The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-03-30
3OO,OOOACRESOFLAND
And if Spooner Bill Passes House,
Wisconsin Will Have More.
22S PERSONS EMPLOYED IN CAPITOL,

Thirty-Nine Years Service-Some 500
Districts That Borrow Money of Land
Office for New School Buildings-The
Priceless Record of $4,000, 900 Acres oil
Land-A Civil War Loan of 81 1858, 700
How Lumbermen Got Rich.
Madison, March 27.-The veteran of
the capitol force of the 228 persons
employed under the big white dome is
Mr.. G. M. FOresman. 1t will be thirty
nine years III June since he went to
work in the land office. He began in
1861 and has served under all the
governors since that time, fourteen Of
them. In the Peck administration he
was retired for a time on the Marcy
theory, but his knowledge Of how Wis
cOnSin has disposed Of it's 5000, 900
acres Of land was so valuable that he
was called back.
Spooner Working for More Lands.
AT present the holding of state lands
are reduced to about 100000 acres, but
there are hopes of adding to these an
even greater amount Of government
land under the bill which Senator
SpOOner has already secured passage
for in the senate. The United States
government still owns between 4O0,-
900 and 100000 acres of land in Wis
cOnSin. The claim is for indemnity.
In the beginning the federal govern
ment gave the state every section No.
L. of each government township (SiX
miles square, for school purposes. But
some Of these sections were married
by SWampS, lakes or meandering riv-
erS. Under the law Of 1855 indemnity
was granted, not in cash but in other
Lands of the federal government. Up
to 1857 the government made THIS in
demnity and so the precedent favorS
us. But there is some opposition to
doing it again. There are three fed
eral land offices in this state, at Wau-
saU, at Ashland and at Eau Claire.
If Uncle Sam should practically go out
of the land business in Wisconsin
these offices would be closed up. Hence
the officials of these offices do not
like the bill and some Of the lumber
men are not enthusiastic over 1t.
The Men Who Handle the Business.
The land interests of the state are
in the hands of three men, as com
miSSiOnerS: The secretary of state,
Davidson; and the attorney general,
Mr.. Hicks. Under these is an office
staff, Colonel G.. e. Morley being the
chief clerk and B. J. Castle, his as
siBtant The genial Colonel Morley is
one Of the Vernon county Old Guard,
long identified with public affairs. Mr..
Castle practiced law and edited anews-
paper in Black River Falls for many
ic Nf hn
binders" of campaign times who is a
student of public questions. Before
he talked on free silver he locked him
months He has locked horns in
joint debate with the best men from
the east sent out to devour the west,
and is a ciear-cut thinker and a man
of positive convictions. Mr.. Castle
was in the land office from 1882 to
1890 inclusive, and came back with the
second ScOfeId administration, being
needed by reason of his experience
The records of this department COW
er fifty years. Indeed, from the
foundation of the state. Here are to
be found the origin to titles of 49,
100000 acres Of land-sWamD lands,
educational, railroad, military road
Sturgeon Bay canal grants; the grant
of land that built the capitol, and 9TH
ers. The source of lands; what be-
came Of them; what became of the
.revPnue, here is the full record.
There is Il great iron vault room in
the main office and another vault in
the cellar. and here are kept the alb
stracts, the field notes, the descrip-
tions, the transfers, every transaction
noted in detail.
when a New School House Is Needed.
Ifor years the state has been selling
it's lands, and these receipts together
with incidental income, interest and
the like make great fund Of some
thing like $3,000,000. What is done
with this? Is it permanently invest
ed in securities and the interest only
used? No; it is loaned out for educa-
tiOnal uses. There are in the state
1920 townships. Some of these have
one school district and some ten.
There are $500 school districts in the
state, and when one wishes to build
q school house, perhaps new district
being formed, the citizens may do one
of two things: They may raise the
amount outright by district taxation,
or they may borrow the money. They
can borrow Of a local bank, but by bOr-
rowing of the land commissioners 0his
money derived from the sale of lands
they get it at 31a per cent interest.
Some 500 school districts now have &C
counts with this school fund. They
borrow from $40 to $4,000, the limit
for school districts, the average being
perhaps $1,000. City boards Of edu-
cation may borrow larger amounts.
For civil war expenditure the state
government borrowed Of this fund ST.
563, 100. 1t has never been paid and
never will be- The fund. however, re-
ceives interest from the state. Eau
Claire county is just about borrowing
$4,000 for a county insane asylum.
The school districts repay the
money in annual installments in pc
riods of from two to twelve years, the
limit being fifteen years. The date of
payment of interest and the annual
part Of the principal is Feb. j each
year. Most of the applications for
loans come in after the annual meet
ings in July. The system is such that
the land department has never lost a
dollar in bad debts. 1t cannot, be-
cause the payment is made a part Of
the local taxation.