The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-12-16

gwen thirty days after their lands are sur
F veyed ard accepted % fse > prs-egnptfoa or
homestead in the land oIsiee, 10 the exsSa-
sion of the claims Of as osher applicants
Il hare IN ay ofEiss applications frasn
settlers epon abaat aao.e00 acres Of land.
asking that surveys be made in thesr var
Sous townships = said Sarveyor-Ssna-ai
EasanAuEh TO posr-E ESTEIrzgx scr.
respondent yesterday. About ens~fsalf
have given notice that shav would deposit
money sufficient - desray TIE necessary
EXPENSES of she surveys. have worked
IN every possible way - hasten the sar-
vcys. and had 81 one tiEle nearly ohsallaed
leave 10 sarvey sixty or eighty townships.
The secretary has decided against any
modification al Commissioner Sparks In
sir1ctions governing applications ard sur
yeys under special deposit The effect ct
these Instructions was to render the iaw
imperative. Thsy are 50 voIgminons and
intricate that 80 far the commissioner has
not granted applications Tor surveys under
special deposit.
The people occupying these lands are
IN no danger OF losing them. The greas
misfortune a~d cause Of uneasiness are
that they are living on land with no speefnc
bounds They De not know whether their
dwellings snd Improvements are on serAr-
ats subdivisions or whether two or mere
are located on the same tract l remember
an instance where three settlers IN kit1staS
county themselves ran u preliminary hne.
and then built their houses 50 as to lie
nsigbhors. They were confident OF course,
that they were ca separate quarters, bat
I when the official survey was nade il was
ascert@ined that all we're on the saIae legal
subdivision.
s.The chief injury resulting from the lack
/ of confidence OF their own status ON the
I part ol the settlers Is that they are deferred
from making valUahle improvements and
assisting ia the upbuildlng of the country.
4 The present policy OF congress. too. IA
/ making appropriations for surveys only OF
/ agricultural land is very harmful. because
il excludes from survey all coal. timber
and stone lands. The reading a the acts
/ oE congress IS:
The money herein appropriated shall
l be expended for shs survey of agricultural
lands and the side lines Of reservations
Row THE Fusn sHtlI GROW.
The present legislature viii doubtless de-
| termiae the manner of disposition Of school
and granted aud tide lands, upon warrant
of the constitution. which prescribes ths
manner in which the former two may be
sold or leased, and implicitly gives the
| right 70 sell OF lease the last b. simply de-
eiAring the state their owner. BY
the enabling act the school lands shall not
be sold for less than SO per acre. There
being no less than ao00. 900 acres Of these
lands. the fund that viii se realized. If all
we're TO be sold az this minimum price.
would be so, ,ooo.eoo. No Limitation upon
the price of granted or tide lands Is at
tempted to be placed by congress.
The method Of sale OF the school lands
OF Washington viii doubtless he similar TO
that OF ell the states which have disposed,
and are aisposiug, of large donations Of
public lands. Ii Is simply a system oE
small payments aud ieng credits. that tire
fund may have the benefit Of accnmnlating
interest Many statea sell their lands on
as long time a. twenty years For instance.
a purchaser bays Loo acres cf school land
at $40 per acre, sotal OF All 60 The terms
of payment are ssi duwn and so evrry sab
sfqnent year for twenty years The bal
ance always draws interest AZ. say, q per
cent. and Il the purchaser takes the Rnli
twenty years tocomplete his payments, the
state has realized altogether about doubla
the price originally asked. IL il
probable thai the effort of those
who have the disposition OF the school
lands wlll be 70 realize At isrst a. quickly as
possible that the fund mey be consider
able and its income appreeiabie from the
start
It's noteworthy that the constitution
makes jealous provision against the inn
pafrment OF the school fund, which shall
be permanent and isreducibie. It Is di-
reeled that the state make up to the eIu-
cational fund all losses which may bs
occasianed hy defaication. faismanagernaat
or frauds Of the agents or officers of the
state. II Is supposed. also. that ali ex--
penses attendant uPoa the sale or lease Of
lands shall be betrayed hy the state. that
the revenue 10 the school fund may be
naet Nearly every incidental resource q
the state, including the Eve per eentam Of
the proceeds % the sale Of pnflic lands al
lowed to the state by tho government. are
diverted TO this fund and every care -
taken that d mighty endownlent 70 the
common schools Of the state may he col
iecte3.
Resesrz TsE BEsF IAHps.
II would attempt. for the best interests
Of he state, nos 10 sell those lands which
are NEST In demand al the present time.
responded Survegor-t5eneral CavanAugh 20
an inaairv as to tbe best manner of dsspo-
ssfion IL the lands Il think the state
mould be Sise % bold those valuable sec
fians in Seattle, Tacoma ard Spokane
FAas for a time set What may they rot
be rorth in i've years7 II monsy Is needed
there are very inany sections. less eligi5iy
located. that ckn Be sod very rapidly.
what do tlink The school fund % the
sfase Vii be- IL viii be au incaicgsahly
large snas. II we're IA place figures.
should say that waen the lands are Al
sold il vii have reached the sncgTn0us
total Of sss fsss--a sum vastly greater
shan the achos3 fund oi snY Of the states.
Il ssay be very much gsea.er. i caG hard.
ly - less
sAs Tor she sale of granted lands. il ray
aot be vel! 70 ho.d ttsm t9F q yery long
unse. Let ihefn be sod when e appears TO
~ 10 the gr=ztsst asvsfgtsEe 20 the siast.
nrr rag ar2rK KKKF rms xzng Ltaba
I'm ray opinion " concluded ths survey
or-grnsra8. afne title 70 toe tide lands
shesrsA rsraasa forever tn the state- Uera.
I pants mighG le given Rn easement The
oeeupvina claimant i entitled ~ ths first
4 consideration. ard ! wuala favor giving
I rgesaFesaee % the man alto has gone Ga
these lassls ard nAsse improvements. Tide
+ lEsas 2Fe counted hy frontage. nos ~
afres. Each frontsge q the various essies
wia have is oEn vasHs. I essznats tsat
/ md Eve ysars. neresy roHsssAi Teassl los
{ the Land ia uas ard ace aIafseg wo2aa c.
( fraT gne-la2lf tie eutire expenditure g Sc