would be of the opinion that the re:;l of the lands be sun·eyed in aer<'s or fa11egas, a Spanish unit of measure with which we are acquainted and which we understa11d helter. This done, an agency to be known as the land office should be opened, such as that of the United Stales of America. which constitutes one of the princi- pal sources of income of thal republic. In that cou11 try, the minimum price per acre, as provided by a decree of Congress, taking it on an average, that is lo say, of the best a11d the poorest, is Len renles. Why, then, could we not sell a fanega, the equivalent of the acre, for a peso, when our lands are known to be superior to theirs in e\'ery respect? 1 am convinced that il could be done: a11d I believe that, if the sale of those lands was decreed, the nation would not only discover new resources lo replenish its exhausted public treasury, but would be able, al the same lime, lo carry our civilization to those far away places, with which, on the other hand, frequent communication could em;ily be maintained through the Gulf of Mexico. If we are to judge by the printed maps and the accounts of some of the travelers who have crossed Texas in differ- ent directions, its territory must include at least one billion fanegas. From this fact alone, its importance is eviden l. Bu l in order to neutralize the influence that Europeans who acquire lauds may exercise, disregarding the Anglo-Americans who must he en- tirely excluded, it would be advisable, for example, not lo sell to the French settlers more than five million fanegas, a similar amount to English settlers, a little more, perhaps, to Germans. No limit need be placed on those nations where our language is spoken, for 110 Columbian, or Cuban, or Canary Islander, or Spaniard would be very anxious lo settle in our country. There is nothing lo lose in such a plan, but there is much lo gain. Why, then, should we not try lo put it into execution? If il answers our purpose, that is to say, if definite advantages result to the nation from its operation, we may apply it to the Californias, New Mexico, Colima, Coatzacoalco, etc., and by these means, al the same Lime that we would increase our population, we would in- crease the resources of the nation without giving away its lands or mortgaging still further the strained credit of the country. The plan is feasible, for the lands of Texas already command a definite market value everywhere as evidenced hy the lc1st rcvolulio11, undertaken in the main for the purpose of spcculatio11 with its lands. It is for Congress, therefore, lo ponder over such a measure,
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