The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-06-09
MURRAY IS
0PTOMISTIC

Speaker Murray who constituted
one OF the committee OF eleven on the
part of the petitioners in the proposed
bin by initiative petition for the sale
of the school lands, had this to say to-
day upon being asked what he thought
of the bill.
Good bill and I believe will be rat
lifted by a large vote" And upon being
asked why he thought it would be rau-
/ fled said 1T is drawn fairly be-
tween all elements Of interest Il pro-
ltecas the property righta of the lessees
/ in the improvements placed upon the
Hand, and gives them the preference
fright to buy az the highest public bid,
and compels all land to be sold at pub
/ lie outcry. On the other hand, It pro-
ltects the school children and the gem
leral public by giving fair, full op-
lportunity for all bidders and thus
L to bring what It is worth. 1t further
promotes that broader public policy
OF encouraging home ownership by linn
I iting the amount to 100 acres by COM
/ ipelling lessees not residents Of the
Estate 10 move to the land and make
residence for two years, ana by COM
lpelling all OF the unimproved land to
have actual residence Of two years
prior to procurement of title. Again,
it prohibits persons having more than
100 acres of land from buying This
last clause absolutely prohibits the
large land owners from acquiring any
Of the public lands, and then to safe
guard this principle and prevent land
spectators from earring out schemes
used in the settlement Of Western
. her
use of dummy squatters" upon the
land by prohibiting any purchaser from
selling the land for five years to any
person having more than a section Of
land. This last clause, together with
the residence clause md the require
lment that it shall be cultivated and
Improved. are safeguards never before
put into a land bill and promotes the
lprinciple of small home owning. Il
further prevents speculation Ia the
lands prior 10 their sale by maxim Z
it a penitentiary offense for any of
these large lessees to transfer or at
tempt 10 transfer their lease-hold I'm
lterest to other persons for the purpose
OF giving a preference right and se-
curing a bonus for that preference
right. The large lessee. and there
are some having as high as twenty
seven sections, viii simply have to re-
turn all the land TO the state held by
him over and above one quarter sec
lion, and all citizens, whether he gives
his consent or not. viii have opportu-
nifty to go upon the land to secure a
lquarter section FOR themselves without
lpaying him for a supposed right II
also provides for the protection Of the
lessee who may make q contract, after
the passage of the act in his prefer
ence right to buy This clause will
ENABLE any person to move 70 the
lands and start him home and bepro-
tecred ia that home and win open up
an avenue for thousands Of homeless
citizens to become home-owners. Such
a bill being fair 10 all and promoting
such broad public policy, is bound 70
be ratified by the people. You can al
ways trust TO success when you are
right upon the proposition. J have the
same faith In the intelligence and pa
ltriotism Of the people prevailing az
the polls now that ] had last fall when
the conltitutiOn was submitted 70
them. They ratified II nOtwlthstand-
ing IL was a partisan question because
lit was right. and because the people
believed in right legislation.
Health Coffee" Is really the closest
Coffee Imitation ever yet produced