The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-12
WAY WIND IS
NOW BLOWING
Increase in Rental of School
Lands Is a Straw.
PEOPLE OPPOSE SELLING
Thinks Vote on Question
Would Be Decisive.
PEOPLE OPPOSE SELLING

Guthrie. o. T., Nov. 1.-THE increase
made in the rentals value of school lands
throughout the territory by the recent
board of equalization which was in ses
sion here for the past thirty days. is but
a straw showing which way the wind IS
blowing" said one of the territory's most
prominent politicians today. 1T shows
that the people, as a rule, are fernlnss
the idea of selling the territorial schoo-
lands and that il the matter would ever
come to a vote of the people OF the ter
ritory, the lessees would never know
what struck them. The fact is, that in
organizing as a union, the iessses De-
came arbitrary, demanding for their own
personal benefit the sale OF the schooi
lands which practically maintain the
schools in the territory.
LAS an organization the school land
lessees can not win. The people of Ok
lahoma favor the retention of the lands
after statehood They remember the fate
of the school lands in Kansas and Mis-
souri. where they were sold and the state
realized practically nothing from them,
and hence forward the school tax has
been great. The people of this territory
will never consent TO their sale.
1.-The recent equalization board was
non-partisan board; there were three Re-
publicans on the board, one Democrat
Representative Jester-and one school
land lessee yet practically every tract
of land in the territory had its rental
raised. The board believed the school
lands should bring as much revenue to
the territory. in comparison, as does the
land owned and rented by private indi-
yiduals. Acting on this line the rental
values were raised.
Already the lessees/ are kicking on
the raises; Representative McTaggart OF
Woods county, a member of the last legis-
lature SAYS that the lessees will return
and elect other lessees to the next legis-
lature TO rebuke the equalization board
because it raised the rental values. He
says the lessees will not stand for it.
In Comanche county the iessees or
ganized recently ana adopted resolution
that no lessee would ever support man
for office who was not an iron-clad be-
lever in allowing the lessees to settle the
school land question IN their own way
and in their own favor. In all portions of
the territory the same arbitrary rulings
are Icing adopted; it VIII result in only
one thing, a severe rebuke at the pools
by the people of the territory. Such ar
bitrary actions, done evidently for the
benefit of the persons above all the other
people of the territory, viii not be sane !
toned by the people at large.
In old Oklahoma there is a majority |
in the country townships Of 12S against |
the lessees; there being only s lessees in |
every township to 136 owners of land or |
renters of private land. The same rule |
holds good in the Cheyenne country; the |
two contain the counties of Logan, Okla !
homa. Canadian. Kingfisher, Payne Beav-
er. Blaine, Custer, Washita, Roger Mills. |
Day and Dewey. In the remainder Of |
the territory there are in the country dis |
tricts 12s land owners against is lessees, |
or a majority against the lessees of III. !
This does not include the mony towns |
and cities of the territory. and when it |
is shown to the people where there would |
be a great increase in the taxes for |
school purposes if the lands are sold, the /
cities would be almost a unit against the !
IeSSees "