Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-03-23
THE LAND OFFICE
---------
Report Made by the Joint ln-
vestigatlon Committee.
COMMISSIONER McGAUGHeY
Declared to be Guilty Of Palpsble Neglect
Of Duty.
The Renewal Of iOhn 1aeenusheY Reconmeod.
sd--how the Lands 10 HARRIS and Lib
crh Counties We're Sold Pres.
snls From David Soar
COMMISSIONER acGAUeSEY

Austin, Tex, March - lSpccial)-
In the house this morning Mr. Moody,
for The special joint committee " invest.
gate the charges as 60 tho management
Of the state land office, presented an
elaborate and bristlnR report the sub.
stance Of which was That the Commi..
tee, after diigent inquiry and mature
dcihcrauon. finds that the commissioner
Of the general land Office has been guilty
Of a palpOhle violation Of the statutes
Of the state IN the following particulars;
That In December. 1892. and January.
1898, he sold the public school lands
In Harris and Liberty counties 80 lRnd
agents and land spectators, when said
lands had bccw reserved by law and
were intended TO ho sold ~ actual 90.
tiers only, upon proof Of actual s0tuo-
mont Section 90 Of the act " 1887 was
intended 70 prohibit the sale 81 public
school lands TO others than actual set
tiers except when such lands wore iso-
lated and detached from other public
lands Isolated aud dctnchod lands
were subject 90 sale 10 any purchaser
except corporation aud lands not lso.
lated and detached were sot apart and
reserved for sale 20 actual settlers only.
During tho FIRST torn Of Once Of tho
present land commissioner the detached
aud isolated sections Of land In Harris
and Liberty countes were upon the mar
ket for sale 10 any purchaser, While the
lands that were not isolated aud do
taohcJ were held Cor actual settlements
Ia accordance with law This obtained
until Dec Ia. 1892. when tbs restriction
was removed by the land commissioner
as 10 HaT1s county aud those sections
Of land that had boon held Tor sale TO
actual settlers were placed upon the mar
kot for sale TO any purchaser, except
a corporation, US isolated aud detached
lands. The same change Of ruling was
made 40 70 Liberty county lands on Jan,
20. 1893.
The committee found that prior 90
the opening up Of this laAd for sale 70
any purchaser thoro were about thirty
one sections In harris county aud twen-
ty-six sections Ia Liberty county which
were clearly not isolated and detached
sections
They found further that the rule Ia
the land Office when lands werO placed
Jpn the market was to notify tho count.
~ clerk OF the county where tho land
was situnted. and then not make any
sales within reasonable time. 40 that
residents OF such county would have an
opportunity 20 purchase such lnnds
The commissioner Of the land otac9
had on Dec "a. 1892. advised the county
clerk Of Harris county by latter OF the
putting Of this land upon the market
FOR general sale. The receipt " this
letter was Acknowledged BY telegram
by the clerk on Dee ~.
The committee found that On Dee IL,
DAVID BoAz or FORT WORTH
had purchased two sections of n,e Harris
county lands. and on Dec 10, the remain.
der Of said lands were sold mostly 10
land agents, aud spectators la Travis
county.
They also found that the county clerk
Of Liberty county, had been notified BY
the commissioner by letter on Jan. "a.
1898, that he had yesterday placed an
the lands in Liberty county on the mar.
ket, under section %, OF the act Of 1857
not requiring settlement. The clerk &c.
knowledged recopit Of this letter on The
23rd. On Jan 20. the day tho land was
placed upon the market David Boaz Of
Fort Worth purchased section 10 Of said
lands
They also found that large portion Of
the Liberty county lands had boeh sold
to residents Of Austin. Tex, bcfbro ths
said lands were placed upon the market.
That as early as Jan. 10. IL was known
60 the land men and land spectators
Ia Austin that the Liberty county lands
were upon tho market The evidence
showed hat the giving Of notice TO tho
county clerks was
A GLI1TERING FORMALIpY,
FOR before reply or az application for
purchase could be received by mall, near
ly Oh the lands had beoB sold 10 land
agents. and land spectators IN Austin.
and 70 relatives Of the clerks Of tie
school land department
uhe evidence before tho commith,o
revealed the fact thai np 70 tho urao
the sales referred 70 were made, the
gave he law tie same con
Rtrucaon placed upon Il BY the iuvesu.
eating committee, and the COMMITTEES be-
lieyed that tho commissioner had been 10.
duced % change hls policy concerning
these lands and The construction Of the
iaw through persuasion Of
A COTERIE OF LAND gPECULA-
TORS.
and said lands 81 both Of the counties
named aEgresatlug over $1,000 acres
were placed upon tbs market and sold
before the people living % said counties
We're CONSTANT Of the fast
Tie ~iieuCe frrtlsr showed that the
lands IA queatioD had recently become
yhluhbIe. because u The developments Of
tbs rice and fruit growing Industries, and
were ID actual demand az Increased
prices
The fommittee also found that during
the mouth " December. 1s92. David