The Lexington Leader (Lexington, Okla.), Vol. 24, No. 45, Ed. 1 Friday, July 23, 1915 Page: 7 of 19
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Oklahoma Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE
rm
E OKLAHOMA
A
WALTER FERGUSON
SOME FACTS CONCERNING THE BIGGEST REAL ESTATE SALE IN
By
THE largest sale of real estate held in
the United States in years and the last
sale of so vast an importance will be
held in Oklahoma this fall, when the state
will place on the open market under the
hammer of the auctioneer, over a million
and a half acres of the best land within her
borders. Representing more than double
the value of the entire Louisiana purchase
of which it is the remaining unsold portion
that can be considered public domain, the
state of Oklahoma plans to destroy a sys-
tem of tenantry for which the state stands
responsible. The million and one-half acres
of land, appraised at thirty to forty millions
of dollars, will be sold from the steps of the
courthouses in the various western Okla-
homa counties. In the great majority of
cases the occupancy of the land will not
change but the renter of more than twenty
\ ears will own the land
on terms that amount
to a building and loan
plan.
When Oklahoma was
opened to settlement
under the "home run'
plan there was nothing
to indicate to the home-
seeker the legal char-
acter of the land into
which he drove his
stake. Those who were
fortunate enough to lo-
cate on land that was
open to homestead en-
try had gained a home
and owned it. If it
happened that the stake
was driven into land
which had been segre-
gated by the terms of
the organic act as a
part of the school land
designed to support the
educational institutions
of the future state, the
newcomer was but a
tenant. His ultimate
destiny with relation
to his status as a citizen
was to be worked out by himself and his
fellow unfortunates. How well he has ac-
complished his hopes can best be indicated
by the fact that every obstacle has been
overcome and the land is to be sold after a
fight of more than a quarter of a century.
When the early settlers found that they
were located on quarter sections of school
land and that their status was simply that
of a tenant while the more lucky neighbor
was the owner of a home, there was a bitter
disappointment that it seemed hopeless to
overcome.
The race had been made under the same
conditions. The lure of Oklahoma and a
free home and a new start in life had been
held out as a last hope to many men in all
parts of the country. They had complied
with every condition, had met every ele-
ment of chance and the hope that had been
held out with such glowing colors had
proved false to the inspiration. The only
opportunity to remedy what had proved a
blasted hope was in a program for legisla-
tion which would mitigate and cure the dis-
appointments. With the building of the
sod houses that dotted the prairies of west-
the resolution to
of a century the
ern Oklahoma was born
fight and after a quarter
fight has been won.
In the enabling act which permitted Okla-
homa to organize as a sovereign state, a
well directed campaign of effective lobbying
secured for the lessees the preference right
to the lands, when they should be sold.
That is to say, they had the right to take
the land at the high bid if they desired.
Then came a campaign to secure legislation
looking to the sale. In the early days of
statehood everything was placed before the
people through the initiative and referen-
dum. It was a fad and as much voting as
possible was ordered.
The older and more experienced members
of the powerful School Land Lessees Union
knew that it was unwise to bring this all
important matter to a popular vote. Lhere
SCHOOL LAND SALE IN CIMMARON COUNTY
were but eight thousand lessees who were
vitally interested and the rest of the voting
population was supremely indifferent. The
vote on the proposition resulted in an over-
whelming majority in favor of the perma-
nent retention of the lands. It looks as
though the vote would be the guide to the
future policy. Oklahoma was wind-swept
with the doctrine of "let the people rule"
and all politicians were exhausting every
resource to be considered champions of the
popular vote, ft was a seemingly hope-
less thing to do but the fighters in the or-
ganization demanded that they be commis-
sioned to take the fight before the next
legislature to convene after the election
which had resulted with so much disaster to
the lessees.
W hen they first appeared with their lobby
before the legislature they were given scant
consideration. The people had registered
their will in no uncertain terms against
their proposition and every legislator de-
clared that his only hope and fondest dream
was to carrv out the will of the people. Hut
the fight was won and in much less than a
vear after the vast majority of the people
RECENT HISTORY
said "no" so emphatically, the decision of
one hundred thousand was reversed by one
hundred and the lands were ordered sold.
About one-half of the lands have already
been sold. The greater part of the lands
sold were the public building lands. By the
terms of the enabling act all lands that were
not homesteaded at the time of statehood
went into the possession of the state school
fund. They did not have much value but
they brought some consideration as pasture
lands and speculations. The lands that
were sold two years ago brought $14,000,000.
The lands which remain unsold are the Lest
farming lands and will bring more than
double that amount. It is estimated that
they will bring, at a minimum hazard, thirty
millions of dollars. Congress appropriated
from the funds of the Indian tribes the sum
of five million dollars which represented the
stock subscription of
the Indian Territory in
t h e partnership o f
statehood. The total
amount of money soon
to be represented in the
vast fund is in excess
of fifty millions of dol-
lars.
At the present time
the State School Land
Commission makes an
annual per capita ap-
portionment of two
dollars to each child of
school age in the state.
The funds arc dis-
tributed to each school
district in the state,
their respective shares
being based 011 the
number of pupils en-
rolled. It is a practical
certainty that when the
fund is assembled in
cash or interest bear-
ing paper that it will
not be necessary to ap-
propriate one cent for
the more than twenty
state educational institutions. It is also be-
lieved that in time the accumulations of the
fund will pay the entire bill for the construc-
tion of all of the public buildings the state
owns.
It is the present plan and the earnest hope
of those interested in the future of this fund
that it will remain intact and nothing save
the income will be expended. Based 011 the
present estimates the annual revenue from
the fund will amount to $2,500,000. 1 he
total amount of income that will accumulate
in the forty years that it takes to mature
the deferred payments will amount in round
numbers to one hundred million dollars.
The state law provides that this money is to
lie loaned at five per cent interest. In itself
this fund will be the first step in a state
governed rural credits plan.
The first of the sales will be held in
August in one of the counties of the old
Cherokee Strip. About seventy-five ap-
praisers are now in the field making an ap-
praisement of the land and the improve-
ments. The lessee gets full credit for all the
improvements he has placed on the land and
if one other than the lessee secures the land
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Lexington Leader (Lexington, Okla.), Vol. 24, No. 45, Ed. 1 Friday, July 23, 1915, newspaper, July 23, 1915; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc110683/m1/7/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.