Message of Governor O. B. Colquitt to the thirty-second legislature of Texas. Page: 18 of 24
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-18
to sell land, without assigning a reason. If lands have been purchased
through fraud and by collusion there should be proper prosecution
of those responsible for it, and due efforts should be made to
restore such lands to the state. Suits should never be brougit for
the purpose of harassing the citizen who is honestly trying to develop
lands he has purchased in good faith from the state, and a general
disquieting of titles brought about in order that such suits may be
made to do political service for somebody; nor should the agents of
the state paid out of the public treasury, and having access to the
records and information obtainable only in the land office, be allowed
to remain in the state's service while accepting fees from private
persons interested, who may be willing to pay him for information
gained in his official capacity.
As soon as I can collect some data that is accurate and reliable,
with reference to collusive purchasers of public lands and the suits
relating thereto, I expect to transmit it to the Legislature for consideration,
with such comment on same as may be pertinent and just.
IRRIGATION AND CONSERVATION.
There are millions of acres of land in Texas that are idle and nonproductive,
which, with irrigation, could be made productive of great
wealth. Our irrigation laws should be remodeled so as to encourage
the investment of capital in irrigation systems, and the construction
of reservoirs for the conservation, storage and distribution of waters
and which would, at the same time, safeguard and protect the customers
of irrigation companies. With proper irrigation the productiveness
of these lands would be increased many millions of dollars
annually.
AGRICULTURE.
Neither our laws nor the appropriations made by the Legislature
have given sufficient encouragement to agriculture. There has been
a superabundance of political legislation and a multiplicity of offices
and departments and commissions, but the consideration given to
agricultural experiments and agricultural training has been meager
and what has been done in this direction has been tardily bestowed.
The wealth producing power of the agricultural lands in this state,
with intense farming methods used, is almost beyond computation.
Money expended for experiments and the teaching of these methods
will be money well used and I most thoroughly approve the declaration
in the Democratic platform in favor of the establishment of as
many agricultural training schools as practicable. With the best
methods of farming in use, with land in small tracts and cultivated
by modern methods, the products from agriculture alone in Texas
would support a population equal to that of France and still have
more to sell abroad than our state now produces.
STOCK RAISING.
In importance, as a wealth producer, the live stock industry in
Texas stands second to agriculture. Due care should be taken to
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Colquitt, O. B. Message of Governor O. B. Colquitt to the thirty-second legislature of Texas., book, 1911; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth5834/m1/18/?rotate=270: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .