| Show dalis public lands about seven millions of abras of public lands have come to utah with statehood it i a princely endowment and ought to be taken care of by the state from it ought to be raised a schoel fund such as will edn cato the children of utah at little or no taxable cost for generations to 1 come many sections ef school landa are bottled and have been for years they are among the beat lands of the state and are worth in many cases from 50 to per acre in their improve ed condition residents on such valuable landa haye the modest y to ask the state to grant thorn tittle at the rato of per acre the government pries of course such petitions to tho legislature will not be heeded the injustice to the stata would be so great to grant it that little benefit to education from uncle sama splendid endowments then settlers on such land if they stop to think would realize that their demands are not within reason they ask for equal opportunities with those who acquired tittle through the homestead act long ago but the occupants of school lands do not atop to think that they have had possession of their lands rent free and without having paid a cent of taxes while those wh have acquired title have had to help bear the burdens of gov for many years we are in favor of a fair appraisement of the school lands without regard to present improvements the should not have the benefit of the settlers hard toil in redeeming the desert buk it ought to have the benefit of all favorable locations and superior qualities where land ia located easy of access by irrigating ditches for example it always was preferable in pioneer times to the land brought under expensive canals and ought to be appraised higher the lands near town sites are also more valuable than those distant rocky land ia not so valuable aa loam land and so on we might point out in numerable all of these features will necessarily have to bo left to the land commission that eliell be appointed the governor will undoubtedly take care in selecting that commission and get only highly qualified men the proposition has been advanced that nil school lands ought to be leased not sold by the state the idea it not a popular one especially among old settlers on school lands they went on those lands most of them many years ago some before the lands were surveyed they did not know in many other instances that settlement was made en school lands neighbors about them secured titles to their homesteads and occupants of school lands are quite anxious of course to secure titles to their farms we do not blame them and we believe the state should heed their requests for titles on a fair basis of it might also be provided they pay a certain per cent down and the rest in installments the school lands unoccupied ought to be hold for leasing tho landa them selves are quite as good investment as the state could make with the money obtained from their sale then the danger is ever present that by selling the unoccupied syndicates would get the land as a few rich men got the university lands near prove the school ani to go 0 o not to specula tors and the entire government endowment ought to be carefully guarded not squandered by the first few legislatures |
