The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-01-14


hold, which Is rarely assessed. Suppos
tho State OF Texas should next reduce thu
price OF this leased land TO 20 cents PEI
acre, 1t could not be sold for ten years Y
come. under the law as 1t now stands. ]
that lease provision is constitutional AM
the lands should chance to be leased. i
Is eff the market for the term OF the lease
| Would a business man. overloaded Will
| lands which he wanted to dispose OF, BE-
| guilty OF adopting such q policy as that
| VIII he lease lands which he Insists ar,
worth 81 per acre to buy, only for cents
| II he knows the rental value of his landt
| Is only 3 cents per acre. is he simple
enough 10 suppose anybody will pay him 81
| per acre to buy the land, and then to ha, c
| TO pay taxes on II besides? II such per-
SON were found would not the county
court upon a proper application setting up
these facts, grant writ inquirendo de lu-
natico?
Again, why are not the lands in the
western part OF the State. above referred
to. in immediate demand for the purposes
OF actual settlement" The answer Is
three fold. Fist, the actual settler"
who goes out In the extreme west and
northwest expecting to make "A living on
four sections OF land (the maximum amount
he is allowed to purchase from the State).
will be In great luck II he does not starve
to death before he finds out the way back
home. The State refuses to permit MIN
To buy the quantity necessary to live upon
and prosper Second--The land lis hardly
worth 3 cents per acre rental value, and
hence its actual value to buy and own Is
about one-fourth OF 81 per acre tits present
selling price,, or 20 cents per acre. The
land is entirely too high and none can pay
the price and prosper. Third-A very
great deal of the land has never been, Is
not now. and never will be tit for actual
settlement" To require one to actually
settle ON the land is to prohibit its sale.
And this leads us to the point OF sug-
costing the remedies. In the first place,
after reducing the price to the selling value
of the land, when the State makes a sale
cf her lands. let Is be In fact a sale. and
rot merely foity-year option to the So
called purchaser, for which he pays $500
Der section. with the tacit understanding
hat If the land goes down The State is the
oser. and 1t now in fact. Is. Require the
purchaser tn pay IN cash a sufficient
mount to insure his paying the balance
md thereafter pay annually a certain part
of the principal not because the State
ieees the money, but because to make him |
Interested in the material development q |
he country he must have his money in It. |
md because unless this is done ne Will |
forfeit and repurchGse when the State, for |
he purpose of selling her inferior lands.
cduces the price. The great trouble Is ut |
his point that the average legislator. liv-
ng, as he Is. upon lands worth from $40 |
o S'V per acre' concludes sl5U or VI per |
h..le enonsh lor the iana' for
III WI " 'ne pup.ic "oniaih the present
49, sns ~ LOW .npusn' pu. lur .he ,an9S
-. ~ "ss H,, ~ 10 ou. a oaSeouSiy hisn'
nIor, ,,,a,, rada ~, ~ 80 ,e"'s AeiiNc
ivy 's""'o '"e p' ice VI IT,
49,.
WI se''io"s vi iiiip IN certain parts OF
eSaS arc entirely sufficient for all the
ecessities OF an honest. well 10 do actual
,ttler: but further ,,aet NJ hin, his, t,yioa
,rao - ~
~" ioe, lines .iiat qudheity
e wants TO. When he has ascertainpd
lat he has got IL to actually nav for and
zen to pay taxes ON IT M ono Mood faa.
, WIN "yobh,o ~, ~ ,,,.,
"P 'ne "poie seate' re
u',, Gnu ~ Tue eA'reine west not in-
70 'ramnie upon the territory of
hieh"' senator iurney' entirely re- {
-, SS9 'ne aulual settlement provision {
bat eva,. o,,an,i, ~, to.poiatiol' own
' hateNt' au"h'ity ne wlll buy and pay Tor I
~ nio lay taAes on.
wv l.uuced the selilng price of all c
iose iahuS 10 thelr reasonable selling g
ute 40 away with permanent leases OF
ns ss !'i, Ewing the lessee, however. $
privilege OF prior purchase for rea- a
n ~ lil-e' 70 me END that he may either ]
y Iirhseii' II ne wants to, or if he does {
y, y, ne ne can not stand IN the way OF one Y
~ HAM ;no,oaa ~, .
Having lnaugurated this policy, in the 4
III, ", a WY lew years we may make q
sun luitner reduction OF the lands then a
liable lands w,, 1u a.' v 70 swell me less
n merely; put the absolute certainty Of n
wing again. as We have once already v
VIA u, some aa'ooo lorleitures, entailing !,
on the land cormiss, o mV,A anu EXPENSE Al
lount upon the courts without one dol :,
$ worth of profit to the State, but at >.
,, nenuous ekp.nse TO her. aggregating
/ was statsd aboyo MAJ ~, =,
.s, ,revo, H. ,',.Si.. V-"' VIZ aNtiaSe ~