The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1908-05-23
Need for Honest Land Laws

The state land commissioner is now wrestling
against an outburst of criticism coming out of his
own political party, because he has caused to be
offered for sale at $40 per acre large lot of irri
gated lands near Brewster, in Okanogan county.
The charge comes from President Bryan of the
Washington State college at Pullman, who asserts
that the offer at this low price, of lands that are
worth hundreds of dollars per acre is practically
robbery of the college funds
Viewing the matter from a nOn-partisan stand
point we should say that Prof. Bryan is premature
in his judgment, although sincere in his analysis Of
the case. In the first place he seems to loose sight
of the fact that while the state land commission is
prohibited by law from apprasing this land and
offering it for sale at less sum than $40 per acre.
it is open to competitive bidding and there is no
limit to the height the price may be run to at the
sale. Furthermore, if the state must have the ex-
orbitant prices advocated by the critic it must
justify his position first by placing the land under
a system of irrigation This would entail the ex-
penditure of vast sum of money, and we doubt
very much if Prof Bryan would concede the right
of the state to speculate in arid lands by using
the educational funds to this end, even if it were
permitted by law.
To encourage legitimate industry the state must
sacrifice the speculative feature of the case for
man or association of persons would be willing to
develop the latent resources of the commonwealth
without hope of reward in the effort.
It is however, commendable in President Bryan
that he has the interest of the state college at
heart, and the fearless stand he has taken in the
matter will doubtless lead to some other needed re-
form in the state land system. There are other
wrongs in the manner of disposing of state lands
that need to be rghted. One of these is the prac-
tice of selling the timber on public lands separately
from the soil itself, thus encouraging wholesale
depletion Of the forests of the state by timber spec
ulators There is scarcely purchaser of state
lands who would not be willing to pay the addi-
tional value of the timber, and he would gladly
secure the state against the abuse of his privilege
in owning the timber with the land.
The legislature Of the state could well afford to
expend large efforts in framing more satisfactory
land law, and it is to be hoped that the people will
manifest desire for the establishment of pro-
tective feature, by statute to the end that harmful
measures shall be thoroughly obliterated
pS
County Auditor Savage appeared in signed
newspaper article last week with the statement
that he has no interest or financial connection with
the Statesman-Index. This was in response to
general understanding that he was financially fav-
OraDle 10 tnat paper we are pleased 10 note tnaC
Mr.. Savage thus desires to clear himself of any
stigma of holding interests in the Index, and the
taxpaying public generally will appreciate his un-
willingness to be considered as connected in any
manner with that sheet A county official can not
afford to be under obligations to any personal
organ, and in giving favors to the high prices and
poor printing of the Index Mr.. Savage has prob
ably suffered more than is due him.
If the state republican convention had been sim
cere to the limit in adopting local option plank,
why was it necessary to take the wind out of the
sails of the ship by endorsing Taft with his con-
vivial habits as fit subject for berth in the
white house?