the minority of
children in whose names the files Ss9l2tS
made; except by proceedings i'll court
precisely as in those cases where real eS-
tate Of minors if subjected by order of
court to the maintenance and support of
such minors. That is to say, the lands
should be the property of the children and
not of the fathers or mothers of the chill
dren, subject of course to the rights of the
state in the premises. And If the fathers
or mothers, or guardians of these chill
Il, will
improved and actually occupied in
good faith, by tenants even for
say short term of say three years, such
parents or guardians should then have
the privilege of paying out these lands to
the fund to which the lands belong for
them and have patents issued in the
names of such children, or if they can
and will pay interest on these lands for
say ten years, without actual OccupansyEf
they should then be allowad to paYISGt
the lands and have patents issued to
those in whose name the files were made.
To Illustrate my meaning: / haSe fivSs
children, their ages ranging from fsssssssA
years down to one year. While These
public lands are reasonably cheap, 4
think l should be permitted to file sys
eighty to lG0 acres for each of ttfese
,children, in their names, for their
sole use and benefit, and if I
can, afford the expense of having
these. lands improved and occupied by
tenants for say three years. | think L
should then be allowed to pay for themsE
or, i'll case of redemption, taking patents
in my children s names, thus securing to
them homes in Texas, ready for them
when they reach the age of twenty-oue
years; or, if / can t afford the expense
of having the lands improved, but can
and will pay interest for say ten years,
and then the principal, think l should
be permitted TO do so, and pay no more
for the land than pre-emptors are re-
quired to pay. The lands would in such
cases not be mine or subject to my con-
troll beyond what any other lands of
theirs acquired by inheritance or other
wise would be. l would not be able
TO sell them unless by order
of court for the necessary maintenance or
support of my children. And if after
improvement there should be rents and
profits accruing year by year from such
lands, could only handle and control
them as guardian, etc, precisely as if
the lands had been inherited by or given
to my said children.
l have not attempted to work out this
idea fully even in my own mind, and [
don t offer these suggestions to your cor
respondent as matured views, but l do
wish to invite the attention Of our law
makers to the central idea herein at
tempted TO be presented, viz: the pro-
priety of giving parents or guardians of
miners living in Texas the opportunity to
secure for them homesteads in Texas be-
fore our public lands are all appropria-
ted by nonresident adults. H L. Is.