The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-06-19

! Third, To devise the means of increas-
ing the permanent fund sufficiently to
place all Of the departments in good
working order upon the annual in.
come. EMHl
The last alternative is that which the
best interest of the country demands.
But the question is, how shall that be
accomplished? The lands belonging to
the fund is the source from which an
increase of it must be realized. 1t is
believed that it is better to depend
upon the liberality and justice of the
legislature in regard to the lands still
owned, than to claim as debts due the
fund the amount of property hereto
fore appropriated to it that has been
diverted from it to other purposes.
The remaining unsold portion OF the
original fifty leagues of land that are
situated in counties that are set
tied up and can be readily utilized by
lease or by sale. Of the 100000
acres, up to this date 1890 acres have
been sold 141,557 acres have been
leased, leaving undisposed of 1855, 0S3
acres OF land. They have been
classified as dry, grazing lands
and valued at 50 per atr,.
If these lands could be sold at an av-
erage of even one dollar per acre, or
leased at three cents per acre, it would
increase the available fund to be an
nually expended to about 500, 900 /;
which would place the University
upon solid foundation for its future
prosperity. The commissioner of the
general land Office reports, as reason
for their not having been disposed of,
or leased, that they care devoid of
permanent water, and too distant
from water to be utilized" and that
"they are also for the most part re-
mote from population and unoccu-
pied" He might we'll have ADDED,
that they are devoid of water and un-
occupied, because they are located in
dry country, that has been a dry
country ever since the Mexicans first
traversed it, two hundred years ago or
more, and will continue to be dry
country until the water is brought to
the surface by digging or boring wells.
Irrigation at best only makes gardens,
and patches, and small fields and not
great farms such as are produced by
abundant rainfall; and therefore, it
must be utilized mainly as a stock
country. If a disinterested practical
stockman was consulted as to the
means of utilizing those lands, he
would say, that there must be suffi-
Gent quantity of land leased, for such
a length of time, at such a rate, or
sold on such terms as would justify the
employment of enough capital to
fence it, get water, and make other
Improvements, necessary for perma-
nent stock ranch. If those lands ore
to be used singly for the benefit of the
University, to whose fund they belong,
it must be done in that way.
There is an impression abroad that
the rain belt is moving westward, and
that after while crops can be raised
there as they can be in the settled
portions of Texas. Presumably on
that theory, the policy has been
adopted, apparently, of reserving
those lands for farmers with small,
very small, stocks. The limit fixed
for the disposition of those lands by
sale to permanent settlers on the
lands only, four sections, and by lease
to one person for six and for ten years
(Act of April, 1880. This policy of
holding up the lands is doubtless
prompted by the idea that they will
be more profitable to the University
in the future. Still they are used to
have the lands settled, which is post
poning perhaps indefinitely any con-
siderable interest in them to the Uni
yersity for which they were set apart.
There is clause in the constitution
Cart. s. Sec. y providing that "the
legislature shall not have the power
to borrow or in any manner to divert
from its purposes any special fund
that may or ought to come in the
treasury"
This provision, whether applicable
directly or not, would indicate the
principle as rule that these lands
should be disposed of in the way that
would best promote the interest of the
University. irrespective of any other
use that they might be made to sub
serve. If, however, the legislature
should prefer to hold the lands up to
get farm settlers on them it would be
equitable to advance to the University
permanent fund a million or more in
4 or per cent bonds and refund the
amount by the sale or by the lease off the
lands as they might be in demand un-
der its policy. That would enable the
University to be carried on without
a continual application to the legisla-
ture to meet the annual expenditures.
Whatever course may be pursued it is
to be hoped that it will give sur ty
for the permanent maintenance of the
institution in all of its branches and
departments.
There are some subjects applicable
to all of the schools of the State, of
general nature that are worthy ofcon-
sideration. There is growing ten
dency to separate the schools from
the public influence and to set them
apart as self-controlling insti-
tations in the country. This may
have its advantages but it is