Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1910-07-27
ABOUT SCHOOL LANDS
Prof. J. G. H. Buck Opposes Selling
the State School Lands, and
Offers a Suggestion.

Offers a Suggestion.
In circular issued to the people
of Texas, Prof. ]. G. H. Buck, super
intendent of public instruction of An
derson county, says the following:
Believing that these lands should
not be sold, l earnestly urge the ed
ucators of Texas and the people a
large to read and to ponder the fact'
set forth in this circular. | believe
that these lands should be leased, no
for three or five or seven years, bu
perpetually to actual settlers on term:
and conditions similar to those herein
set forth. Having no opportunity tt
address the educators and farmers as
sembled at College Station on this oc
casion, l have prepared this circular
as means of setting before them a
matter that is, in my judgment, OF
more stupendous import than any one
question that is to be found in the
program of the County Superintend-
ents' Institute.
This question is one which l have
resolved to bring before the next reg
ular legislature of Texas, if it be pos
sible. To have the public notified of
this fact, to induce them to investi-
gate its nature and Importance, to
enable them to pass judgment on its
merits and its practicability, to fix in
their minds a desire and a resolution
that the heritage of the children of
Texas shall not be frittered away by
IN unwise method of selling the
school lands, these are the objects
kept in view in the preparation and
publishing of this paper. Read it and
rjudge it as you would read and judge
a matter that involves millions of
dollars that are to be saved or lost to
your children and your children's chill
diem for all coming time.
The founders of Texas set apart a
generous portion of public land for the
support of free schools. These they
doubtless designed should be SO man.
aged as to effect the greatest possible
good to the children of the state. !
All the acts of subsequent legislatures
have designed, we may admit, to eff
feet the same end. | do not question |
the patriotism nor the honesty of |
those who have sold or leased these |
lands But doubt the wisdom of SELL |
ing these lands in fee simple to ac-
tual settlers, because believe a great |
er good may be done to these settlers |
by putting them on the lands as here
in set forth.
| have before me the seventeenth
list Of these lands that have been OIL
fered for sale. 1t contains
acres of land that were of el 20 lol
sale on forty years time and when
sold and fully paid for within the
forty years will amount to a consider
able sum. There are still unsold g.,
100000 acres of our school lands. By L
a very careful calculation l have
found that these eight million acres
of unsold land if sold at the average
price at which this seventeenth list is
fixed, will have placed into the school
fund at the expiration of the forty
year period total of about S2S, $50, 900
"a princely sum. But if these lands
are held by the state on the plan l adj
vocate, this fund at that time will be
receiving yearly income of not less
than eight million dollars a year and
will still own for the children of
Texas every acre of the land.
The plan is this:
Let Texas withdraw these lands
from sale forever. Let these lands
be leased to settlers on condition that
they elect to take as much land as
they are willing to occupy and use at
so much per acre as a rent or tax.
Let it be enacted by law that they
shall be free to hold these acres so
long as they pay this rent; that they
may own, hold and possess as their
own property forever all improve
ments they put upon this land Let
them bequeath, devise, ALLEVIATE or do
nate these improvements as freely as
if they owned the land under the ordi-
nary tenure of fee simple. Let these
be freed from all tax