Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-20


to withdraw all the land from the market
until the railroad lands are settled up,
but that would not benefit The state nor
the settler.
/ It might be- to the interest of the state
to sell the land ON long time, without in
terest, but that would not benefit the
schools at present.
1t might be a good thing for the settler
if the state would give them the land and
make no demand of them in return; but
again that would not pay the school
teacher
might add TO favor railroad give
them two acres for every one promised
them
What we want now is law made so
the poor as well as the rich can get a
home. They cannot do it under the
present law because they can t take their
families with them wandering over the
prairie in search of a claim i'll order TO
have them ''now living on it, when the
application is made. Thirty days time
should be given to get on to the claim after
fling thereon. Poor men, such as Il
good many OF our worthy citizens are,
cannot afford to be required TO remain
upon their claim all the time, and if they
did would not be able TO improve them as
well and pay for them as easy as they
would if they could be permitted to leave
them when their wants required it.
1t would be just to require them to be
on their claim once in six months, and
do at least 500 worth of work on them
each year for five years. Then the state
would be safe if they never paid anything
more after the first payment until the
L, IL
be able to pay their interest
every year, provided they did
not have too much to pay. Consequently
a man should not be encouraged in being
greedy, but instead of allowing man. to
take from 100 to $40 acres, allow the head
of family to take from eighty to $40
acres, and single person from forty to
$50 acres. This would make room for
more settlers and give them all they could |
cultivate There would be more appli- !
cants and more land sold, and less for !
feited, and would correct false impress
sion abroad that it takes $40 acres TO sup
port family in Texas, when if the truth /
was known there are many families i'll
the east making living off of ten acres
of worse land. Besides all this, think of |
the many poor hearts we would make /
glad with the prospect ola home that now
cannot afford one while, as you say, it IS /
the same price
In case of failure of the settler allow /
him after all payments and interests to /
that date are paid to sell out to another /
who would assume the Obligations of the |
first
Especially for the benefit of the schools /
there should pc set aside now at least one
eighteenth part of all the school lands |
unsold, or one section in six miles square, |
not to be sold in twenty years and not |
then if not necessary for the support of |
the schools. These sections should be
leased to the highest bidder for period of
five years each or not more than that ana
the receipts of said section to go to the
schools of the county in which it lays over
and above its per ratio of the general
school fund. This would counterbalance
any jealousy arising between West
and East Texas, which should not be,
for Texas is too grand to be divided. 1t
would also be a permanent savings bank
for that county's school fund and would
hardly be missed now from the remain
der.
All school land should be appraised as
agricultural land and none sold in large
quantities, Except timbered land, which
is now well governed) even if it had to
be appraised from 80 cents to 81, and /
think there is all of that much difference
in what I have seen.
Then the settler would have choice of
paying only for its natural ad-
vantages, and if it needed irrigation let
those interested irrigate it; if it needed
timber, let those who would reap the
benefits plant the trees; if there were too
many trees, let the settler chop them
down; if there are wells and tanks to dig
and mines to develop, do it yourselves.
1t will pay. Don f ask the state to do it
for she would not share in the profits.
She sells you the land at less than its
value for you to convert INTO a good tax
paying farm.
Do not understand me to object TO any
of these proposed entries, but they are
too personal to become national.
If there be large portions of poorer
land not likely TO be in demand soon for
agricue ural purposes it would be well to
lease it, but not in way to debar the
actual settler for more than five years at
any rate, so that upon sufficient deposit
one or more settlers could secure part or
all of said lease at the expiration of said
lease.
/ have not aimed to enter into details
but to give some general views o. this
subject and to keep the ball rolling until
our present legislature gets it in shape,
which our people confidently expect they
will do, as well as to secure Us a means
by which we can have good roads in the
more settled counties. MEMO.