The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-02-22
ON SCHOOL LAND


tOonlltNN0 iiVtN IAHt o.
per capita among the total number OF
school children in the state. The pro-
portion per capita for school children
that comes back 10 this same county
does not amount to enough 70 pay
much more than one months saiary
cftht teacher OF the country districts.
Therefore. the taxes must be enough
higher on the decided land TO make up
for the loss Of tax on the leases. And
" these same leases we're taxed the
taxes wonid 30 to the benefit OF the
county where the lease lies instead OF
to some Q her counfe ehich happens
not to have SO mncs, school land. or
the county cheats itself of the taxes
on the school land which should go
to the support Of the courts. salaries
OF county officers. county roads and
bridges and other civil purposes and
AZ the same time lessen the tax on the
decided land. To sum up then the
county having a large acreage Of
school land helps TO pay for the
schools in counties not having SO
much school land aud TO the large
cities having none at all. Moreover
these same counties and cities do not
sacrifice anything in return. The
truth IS that the county with no school
land at all can have better schools
and longer terms for the reason that
all Of The land IS taxable and hence
brings in a larger revenue than the
county where only part Of the land
is taxable.
A certain report advocated the re-
leasing 10 the highest bidder for q
long term OF years. The present les
see has bought his lease and prefer
enc right and paid for It dearly. toe.
and now are You going to turn around
and ask for another cash 'bonus'2
Such a proposition is an outrage and
would be one Of tho worst graf ever
perpetrated. Do you want to start
this new state with such records as
that? The lessee has earned his pre-
ference right by improving the land
mud %cultivating The soil and on top OF
this paid o canll bonus thinking that
when this land was re-rented or sold
be would have tilat preference right.
Now give him al he deserves aud no
more. Again 1t has been suggested
that the lessee pay al actual cash
rental OF one and . half 20 two and
a half dollars per acre. Such q plan
is impossible. The lessee must Inn
prove and cultivate the land NJ his
own EXPENSE and after that is done
the improvements must be repaired
and kept ~ and the land properly
ditched and drained. trees planted apl
r~e-planted and CROPS Insured. Now
who would take this place when there
are landlords who offer their lands
with good improvements AZ the same
rental nrice2 ~ the lands arc held
forever then The rental mist be 50
low IS to let the lessee improve the
land and keep up the repairs and yet
him a small net income.
Under he lease system it would
he a long time before the lands will
IN reasonable rental And I'M
der the present uncertain feeling as to
the disposition Of the lands it s. es-
pecially true. As long as improved
and cultivated places are oRe,e1 for
rent the school lands will lie idle and
when all OF the Improved places are
taken and The school land IS finally
occupied then the income must nee
essarily be very small for a long per-
Tod for It takes time 10 improve a
place and get the soil into n good
Of c%ultivation that will raise any
croil and withstand drouth. Moreover
there Is land rented AZ grazing land
thai could be rented as farming land
Look az Caddo. Kiowa and ComGnehe
counties, there are sections after sec
tons lying there with not even a
fence around them and O an acre