The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-19

4
thousands and thousands of acres have
been thus fraudulently sold at g Per
acre. worth In fact from = to $la"
Now, far be IL from ma TO reproach tn,
Individual for having advanced his pri
vate fortune by any Of the above homes
methods. He did within the limits Of Law
what the state put It into his power Il
do. What wish to show is that. owing
70 the ignorance or indifference OF this
state, ''enterprising' men may make for
tunes. small or great, at her expense, and
/ to call attention to the further fact that
| as certain fixed charges are necessary to
the existence of the state, any balance OF
difference between what might or ought
| to have been received from these sources
and what is actually received must be
made good from the only other possible
source of revenue-direct taxation. What
else is this. then. than saying. in the old
trite phrase that has come to mean 50
little: The many are taxed thereby for
the benefit of the few.
Thus each state has had its peculiar
method Of speculation and Oklahoma is
beginning to get her little taste. The
first thing wish to call attention to Is
that the school lands of the territory are
renting at an average of probably less
than 30 per cent of what other lands rent
for in their immediate vicinity. The gen.
eral average for the best thirteen coun-
ties Of the territory, all those east of
Woods and Blaine. has been and is but
$3A 40 per quarter section. (Ofticlal report
Of school land board January, 1897 p. -,
or but Fl 1-2 cents per acre, Kay county
standing highest with an average of but
81 cents per acre. This was by the ap-
praisement of 1886. which still prevails,
and, being survival from an earlier day,
Is a matter for which the present board
Is of course in no wise responsible. But
even THIS rate may I add, gave for dis
tributlon a school fund of s1.34 per capita
in 1897 and OF $105 in 1898 for each child
Of school age in the territory, the lowest
of which sums has been exceeded by
Kansas but twice in all her history. The
natural result of such low rental rates
has been speculation in the lands, and
what the state failed to get as her proper
due has been in no wise neglected by the
"ground-hoor" men who got in on the
been numerous and In all cases a large
bonus, ranging from $500 to $1,OO0 or more.
has found its way into the pocket of the
earlier lessee as a reasonable Quid pro
quo. Pro Quo?-for what? For piece of
paper conveying the tail-end of a three
year lease, and with the lease the pre-
sumption of acquiring from the state,
under the system of non-competitive
leasing newly adopted by the present
board, renewew lease on terms but lit
tie, II any, less favorable to the holder
than those Of today. About ten such
cases know of in radius Of six miles
of Norman. It might be argued that the
payment was for the improvements on
the land, but in most or all cases this
would be but pleasant fiction, as usually
the improvements are worth not a third
or fourth of the sum paid for the lease |
hold transfer. 1t is possession and ad- |
vantage that Is bought Inasmuch as the |
new lessee vii beymore likely than the |
previous one to resist the placement of
his rental on basis just and fair to the |
state as well as to himself. here is an un-
fortunate condition likely to confront us. |
A remedy for this, II seems to me, would |
be: First, a readjustment of the rentals |
at the time of the approaching October |
re-letting to basis Fairer to the state
and this I doubt not will in some con-
siderable measure be done: second. the
Insertion Of a clause in every lease re-
serving to the board the right of placing
upon the land a new rental value, not
no limo of ffe
option within six months after the trans
fer. estimate, and not without some
careful study. that these lands ought
soon to yield a quarter-mlllion dollars
yearly. and yet not have reached one
half their reasonable earning power. II
the same lands were in private hands
they would now be earning the holders
near three-quarter million dollars yearly.
A second feature of our Oklahoma spec
llation is one which all considerations of
public policy and all fairness to the &C
tual occupants of ten school lands must
urge us most strongly to avoid. This is
he holding by individuals OF large bodies
Of these lands and sub-letting them to
tenants. Here, at least, Is one place
where the middle men performs no neces-
'ary function. And yet he is in our midst,
paying the state a nominal rental for the
ands and grinding out rack-rent from
he tenant or tenants under him: collect
ng rents for the state and retaining
rom 80 to Is per cent of the collected rent
Is his commission for the service. Here
indeed Is a spectacle! Free men digging
IN the states lands. paying the rent and
paying, besides. for the privilege a much
greater sum to an intervening man who
happens to hold scrap of paper convey
ng title to nothing under heaven. Com
non sense and public policy say. alike:
Put the paper in the hands OF the man
voh Is ON the ground and let that COM
mission be shared fairly between the dig
;er and the state. To the "Man With the
Hoe" let accrue any advantage that may
rise fr'. the possession Of these lands.
This commonwealth can never afford TO
'ress the occupants of its lands for their
ull commercial rental value, and never
will do so. II We attain to SIS or 20 per
ent of it at any time We shall be doing
yell enough; but grinding is bound TO
ONE II We tolerate middle-men. The
essees themselves, II they were wise.
would aOon stop this feature. For the
most part. OF course. they till the land |
ach his own holding. and they ought TO
ee at once thai nothing is more likely
o put the state in the way-of exacting =
g