The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1902-07-30
STATES LAND POLICY.
Correspondent Urges That All School
Land Be Thrown on
the Market.


A friend Of The Press, Mr.. G..
w. Fitzhugh, of Rock Springs,
writes the Dallas News on the
land question, as follows:
"No doubt one important sub
iect for legislation before the
next Legislature will be the State
school land, and a just, as we'll
as final settlement of this quest
ion, should be the desire of every
one.
That there are hundreds Of
sections in the State worthless
for any purpose other than graz
ing, none should deny. Most of
it is alternate land, not in a body
cannot be fenced to advantage.
Most of the land is enclosed by
men following the stock business.
These men, great many of them,
own the decided land. They came
here and secured water at great
expense. They have leased the
school land and by their presence,
and expenditure, have virtually
brought most of these lands to
notice and value. This is so, be-
cause for miles and miles there
is no surface water, and the land
was worthless without it.
1t is not the object of this article
to make a plea in behalf of the
stockman already here, but to
ventilate a condition, that wis.
dom may rule the solution of
this great question.
Many settlers will come on
here and take up four sections,
make the first payment, invest
their all perhaps in a living and
improvements to find the taking
will not support a livelihood, and
because of the three years demand
under the present law to acquire
title they will be abandoned and
all lost and the settlers gone.
Then why require him to occupy
! three years before title rests in
him? One year is long enough,
if the State wants the citizen COM
ing to be benefited at all by
the venture. Under one year
limit he could sell and convey
title, thereby partially saving
himself at least. One year is as
long as many will stay, but Of
course would not operate against
staying for all time to come
One thing sure, the West can not
and will not, develop as it other
wise would if this land question
was settled forever. With fina,
settlement of this question woul6
come new and rapid development
There would come at once thous
ands of taxable value, where to-
day there is not q dollar. Their
let the State go out of the lane
business, by putting the land or
the market, designate a day, say
twelve months from date of act
Abrogate all lease contracts
appoint q board of three men in
each county who shall be known
as board of appraisers, author.
lied and instructed under law to
appraise land and value improve.
ments. Give the prior lease
holder preference to four sections
first, where he has improvements
and where his Improvements are
taken by Others let him be paid
out of the first payment made
and the balance turned into the
State. Such would be justice all
alike.
1t will be seen by this policy,
or something akin to it, there
would be no mob rush, as all the
land in the State-I mean State
land--would come on the market
the same day.
/ believe the above suggestion
to be in keeping with the spirit
of the Constitution as it stipu-
lates the public school land shall
be put up on the market and sold.
OF course the policy of leasing
the school land in a way proved q
gratifying expedient, but to the
West today it is a menace, and is
retarding development more than
anything known to our people.