The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1897-03-14
SCHOOL LAND BILL DEAD

Governor Gives Some Tcrse Reasons
Why He Refused to Sign the Bill
Governor Renfrow when asked by
THE LEADER what his reasons we're
for refusing to sign the bill recently
passed by the oklahoma legislature.
gave among others the following.
81 The bill Is disjolnted, incongru.
Gus and uncertain, does not protect the
lessee Of school land in any language
sufficiently definite and certain 1t
merely provides in section G all leases
and renewal Of leases after the ap.
praisement shall be at a rental Of G per
cent upon the appraisement and ali
applications for leasing shall be held
in the order in which the application
is received at the Office OF board OF
school land directors
Section provides that the apprais-
ors shall appraise tae rental value OF
sll school lands in thsir respective
counties and that the said board OF
school land commissioners shall lease
said lands in accordancewith the recon.
mendations OF said reports, which
shall be G per cent OF the appraised
value. This is the language which
deals with the gist OF this whole sub
ject and should be clear and explicit
but is certainly as indefinite and IN.
certain as well could be, and the only
reasonable inference to be gathered
from it is, as was clearly expressed in
the bin as IL first passed the house.
that tbs land was to be leased 20 the
first legal applicant This opens the
door 10 such untold bardships on
lessees and so places them at the mercy
OF designing spectators who would be
sure TO get the news before the farmer
who was tending strictly TO his work.
that no further discussion would seem
necessary. No where in the bill are
lessees given the preference right to
renew at the appraised rental value.
2. The bill does not provide for anv
apprasement Of improvements OF
lessees, and makes no provision for
payment for improvements in the
event some person other than
the lessee should get the land
The lessee is entitled to the fair value
of his improvements from any appli-
cant other than himself, for the elear
reason that one man ought not be al
lowed to obtain the fruits of another
mans labor without a reasonable com.
peusation.
3. The bill provides for a board of
three commissioners who were to have
charge OF the leasing and do all their
own office work, save that the board is
allowed one bookkeeper at salary Of
$50 per month. An ofiice is una ues.
tionably better administered by one
man in control with the right Of an.
peal in proper cases than by three
mcn.
The bill provides for an imme.
date appraisement OF all lands in the
eastern portion OF the territory at an
expense OF one dollar per section. This
- "a A1N''9o ~ hNhNlAhiG OF money since ]
the very appraisement contemplated
had already been made in the summer
and fall OF 1895.
8. The provision for one appraiser
N each county is not so unwise as the
provision for the township asstssor to
do the work, yet many inequalities in
appraisements would be avoided bv
having less number Of appraisers.
6 No provision is made for the col
lection Of delinquent notes now past
due,
:. No provision is made for the can
eeletion OF leases Tor non-payment OF
rent
s. While the blll does not give the
lessee the preference right TO lease the
land at the appraised rental value, IL
does not protect the school fund by
opening the land for competitive bids.
9. The bill bears .unmistakable evil
dence OF amendment after amendment
until 1t does not present any we'll de.
fined system