The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-11-01

70 more confusion aud doubt than ever
Every person willing to comply with thc
conditions should have awelnnl onpo.tuMlf
TO purchase tins land, Jnts opportunity
has never been Afforded unatr any OF wy
laws now In force. Under presgnt condi.
lions this opportunity ~ practically dell a.
| do not propose 60 20 Into detn |. Inls IS
no place Tor IT, but win illustrste one OF
two phases only. to show how this Opnot-
tunity Is denied fhe school lands are sit
uatci ia the counties OF tne st AID suth-
west portions Of the state A. results al
one OF tn sc counties, say SuttOl county.
He Is engaged perhaps, us cowll4y, og mui
Currier. hack 0rlvtr, walt Ia rest uia Z
or hotel at the county sitei hv may he 4
merchant, clerk, lawyer, real cst g hgcut,
ianchni,n or other pefsl n, ii an. OF ers
may all want TO purchase land, raups u
good faith as an actual bona hde s.ttlhE
h. rhals OAly for purp SECS " sp cGln 10, q.
tlemeut. until such Tins MS he en- dispose
W his purchase for good bonus There n
land Leased In this county. lt Will expire
say on the tight Of August -. ~ slA
In sutton county. having access TO le
school land records Uf int ECU a., knoNs
these facts. He niso knows tlat the hrt
application flied with thr clerk In due ana
proper form gets titla to this lnni. III re
fore he Is waiting at tAe clerks onieA
bright and cnriy On tie aor Ing 4 |
2Btn. ready to tlle his apnlicati II rs soon
rs tho clerk opens Ills offcc fpr bust ess
Having previously maize Ills ttlemont
perhaps on the 18th, by strttc Ing MS tRut
on tue lftu. ne UlpS n = hNnl titll'N " NuV~
chase one or more ctious Of land. q III
after con of the 20tn. T. ! arms. IN M
way, thet this lind has expired md he, too,
Il eds land. aud Is very nxi us to buy lie
therefore mmedlntely III his "a plicntlcn
with III tlerk to purcl9Se same lhud
on the same day He is dvl ell thnt A
has al ly fled valid ipplic tlors fer It
B., perhaps, has family. perkins, SIN u
bunch NJ cattle, and rhars has ] ~
moved to Sutton unty, from som Of the
central or stern Until g. He Is *, Us
4 u ~ Z x a. IN
A. rs mt 81 anxious for home. He has
maie his ecttlcm MT md having first hled,
knows that Ia duo time tn lind will b.
awarded h m. IN fnct, he nas 10 narticulue
tre for the lun4. cit or for Il home or for
grazing purpos 3. He, I erefore. SAYS TO
b.; ~ u ray nue. $500 or S640 per ctl N.
as bonus, and l will convey nv calm -
this land to you. You can move on tie
land and complete my occupancs' b.,
being very much In need af iand, aud not
being certain as to what time he sh III he
able to purchase dir Ct from the ST { 4
luctant.y pays A. HIS price, aud assumes
the payment VI Is obigati ms TO tIo
State. D., over in Hill e UNITY has be
writing for six months trying to find When
and where he can purchase school lund.
Perhaps he is in need of II for home, and
a small ranch. as much so as b. and a
never heard that this lie Sc IN sutton c1un-
~ has expired and If either d. or b. had
had an equal opportunity with 4 to FUR
chase they would have been willing, per-
haps. to pay the State twice as much as A.
promised TO pay, or at least as mucl NOR
to which the boaus to a. amounted; be-
cause in such case they would have To ply
A.. all cash, or part cash. ana or 10 per
cent interest on the deferred pms ments,
whereas, If they had purchased direct From
! the state. while he might have the rfdl-
| tional amount to pay to the state
wears time at per cent inter st
he could have gotten il on rty
Again, A. has land leased say. I'm Midland
county. He knows he can not purchase
ANY Of this land during the life OF the
| tease. Ine law requires the commissioner
70 cancel the lease unless the annual rent
IN paid within sixty DAYS after maturity,
Tho inw further reads TINT the land shall
DC on the market for sale, not from the
| collation. of the leasc, but from the time
| u Is cancelled by the commissioner. A.,
the lessee. knows these facts. lie also
knows that no one except himself knows
| that he is not going to pay his next annual
| rental He. therefore, is In n position TO
know and does know how to advise, aud
| often does advise, his friends what he In
! tends to do: that as he can only purchase
four sections, they can quietly file their
! applications to purchase some Of the lund
embraced In the expiring lease imne-
| diately after the expiration Of the sixty
| day.; These people under the law, are
entitled TO this land, provided they comply
| with the conditions, but the public has
! had no means Of knowing that It would
| come on the market AZ this time, I have
given only two illustrations, vet numer-
/ Gus other inequities and inequalities might
! be stated.
In 1890 1892 and 1893, during which time
! the Jester amendment to the constitution
! was adopted, the proud boast was made
that our magnificent school fund, the
| pride Of all Texans ard the envy Of other
! States, equaled in valup, including bonds,
| notes aud lands. a round 100000 At
| that time no school land was appraised
| at not less than 81 per acre. All watered
| tracts were appraised at not less than 50
| per acre What has become of this fund.-
| Let us see The act Of 1898 reduced the
! minimum price of all grazing land from
| 81 to 81 per acre 1t authorized also, the
| Reconsideration Of all land to grazing land
provided the commissioners courts Of the
| sioner that the classification as agricul-
/ only grazing land" As nearly all county
/ judges and commissioners In these western
| and Panhandle counties were alike inter
| osted In purchasing this land al a reduced
| valuation, or had q client or constituency
| to serve, who desired TO purchase Mt the
| reduced price, II was no trouble to, fnd
| evidence upon which to base n certificate
| that there was no agricultural land IN
many of the best agricultural counties In
| the Panhandle country. The law further
| gavo to the forfelting purchaser prefer.
| ence right for ninety days TO repurchase
| after his land had been forfeited for non,
| payment of interest. Therefore. while It
| was rulnoue to the school fund, it was
poor business ON his part II he did not
| decline to pay the interest on n So or So
\ purchase let the land he forfeited To the
State, and again buy 1t at 81 per acre
at a reduced rate Of interest.