The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-01-15
LESSEES ~
URGE SALE
OF LANDS
BILL TO BE INTRODUCED
IN LEGISLATURE FOR
DISPOSAL OF SAME

The school land lessees Of the state
are advocating the sale OF all the
school ana state lands and OIL ior
the sale OF The same is being prepar
I'd and will be introduced In the leg
islature at The present session,
In support of their advocacy OF thel
sale OF all the lands the lessees claim
that an analysis OF the sales already
made will establish the fact THAT al
much greater income VIII be derived
from the lands after being sold than
is at present obtained under the leas'
ing system,
G. Fl. Hyde. Secretary OF the Les
sees Union. today gave out the follow
ing statement:
| have never heard but two argu-
ments advanced for the retention OF
the school lands. The first one nsu-I
ally advanced is that other states
have lost the fluids derived from the
sale of their lands, The second ls
that the lands mat belong to thc
State Of Oklahoma have not reached
their maximum value as yet.
In answer to the first argument
against the sale of the land ! submit
ted a list of questions to the various
states that ever received any grants
from the United States of land and q
summary OF their replies is III the
enclosed report.
In answer to the other will say
that think that the lands have now
reached a value that will not IN
crease anything like the same ratio
ttat they have in the past, In fact
the experience Of the state OF Okla'
homa in the big land sales is where
q year ago there was great deal
of competition in the bidding, at the
present time there is very little.
Now, as an argument for the sac
we claim chat there is a vast differ
ence between the sale and rental val
ue of the land; that that is plainly
Illustrated by land adjacent to Okla
, homa City. One section of land nortI
CT oklahoma City according to th'
a. last appralsement Is worth $5OOOOv
+ This year that land rented for $a2V
7 | and one-half OF the crop raised q
that section this year viii not pa.
}. the rent. While this is an excel
!. tonal case. all farm lands have va
(. ue for sale purposes above the rem
I al value AS long as the state own
+ the land and 1t Is rented there Is a
:. element of uncertainty that the le'
I see has which makes him afraid |
q put up permanent improvements, 7
g make plans that Will take years
: complete, because succeeding lei
d stature might change the rental COZ
r tract and make his Improvements
% cry little value to him or anyon
: else. TO illustrate: A man wha put
cut trees of any kind knows that the
Y. will not net him anything during III
o life OF five year ease, and there
d always a possibility that the sta'
NJ will sell during the term Of his leas
"a so that any improvements made th
H. spring might be auctoned off tn
n fall
,r Another argument for the sale
the land is. the lessees were encou
aged by the administration OF the nc
re ritory of oklahoma to settle on u
O. lands, to make permanent improV
m ments thereon and that the sta
Of sell their homes to them at nomln
lg figure Until five or six years ago
W. travelling over the country one cou
w. not tell the difference between hon
%. stead land and state land--the i
rv provements on each were about I
ma same; each thought they had hon
le When the agitation started Tor I
ry retention of the land it practical