, 1910-10-20
JUDGE CAREY AND THE UNIVERSITY LANDS

Judge Carey, in his speech at Rawlins, made some statements
concerning the matter in which the University Board of Trustees re-
lnqulshed the lands belonging to that institution aud that the trus-
tees thereby lost the institution $34l.Ooo. He says that an irriea-
ton company was formed to irrigate these lands and that the company
brot pressure to bear on the trustees to relinqulsh them, SO they could
get hold of them. That the ditch company even induced Governor
Brooks tic come w and plead with the board. The editor of this
paper, being a member of that board, feels called upon to refute the
j udges statement but has to rely entirely on his memory for the
facts in the case and may make some slight errors, The records of
the board will bear him out in every material statement.
About "a years ago IA sections of land, containing, approximately
S,I4' acres, we're selected as University lands in townships l9, range
80 and township Is, range "a, the lands lying about half way between
Saratoga and Walcott, on a large sage brush plain. Owing to their
exposed postlon II vas OF feasible to lease them for grazing or, in
fact for any purpose, and the result wac that the University was de.
irving IL i" benefit from them. The lands were regarded a q burden
and congress- appealed to, to permit the University Trustees to re-
hnquish the lands and select other lands in their place. To this end
Congress passed an act on the LIST of March, 1907, which authorized
the trustees to rslnquish both the lands in the Saratoga valley and
those in Big Horn basin, (where the situation was similar in all re-
spects) and make other selections.
During the next IL months the matter was fullv discussed nv the
board and a committee of three, DR.. 81 L. Stevens, A. C. Jones and
the writer we're appointed as a committee to look the lands over and
report to the board. This was done and the report of the committee
was unanimously In favor of relinquishing the lands and selecting
Carey says Miss Knight and A. Q. Jones voted mo"
In the meantime Public Land Commissioner Fuller had devised
a plan fr the selection of other lands which he laid before the BOARD
IN II "as adopted. 1t based on the fact that nea almost every
farmer and ranchman there is a piece of land, VARYING from 40 To 160
that the farmer o II ranchman would be glad to pay $40 an acre
'f II ne cou'o get IN m on such terms Such settler was to APP
ply for the land wanted, at the same time rendering a bank cerh6rste
II deposit for au amount equal to 50 per acre for the amount of land
"anted, winch certificate was to bear interest at the rate of a per cant
payaoie TO University. This So per acre deposit was a guaran-
tee OF the part of the applicant that he would, when the land was Of
o sale, pay not less than $40 per acre for it. The plan WAS
adopted aud Mr.Burke, W believe, drew up the resolution adopt.d nv
the board, authorisng the president and secretary of the board to re-
inquish a like proportion of the IJniverstv lands no Zoo. AZ m
Ter made such selections.
Up to the present time there have been nearly 4 OoO ooros o. !.
To- SOU acres exchanged in this way, and the University ia gattir,
lahos That 1t is assured of getting SO per acre for. Its a notable