New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-01-26

E an empire larger ehe0 sevefeI o
h the eastern states. combined, con
prising land of almost every charact
er, description and capacity 70
l. productivity from grazing land t.
i highly valuable timber. land an,
from farming areas to highly. mine
. rallied tracts of enormous potentia
t value. The people of New Nexic'
h are just beginning to understand tn,
d value of this vast land holding. TIL
> large increases in income from oul
lands, which have occurred each yea
since statehood, have astonished ever
those intimately acquainted with tn,
character and value of the lands
8 This income has made possible I'm
portant extensions in our common
school system and great improve
ments in the various e~ducationa
I and other institutions. which but fol
n it must have been postponed in
: definitely; the only alternative hav.
y ing been to raise the large amounts
: of money so required by taxation
: adding a heavy burden to the tax.
8 payers.
with a continuous policy in ad-
: ministering these lands which is
adapted to natural conditions and
economic needs of the state, this
income is certain to continue to in
crease from year to year. There
: are those who would stop the fur
Their leasing of state lands and hold
the lands idle. waiting for the de-
velopment of the rest of the state,
to raise values for our lands. This
~co1;cu ,yo,tl ka,l 80 eL:ft A.. 49,.
den of development from the state.
which is able to bear it, to the
shoulders of our citizens who may
not be able to bear it, but to whom
such a burden would be heavy. While
waiting for the rest of the state
to develop and raise our state land
values, further increases of income
for the use of our schools would
cease. The state lands. instead of
being a substantial hacker Of de-
velopment, industrially and socially,
would be a heavy drag upon such
development. New Mexico has a
total area of approximately 78,OO0.-
900 acres. OF this 100000 acres are
in national forests 100000 are in
Indian and other forms Of reser-
walton. and an enormous area Is in
grants, to some Of which title is in
dispute. On all these great areas
development is restricted or wholly
blocked. There are 100000 acres
Of fedeal land open to various forms
of free entry; but the best of our
public domain has been filed on or
otherwise withdrawn and develop
ment Of the remainder will occur
less rapidly. Briefly, the state owns
one-sixth of the total area. Should
this one-sixth stand idle, including
as it does much of the most desir-
able grazing and agricultural areas,
the advancement of the whole state
must inevitably be retarded. If. on
the other hand, this ~princely do
main is in%telligently utilized and de-
veloped, the income from the lands
will shortly support not only our
common schools but will bear the
greater part of the burden Of all our
public institutions, thus relieving the
people Of heavy taxation at the early
stage of the states development
when tax burdens are hardest to
bear. At the same time the per-
manent interest bearing funds will
be growing more rapidly each year
and if, as is predicted, the time
should come when the states present
land resources has been exhausted,
il must inevitably be found that the
state has more than balanced the
account in wealth producing. tax
producing private property of prac-
teal use to a self-sustaining popu-
1ation, while our institutions will
have their revenues provided from
their interest bearing, invested per-
manent funds. This does not mean
there should be reckless dis
posai Of state lands. Even at
the present rate of selection, "clear
and sale, many years must pass
all the lands have been dis
posed of. But II care is taken that
no state land is impaired by any
and that sales are guided into
channels which will bring Develop
ment, then the whole state must be-
nefit as greatly as it would other
wise be harmed by a policy Of non
development and s%tagnation applied
to our state land holdings. 1t will
be found upon careful inquiry that
those most active in opposing the {
present practical policy Of u~tiliza-
ton Of state lands, as provided for ,
in the existing state land law either I
are theorists pure and simple or I
those who are wholly unfamiliar ;
with the conditions and needs of {
New Mexico, or both. The business 4
interests and the working Develop
ment forces of the state are united |
in the conviction that the carefully $
.safeguarded sale and lease of Our G
lands is the way to the surest, safe {
est and most permanent benefit I
both for the institutions I
named in the grants and for the S
state as a whole. S
The great bulk of state land sales z
and leases now being made or con- I
to be made are of selections
Under the special grant of 100000 S
acres made in the act of 1910 for pay |
nent of the Santa Fe and Grant {
railroad bonds. Many school
sections occur within this large /
grant and in order to make the grant
'alable these must be sold with other
ands in order to provide unbroken A.,
The law provides that when
he Santa Fe and Grant County rail- I,
Dad bond obligations have been dis :
the common schools shall r
'eceive the balance of the revenue 9
derived from the sale of this grant. +
Is this balance cannot possibly be :
for the schools until the 9
have been paid and as =
he sale of the lands is the only way :
o pay them, it is obviously the =
policy for the bests interest of /;
he school to sell this special grant \