The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-06-03
OPEN LETTER 10 COL. BAKER,

'rolar 1sxas June dear Sir II is
with great reluctance that ] en- forced 10
rcNlv 10 certain interviews in the Gal
weston News Of different Gates over your
Signature. They were allowed 10 pass I'M
noticed until the demands Of friends from
a n,rcnt sections OF the state ealing for
a rqjolrder became So potent that silence
is oppressive.
ON May % YOU appealed to friends to
work for your denomination. trusting 10
a Just discriminating public Judgment for
reorsement of your humble services. etc.
That is legitimate appeal for help, but
why did You. In referring 10 me Work OF
the land office, begin WITH Ausds' l. III,
stead Of January - lNi? The biennia!
to August 81
You should have told the people that n
great many sales aud also large numbc,
81 leases were re-sales auu releases. ana
the causes Of ;orfeiurcs OF sales aud can
collation. Of leases ought TO have neen
given tn a fair and impartial way. why
did you not tell that all sraz.ang iana ma,
been reduced In price from 500 per acre
unier my administration {, Si,m under
yours9 That the interest on all accounts
OF purchasers of school lands, after Au-
gust i, ISM, Ind been reduced from per
cent to rer cent and that The lease price.
| of these lands had been lowcre' IRON =
! cents per acre. 10 3. on this memorable
August l. 1894. Tina, would have been
! just to me
If personal popularity wiclds an inhu-
ence in sales aud leases Of public lands
how important 1t is that the state prccurca
! the services Of man absolutely beloved
/ by all the people living not only IN this
/ state but even In other countries. for
/ some Of those lands are used by parties
/ residing N foreign countries. In my last
| report tho interest and lease price was
| asiIt to to reduced that the settler ana
! cattle man might he able TO meet thci'
4 Obligations to ~ stat, without forf-i'ures
I or cancellation. one acre now of grazinI
land brings 81. while prior TO August l
! 1897, and under the old law, 1t brought
:. per acre. In speaking e the reduction
! cf the working forcc In the lano ofhce
/ wnph It not have heen inst TO have toc
that there was snrrins left over out OF
term. md that | ran the office withou
! the full iiftv-eight for many months dur
ing the latter part ct MY administrator
In reference to the large sums # money
von have saved for the pc ople, let's take !
lcok at that item In the News OF May y
After ouumcraiing your achievements IL
Ne matter Of selling and 'ess.ns lam s1s. an
have reduced the force Of en- To iof!S
two. against iifty-eigh' en- the r;u r.
ne last year Of the former adminissra
ton"
Now You arc claiming for yourself some
thing TINT Of right almost entirely belong
TO others BY reference to page III. tail
So of the report Of tho comp,roller, givin
estimates for the years ending Fehruar
~ lSNs, and February q. 1897. you will I'm
that | recommended a reduction of IN
! force In the land office from tifty-eigh' |
: fprty-six men. Also by referring 10 IN
appropr.atlon made by the twenty iourI
Legislature, you will see that u Above
YOU fortvsix men. and for Their pay IN
gum of s5i. $50 was approprlntrd for aac
, year and for YOUR salary $3.50. making
. total appropriation for each year sHS,3'
/ fer employees of the general land Office.
: From an avamiraiiun + warrants draw
by thr comptroller against tits aprrf
a nriat;on | find that you have exn"ndc
a f,r the year ending February 20, iS'c. tn
: sum OF s5775e.s2. leaving unexpenae
= This then, is the only saving in u
9 matter of salaries that YOU can sho-
a Verify n terrible falling off from $500
i page a of tho Inaugural Actress den,
!. oroa by the governor 10 The Twenty-four'
= legislature N January y. 1875. you "
u hY1 that h. recommended saving
], 81. 200 per nnnum b, r-,dnc!ug the Tor
I'm thu land office from hfty-eight 70 fort
two, hut tini from warrants drawn IN
YOU have far'N-tive cmrlavcs or the pr
,ol fer the month Of April. 1895. rsts;
Of fo-tY-twO.
4, The attorney generals Office will sho
5 hat darn was compiled during my n
r. mlnls,ration IN all siding and switch suit
u In Greer county case In Bacon ana GRAY
II case inst decided In the supreme court
the United States, where 500 600 acres W
J." reclaimed 10 tho state Ne had CO.,
% files examined IN siding cases. that dn
Id fr suits in all cages renr.y whore intcro
ravmorig Weio not made on all sales I!
DOR MI laws fr IN 1873 tn lS>7 was s.
g TO attorf rvs cver the S'alc Please =
\ amino attorney generals office fpr We
nrat On Of statement, Would /, not In
4, li.cn lust TO mo 10 have told IN in'rrvic'
m that thc old registers. indexes and rcif
Is errc books, and other old records of I
office were copied in substantial nnt' "
bound volumes under me-, and arc tn
To verify my statement. thus nrcservi
o. these valuable records fer years 70 com
m yu could have referred 10 the Aust
! lony man" that was saved from dec
: ny me- and toll how much valuable wQ
&c waa done prior 70 August I, 1874.
~ ! am probably not as ponu,ar as you n
IA, hat thousands of solicitations. 10 r
nv AGAINST You arc Ned away, These w
". received from all parts of tho State, n
- especially from the wet and southwest
have hecn iuri - YOU, and have inNafla'
ny nnswt ROD, that entertained 10 ,n-will
III trat!on No word has escaped my llns U
-. friendly to you or your administration
NJ WIN los. for the present. though
al ground is but half covered. Vary rsre
at fully, w. l.. Mct;anghcy
POINTS ABOUT PEOPLE.
There is now scarcely an occupant
the tulf dn2on government houses IN Al
'rr itruifr who does not CNr'e.