The sun., 1897-07-18
NEBRAsRA,S SCHOOL LANDS.
Measures Taken to DO Away with Ola
Source OF Corruption In state Politics.

oi corruption In Sthte fOuuct.
LINCOLN, Ncb., July l2.-with the close of
this week Nebraska school lands will disappear
from the market, During the quarter OF cen.
tury in which they have been handled by State
officials these lands have been prolific source
of dishonesty and corruption. Dealings con-
nected with them were directly responsible for
the impeachment and disgrace OF one Of Ne
braska's chief executives. and in measure re-
sponsible for the ruin Of several men OF State
prominence. Since Nebraska's first Governor,
David Butler, was removed from Office in tho
second year OF his term for failure to keep his
accounts in the school lands straight. down to
four years ago, when half dozen leading State
officials were cited before the Legislature and
narrowly escaped imncnchment, this, depart.
ment of tho State Government has been tho
cause OF ths loss of many regulations: For this
reason the last Legislature passed q bill forbid
ding the sale Of these lands. This law becomes
operative this week. In future these lands can
not be transferred from the title OF the State.
praised value, hut that is all. Still. in the past
leases of these lands have been n consi siderable
source of temptation for crookcdness. since the
chances for acquiring sudden wealth by those
delegated to handle the business have been
This week Commissioner J. V. Wolfe will cam
Gel and release over 100000 acres OF State
school lands M Which have been he held , under lease
to this time the law allowed the land to be sold
could be leased at an annual rental OF per cent.
of their appraised vanc. Tho money arising
manent school fund, while the rental money
went into The temporary school fund. Tho
s ,y o m M ms s
fact that holders of leases have defanlted in tho
/ payment of their rent. The present adminstra:.
! tion has been pushing the collection of this rent
! and has made a good showing. The result was
! that the apportionment in June was the largest
/ the state has ever been able to make. The
policy Of the board has always been not TO push
| collections when the occupants have been un-
the last two years have been years of plenty in
Nebraska all rents must be paid this week or
the leases must be cancelled. d.,.,,
/ the Union Il has seemed impossible to separate
fsyorito methods Of robSing the State has s. been .
/ this At the public auction where The lands were
rented a set OF men would make deal by which
they were to help each other get land cheap.
When section was offered that the gang, de-
sired. one Of its members would start the bid:
ding by offering several times its fair rental
value. This would prevent any one but those in
the deal from MAX ing a bid on that particular
piece. Then another person in the deal would
appraisemcnt would permit. Thus the gang
hFh and onS q 9
the highest hid is not made good by the payment
ofa percentage Of the TcntNltho next highest bid
I must he accepted. The next highest bid in
these cnscs was always the very low bid of tho
other member OF the gang, and since the gang
invariably went for q soLg. or course. this
could have been prevented by the, officials
chhFEcu Win INr 'onuuCt OF inc Sthtc aUhirr,
litiCal combinations. On the same basis thou
sands and thousands Of the finest agricultural
land in the State was sold for n song. At one
time, when suit threatened to cancel the
deeds that had been issued by the state for the
school land obtained by the gang in this man;
ncr, many OF the. holders hastily transferred
their property, and when tho State arranged 10
bring suit, all the land obtained by these OK.
tcnsye frauds was in the hands Of innocent
purchasers. and the State could not recover.
The recent Populist Legislature discussed the
auNlSADllty uI appointing committee 10 &c
into this feature OF Crookedness, and II possible
recover some OF the stolen property and punish
the robbers, but nothing came OF ii. The meas
ure was thought too sweeping. and Il compro
mise was effected by which a committee was np
pointe TO examine state office records for The
past ten years. not specifying what office. The
members ar" diligently at work upon the books o
different departments of State government, hui
it is not thought that it will investigate the
school land frauds.