Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-12-20
now in, and If not another one should be
introduced until after the holidays there
is enough to keep every one busy.
THE school, LANDS.

The subject OF leasing school lands is
one of the most important questions like
ly to come before the legislature. In
Cass county there are about $4,000 acres
of school lands, of these 28,O0O acres are
under cultivation. That is to say 175
farmers in that county alone are directly
interested in the measure. They want
to know how to go to work to secure the
legal right to continue the occupation OF
these lands, and at least 175 more want
to know how they can obtain an equal
chance at them. In Walsh county al
most all of the land is occupied, and in
the greater portion of Grand Forks the
same is true. The lands in Cass county
now occupied should produce revenue
of about $4,000 per annum for these
lands are worth $500 per acre per annum
and the quicker it Is settled how the leas-
ing is to be done the better. In all of the
Red river valley counties the most of the
land can be leased this year and with the
guards thrown around the land as pro-
posed by the Buchanan bill, no one need
be surprised if $15O,O00 per annum
is realized to the school fund of the state
from that source alone. AS to the other
state lands provision for their sale and
leasing should be made, and the proceeds
should be held in trust for the respective
state institutions. They are not SO favor
ably located as the school lands, but may
produce enough from sale of grass and
rentals to pay the interest on the public
institution debt, and there is no doubt
but what the money can be used for that
purpose until the lands are apportioned
to the several institutions. They will of
course be selected under rules adopted
by the secretary of the interior, and then
they must be apportioned by the legis-
ture and until that is done the fund arls-
ing from leasing can be applied on the
interest account if SO desired by the leg
!slature. Minnesota used it's 10000 acres of
internal improvement land to pay her old
railroad bonds. The bonds amounted to
about $4,OOO,OOO. They we're scaled
down and the money from the sale of the
land went into a.:sinking fund to pay the
debt. The swamp lands we're granted to
railroads. The North Dakota land, aside
from school land, can be sold and the
proceeds in like manner used as sink
ing fund to pay the principal of the state
debt incurred on account of these insti-
tutions. The rentals or proceeds from
the sale of grass or timber can be used
for interest or running expenses. The
fund arising from the sale of school
lands can.be used for refunding the state
bonds, and thus we will be paying inter-
est to ourselves, and when the bonds
have all been purchased it can be in
vested in school district bonds, giving
the school district per cent. money in
stead of the high rates they are now pay
ing. The seed wheat bonds can be car
ried by this fund. The $4,000 acres in
Cass county are worth half million and
perhaps would sell for more than that.
Within the first year enough money is
likely to accumulate in the permanent
school fund to carry the state debt. Why
not anticipate it and provide for it.