Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-28

Seeing one or two letters in The GA
zETTE about the difficulty of finding
school and homestead land in Texas, 1
thou ght would let you know my expert
ence in that respect.
got Texas on the brain through THE
GAZETTE telling of the wonderful devel-
opments in Northwest Texas and Of the
large quantities of good free homestead
and school land on forty years. time yet
to be got in Texas AND resolved to obtain
home in the "Lone Star State. - l
wrote to the land commissioner for all
particulars about school and homestead
land and for q list of counties containing
such land, and received circular telling
how this land could be taken up, but did
not receive any information as to where
it was located.
Shortly after this, however, l received
q Weatherford paper, in which was list
or the counties containing homestead
land in Texas and made up nv mind to
write to parties in these counties for al
description of these lands in their counes
ties, with the result that in the most OF
the cases the answer was, school and
homestead lands all taken up, but there
is plenty of land for sale by individuals
In few counties the answer was there
is little school land, but the homestead
land was all taken up except ID few
places where it was not good land. In
one county that was first down in the list
In the WeatherfOrd paper af containing
40 900 acres of unclaimed homestead
land in July 1889, it was all taken up in
March of this year according to the ans
wer received from state land agent
stationed in said county to look after
school and homestead land) except small
pieces here and there along the gulehes
or on the sand hills.
There must have been a big boom in
that county for that amount of land to
have been taken up IN so short time,
and there must be something very loose
about the enforcement of the Texas land
laws when the intending settler is con-
fronted by such contradicting sta tements
as make him doubt If there is or ever
was any free homestead or school
land on forty years. time in the great
state of Texas.
Becoming Disguised with the school
and homestead land business, I con-
Guided to find out at what price 1 could
obtain land from real estate men and
always received prompt answers to my
inquiries, but one of these answers sent
me into the dark again in regard to the
Texas land law, as there was moth
ing in the particulars received from the
land commissioner which limited of buy
ing school land from other parties
before it had been bought from
the state. In short, it is simply an
offer from the county judge of one of
the most prosperous counties in Norrd
Texas to sell me section OF land f6r
$1,000 bonus,I after paying him the.S1000
assuming to pay the state at 81 per
acre.
Now l must confess that 1t is rather
puzzling to me how this gentleman can
pocket $1,000 for himself or party claim
ing the land, IN selling. land which
really belongs to the state. And again,
do not see how the gentleman claiming
the land can hold it accord ding to law
when it is plain to be seen that he is.not
a bona fide settler or he would not be
wanting to sell before he has bought the
land from the state, and 1 do not see
how he can sell ut all, for in case he
gives up the olHmi one party has as
much right as another to the land until
a claim is filed on it and then the first
to file claim is the one that gets the
land.
Now, Mr.. Editor wish you would ex-
plain away the mystery of these things
Through the columns of your valuable
paper as they are certainly great draw
backs to the settlement of your country
and you may be sure it results in a great
deal of Ill to the state, even in this
little town where I had got at least
half dozen families interested in Texas
and intending to locate this fall. All but
myself and another have given 1t up oh
account of the uncertainty of getting
any of this land, but intend to have a
home in Texas and will come as soon as
can dispose of my property here as 1
have great faith in Texas for the poor
man; but every one is not built the same
and these difficulties to be overcome will
stop great many from coming, and the
sooner they are removed the better for
the welfare of the Lone Star state.
Hoping that you will have better state
of affairs soon and that THE GAZETTE
will ever 60 on her way prosperous,
am yours respectfully,