The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1906-05-29
state land board sold the timber on
one section of the state land in Koot-


had no more and no better timber on
it than most of the land which was
sold by the Hunt administration, when
the same amount of timber sold for
1924. A sale OF 1880 acres of fine
agricultural land in Ada county, in
1904, at $l1.75 an acre, is also regarded
as very low. Early in 1905, the state
land board sold about 5000 acres of
the capital building grant lands in
Cassia county, which brought an aver
age Of $3.50 al acre, or almost as much
as the 12,146 acres previously sold Of
this grants lands
If the new capitol building was the
only interest to suffer from the lack
of judgment that has obtained in the
past in the handling of the special
endowment grants, the situation, al
though serious, would not be so alarm
ing. A careful investigation of the
land Office records however, has shown
that fully 40 per cent Of all the lands
selected up to January |, 1905, are
practically valueless. At the very be-
ginning of Governor Gooding's admin
istration, $4,000 acres which had been
selected by a former administration,
after hard fight and considerable ex-
pense to the state, was relinquished to
the general government The title to
these lands had not yet passed to the
state, so that with proper atfidavits
and the assistance of Senator Hepburn,
in Washington, the states relinquish-
ment was finally accepted by the de-
partment of the interior Some of these
lands had been taken for their timber,
although not single tree big enough
for a sawlog was standing on whole
sections. An attempt is now being
made to pass bill through congress
permitting the REIMBURSEMENT of 80,-
600 acres more of worthless lands se-
lected by the state under former ad
ministrations, and which it had been
shown are absolutely without value.
Besides all this it is said that there
still remains large quantity of land
in North Idaho which is owned by the
state, and which is not worth the filing
fees paid when the selections were
made, which should all be rslinQuished
IL possible. This unfortunate condi-
ton indicates the enormous losses
that have been suffered by the various
state institutions through the loose
methods that have prevailed under
former administrations in the selec-
ton and administration Of these
grants. Even the common school
grant of sections sixteen and thirty
six has been handle 50 that millions
of dollars have been lost uselessly. The
school lands have in many Instances
been sold at ridiculously low prices
But even worse than this has been the
laxity in endeavoring TO supply the
losses to the common school grant
through settlers having gone on the
the school lands before surveys were
made, by making lieu selections. Not
withstanding the enormous losses
that had been encountered through
this and in other ways, never unit
Governor Gooding was inaugurated
was a single acre of lieu selection
made. No effort had ever been mad
to schedule these losses, so that liet
selections could have been been mad
in cases where lands we're found tina
we're valuable for farming purposes
During the present administration
over 100000 acres of lieu selections, o.
account of losses in the commol
school grant, have been made.
A study of the records of the stat
land office is instructive. From th
time of statehood, in 1890, and up t.
January l, 1905, the total earnings G
the state land department wer
s135,O0O. OF this $4,000 was earne
during the years 1904. These carr
[ ings included the rental Of endow
, ment grant and common school lands
, interest earnings and invested funds
r and the fees of the state land Office
| During the fifteen months from jar
0 !, 1905, to April l, 1905, the state lam
department earned from these source
/, s215,000, and by the end of Governc
J, Gooding's present term, the earning
Q of this department will have exceede
@ 100000. During the first twelve veal
8 of statehood there has been accumr
= lated In the state land department an
invested in interest bearing securitis
= +ba aooraoate of $184 900. The alta,