Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-11-26
STATE LIBRARIAN
TO GET, S2500
Democrats of Arizona Gene
rous as to Salaries Allow
ed Officials
Little of the Domain Still Open
for Selection Is Worth
Anything.

Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 2G.-The Ari-
IONA constitutional convention is de-
.liDeratiug upon one Of the most i'm
portant bits Of organic law making
that can come before a public body
such as this It is the matter and
manner of the disposition Of state
lands.
In the matter Of public land. Ari-
2ona is peculiarly situated because Of
the great forest and Indian reserya-
tions, as well as the streams devoted
TO irrigation projects which lie within
her border. All told, these take from
the public domain some 20,0O0.0OO OF
acres, much of it the finest timber and
agricultural land in the southwest;
one forest reserve being the greatest
fine timber section known to exist any
where in the world.
Bonuses Cause Trouble.
In addition to this land, the United
States has heretofore granted many
millions Of acres Of land to the rail-
roads as bonuses and these bonuses
are now said to be at the bottom OF
the Jrouble which is racking the con,
vention
In the enabling act under which
Arizona is entering the union as a
state, there is provision for $3.50, 600
aGrac Of IoDd tD no dopr.ol +o +b1 ,,r,
Of Yayapai and Pima counties alone as
a means Of raising the great bonded
Indebtedness Of these counties, debts
accumulated in assisting the South
ern Pacific and the Santa Fe railroads
in building through hose counties. Be-
sides this. the state is entitled to four
sections OF land in every SO for school
purposes.
On account Of land grants to rail
roads and government reservations
which of necessity lie in blocks for
miles, much of this school land must
be selected from other sections than
those in which the allotment original
ly applied. Because of this, there are
about 100000 acres of land belong
ing to the state which have not been
selected. Therefore the state may go
anywhere upon the public domain of
Arizona not patented or reserved and
select this land.
1t is this fact that causes a certain
faction in the convention to appear to
be in favor of tying the states hands
so completely by constitutional proyis-
ion that the state may sell none of
its land curing the life of any person
now living, while some few wish to
reserve the land to the state in per.
petuity.
Go to the Railroads for Land.
AL present most people wanting
land do not go to the government for
1T If they wish to locate in Arizona
They go to the Santa Fe railroad lust
now the Santa Fe's prices for its land
grant holding, some millions of acres.
is $l2 per acre. The majority of land
IN Arizona that is of any real value
is taken up Much of the barren land
of course, which is now of no value
because of lack of water, will be re-
claimed and then it will support life
but it would be folly now for a settler
to file upon land of this character.
The Santa Fes original holdings
were taken from it by the government
III making forest reserves and forest
scrip was issued in exchange. Thus
while the Santa Fe controls the new
land market in Arizona, it does not
have actual title to practically any.
With all of the scrip (at least 96-1oO,
IN its possession, it can control the
market, And it is selling scrip now
for S12 per acre, thus keeping tho
price up and at the same time Ie tting,
out enough to insure proper develop-
ment of the country; development
which will benefit the railroad as
much as any other person or thing.
In the process of wedding out the
final adoption of the organic law, the
Arizona constitutional convention pro-
vision providing for a bureau of legis-
lative research, tentatively adopted
yesterday, failed on its third reading
today and the compulsory workmen's
compensation measure narrowly miss
ed the same fate.
The bill of rights, recommended
for passage, was subjected also to a
wedding out, the convention voting 27
to l3 to strike out the section pro-
hibiting capital punishment. The sec
ton granting immunity to witnesses,
was amended so that it pertains only
to bribery, illegal rebating and COM
pels witnesses to testify.
The propositions adopted Thursday
were: Creating bureau of legislative
research similar to that of Wisconsin
as an aid to the legislature and the
people in drafting laws; Juvenile
courts with a maximum age limit of
is; militia measure.
The first proposition creates the of
flce of legislative librarian, who will
also be the state librarian. at a salary
of s2,50O.