Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-13
ToLAR'S LAND BILL.
To Amend the Law Regulating the Sale and
Lease OF the State Lands.

To Amend the Law Regulating the Sale and
Lease OF the State Lands.
Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX, Jan. l2.-The main
features of Tolar's house bill No. 40
amending the law regulating the sale and
lease of the public school, the university
and asylum lands are about as follows:
They provide for the sale OF the lands
TO citizens of Texas above the age of
eighteen years in quantities not less than
eighty acres nor more than GAO acres at
81 for dry and So for watered land, forty
years time and per cent. interest;
that lands purchased under the
provisions of this act are
not transferable until paid out;
that purchasers shall not be allowed to
pay out under ten years, or until they
have paid the annual interest for ten
consecutive years, except under the fol-
lowing provisions, to-wit
If purchaser occupies his purchase for
three years as a homestead, by making
proof Of same he is allowed TO pay out i'll
full at the end Of three years, or at any
time thereafter. That an actual settler
may transfer or sell his land after having
occupid the same for twelve consecutive
months and made improvements on
the same to the value of $500;
that a purchaser may pay out after hay
ing paid the annual interest for three
consecutive years and made improve
ments on lands to the value of 80 cents
per acre. Proof as to value must be
made to the satisfaction of the commits
sioner of the general land Office. That
interest be payable as under the present
law on the lst day Of August, and if not
paid at that time delinquent tax of
per cent. is added TO the amount dine;
and if &, on the Ist Of February following,
the interest and tax fee is not paid, then
the land Teyerts back TO the state. This
clause gives purchasers six additional
months in which to meet interest.
The bill provides further that all pur-
chaSers Of the public lands who are in
arrears with interest whose land may be
Or is forfeited for non payment of interest
up to August |, 1888, may have their
claim refnstated by payment Of interest
due from date of purchase up to date of
by executing their OBJ
legation to pay balance due
on principal and annual interest
from date of repurchase at the rate of
= per cent; provided that where lands
have been abandoned by actual settlers
and have been repurchased under the
the present law by other purchasers then
the original purchaser cannot repurchase.
The lease clause provides for the lease
of such lands as are not in demand for
sale at = cents per acre for a term of five
years.
The object of this amendment is to
place the lands in the reach of the thou
sands and thousands of tenant farmers,
Iaborers and all classes who
can never hope to acquire these lands
under the present law, the conditions
being such as they are not able to meet;
to increase the available school fund so
that the present generation may enjoy
some of its benefits; to encourage the
more rapid development OF our waste
places and thereby increase the general
revenue of the state, and at the same
time keep the lands out of the hands of
spectators and monopolists.