El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-17

N.
dalgo. Howard. Irion. Jeff Davis, Kent
Kimble, La Sale. Loving. Lynn, Mar
tin. Mason. Maverick. Mckinney, Nc
Mullen. Menard. Midland Mitchell,
Nueces. Pecos. Presidio. Reeves.
Schleicher. Scurry. Starr, Sterling,
Sutton. Terry. Tom Green, Upton,
Uvalde, Val Verde. Ward. Webb. Wink
Ter. Yoakum. Zapata. Zavalla.
The total area of all these counties
is 61.5S9.S60 acres and the total area
of the unsold school lands contained
in them is 15,S25.1OS acres.
The counties ranking at the top in
the acreage of school lands unsold are
as follows: Pecos. 2225. 2S2; Ell Paso,
l .209. 143; Val Verde. 967 $50; PreSidio
1923; Brewster. 7S3.2OO; Edwards.
135. SO4: jeff Davis. sos. 304 Crockett,
616.37S: Reeves, 5S1 ,23O: Webb, 3d.
$50
The total of school lands just Civ
en- is considerably increased. to the
extent of 4.450.000 acres of what was
formerly public domain. but by act
of the special session of the last leg
islature became part of the permanent
school fund. The figures were COM
piled before the passage of the act
just mentioned hence the total is
swelled from approximately 10000 900
to total of 20.275. los acres, or over
81 900 square miles. The fact is to be
considered that not afew thousand
acres of the above lands have been sold
under the special act above referred
to. and the last figures may not be ex-
actly correct
The land commissioner recommends
that some sixteen counties be with
drawn from the lease territory This
would have the effect of removing the
privilege of long time leaseholds in
those counties and open them for set
Element. The counties mentioned in
his recommendation are Lynn, Cara.
Kent. Howard. Borden, Scurry Nit
chell. Sterling, Coke, Irion. eastern half
of Tom Green. Menard, Mason, Kim
bic. Kerr and Bandera. BY consulting
the table in the foregoing. it will be
seen that should the legislature adopt
the recommendation. the reservation
would lose in area 9.421 200 acres, and
in school lands several thousand acres
over total of 2.767 $50 acres
BY providing permanent water and
thereby means of irrigation. the coun-
ties sought to be withdrawn are elig-
ible for settlement and the legislature
will doubtless open them.
Much could be said in support of
the maintenance of the absolute lease
district. such as calling attention to
the work of developing the heretofore
been performed in connection with de-
velopment. by securing. permanent wa
ter. which has always been a most
serious and for long time insur-
mountable obstacle
The best illustration of the value
of leases to the school fund is appar-
ent in the statement just prior to the
passage of the law. there was only
q .SO3602 acres under lease, bringing an
annual income of 1924 los: at present
there are 14.95S. ISL acres leased. from
which the school fund derives an an
nual income of $44S.61S
The lands must be leased on long
time. so as to make investments Sc
cure and further develop the west. If
leases were abolished the cattle would
likely be driven to the pastures. and
the outcome would be free grass. Com
missioner Rogan's warning is timely.
and in conclusion will quote the short
in which he makes an al
most sure prediction, as follows:
The inducement to develop. i'm
prove and lease will have been de-
stroyed. The incentive to the would
be purchaser would also be destroyed.
for if his neighbor resorts to free
grass. he will do likewise. Dallas
News.