The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-01-26

Austin, Texas, January 25.-Hou. Ben Pal
rer Of Erath county, who is among those
who in the lower house take a lively in
ierest In land legislation which promises To
come to the front to considerable extent at
this session. expresses his views as follows
on the subject:
an in favor of amending our present
laws relating to school lands so as to pro-
vide more adequate means of finding the
lands that are offered for sale. The present
law is very detective in this respect. To
Illustrate: A man goes out IN West Texas
with the intention of buying school lands.
He goes into county said to contain school
lands and calls upon the county clerk for
Information as to the location OF the lands
lie Is generally told by the clerk that there
are no school lands IN that county or that
the land commissioner has not sent him a
LIST Of the lands as required by law The
wou.d-be purchaser can get no informatio
from the clerk as a general rule, because
there is no penalty provided for the clerk 5
falling to keep list of the school land as
required by law. II he goes to the general
aid o.fce for such information he Is re-
tersed to the county clerk. So the effect of
NE present law virtually is that it renders
L practically impossible for an actual set,
uef 10 md the Land. rhe law ought to be
hmended So as to provide penalties against
Dtth the county clerks and the land COM
missioner for failing TO comply with the
law which requires the land commissioner
70 send correct list of all the school lands
"a eaen county to the respective county clerks
and Win ] also requires the clerk 10 keep
sad list recorded in we'll bound book open
70 PUBLIC inspection. A good strong penalty
VIII go long way toward remedying this
greai ABUSE This, in my opinion, would be
,he most benefc.a amendment that could
pc offered to the present law,
am IN favor of going farther and pro-
wang that upon application of any person
" tne iand comm. ssioner accompanied by
reasonable fee, the commissioner shall be
required to furnish to such applicant a cor
iect hst OF all school lands In any given
county and then require the county surveyor
70 locate such lands for any purchaser upon
Delng rendered a reasonable fee for his
services with these changes It would be-
rendered possible for actual settlers to find
ne lands and to purchase them ana thus
procure homes.
4, am also in favor of enacting law that
MI prohibit collusive purchases. That can
oe oone BY providing that no title shall &r
pass 10 a collusve purchaser nor to his
sss.snee and by providing strong penalties
Vt such purchases and all persons con-
eerned in the same, and also by amending
~; Ing Aw so as to prevent persons from buy
~ more than four sections of land, and
sssu 70 prevent any purchaser from trans
.errhg or assigning his land until he has
i1Saeu on for three years and procured
~ patent This will stop what Is known
81 bounty jumping" and VIII cut off a
us sss " men who make q, business of buy
sas up school lands and selling their caipls
i ,or a bonus and then go and take up more
,ohq ana again sell out. II man wants
s ouy land in good faith for a home no
US US not want to sell out for a bonus neither
oues ne want TO take up land more than
49,. hy object is to cut OFF all purchasers
.NeVp' lne bona fde actual settler. l am