Gilpin observer., 1906-12-13
Will HOLD land JAP SCHOOL Case
EFFORT TO BUY RoUTT COUNTY
COAL LANDS BLOCKED.
STATE INDEMNITY LANDS

Offer Of Ten Dollars an Acre for One
Hundred and Twelve Thousand
Acres Will Be Refused-State to
Hold Coal Lands and Leale Them.
Denver.-The Republican Monday
morning says: Gov. Jesse F. Mcdonald
does not believe in selling the school
lands of the state unless agricultural,
lands to actual settlers who will be
bound to make improvements. Coal
and mineral lands should be held for
the state and leased to those who are
in position to develop them. Several
times in the last eighteen months ef-
forts have been made to purchase
| school lands which failed because OF
the firm stand taken by the governor
and the superintendent of public in
| struction. In Utah all the lands of any
| value are gone and the revenues there
from are infinitesimal. The coal lands
have been secured by the big coal com.
| panies, subsidiary to the two great rail
road corporations.
Last week Governor Mcdonald
/ nipped project to dispose of $4,000
acres of coal land near Hayden, in
Routt county, to a combination that
wanted to exploit them.
For some weeks the scheme had
been brewing. Bernard l.. Castor of
| Omaha made proposition to purchase
! the land at the government price of $40
an acre. He seemed to be in hurry
to secure the land. He stated that Off
cials of the Burlington railroad were
interested with him and that the land
would be developed at once and be pre-
pared for heavy coal shipments as soon
as the Moffat road reached the Hay,
den fields. Governor Mcdonald be
lieves in going slow in ssuch matters
and stated that the question would
have to be carefully considered and
the rules of the land board carried out
| to the letter.
Mr.. Castor said that good part of
the land was what is known as indem-
nifty sections-land traded by the fed
eral government to the state govern
ment for land taken by the former
which contained mineral or which
might be required for forest reserves
and that as the indemnity land in ques-
tion contained coal and had been
known to be coal lands at the time it
was given to the state some ten or a
dozen years back, the state was in a
! way to lose it; but that the corpora,
tion behind Mr.. Castor was willing to
shoulder the chances.
Last Wednesday the matter was
brought up. William Cowdery, super,
intendent of the mineral department OF
| the land board, filed brief report that
| the proposition was fair.
The day following Mr.. Castor and his
| attorney, Tom Harrington, appeared
before the board in support of the plan
| to purchase the land at $40 an acre
the price set by the federal government
for land more than twenty miles from
a railroad. Attorney General Miller
supported this proposed sale on the
ground that the states title was not
certain on account of it's having beer
known that the land contained coal
outcroppings at the time it was given
to the state. Secretary of State Cowie
was non commital, although 1t had been
asserted that he was favorable to the
sale. Governor Mcdonald and Miss
| Craig opposed the transaction and 1t
fell through.
The price was too low even had it
been the policy of the board to sell 1t
outright. Governor Mcdonald had been
investigating and found that coal lands
in the territory named were worth a
great deal more.
|
acres of public land OF this about
34O, 900 acres are in Routt county, and
a great deal of 1t will soon be most
| valuable. AS soon as the Moffat road
reaches the lands there will be deyel-
opments on large scale. Already in
dividuals and corporations are at work
| getting ready.
1t has been the policy of the present
administration to make the public
lands valuable through the leasing sys-
TEN, and in limited trackages by the
sale of agricultural lands to settlers.
A number of the counties in which
large acreage of school lands are stu
ated have been most anxious for the
development of the land. Sold. 1t is
subject 10 taxation: in the possession
of the state it adds nothing to the reve'
nues of the county and naturally the
taxpayers in the counties SO affected
feel that the land should be doing
something toward the support of the
county.
Under the present administration no
coal land has been sold. Leases for
eight and ten years have been granted
under strict terms. The state land de-
partment receives about 100000 per
annum royalties from coal leases.