The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1852-06-05
4 Otuy snlsus rya~l - ~ Publis
Treasury

We publish IN smother column the pro.
cecdngs OF mass meeting held IN Spring
field, Texas. on the 2sth Of April, 1852
to which we iusite public attention.
The facts set forth by tits meeting are
Of the first Importance. They make the
astounding disclosure and prove it by the
record tina, the las, Legislature, in direct
violation of the Constitution and, IN op-
position to every principle Of jnsliee--ha,e
given away one mlion one hundred thou
sard ncres Of the most valuable public
domain in the State. to n set OF irauGuent
contractors. They have done, in fact. even
more than this They have given the Pc
tiers Colony contractors the entire control
over an immense di.'ric. Of country, large
enough almost for State, embracing with.
in il. limit. the finest lands IN Texas, aud
preventing their occupation or settlement,
exeep, bs the sanction Of the company In
question.
The history Of TIL. colony affair, and the
action Of our different legislatures, is suiii,
ecni to startle every man in the State.
/, appears that the Convention which
framed our Constitution. bocame sa'i-iied
that the colony contractors had entirely
failed to comply with the conditions of tho
law, and had forfeited their contracts In
1850. the Legislature then passed Lave,
giving to the colonIsts. not oHIy the lands
which ther aad been allowed but granting
them also tint portion which was intended
for the contractors This was double
the amount which the law originally con.
,ernylaied Md. IT was given them in foil
view Of the fact. tina, many Of them had
transferred one hall OF their lands to the
contractors,
In passing such law. She Legislature
widely transcribed It's powers, and Lard
the foundation for the OWLS which followed
Now the settlers having obtained their
own share beside that Of the contractors,
the last Leg stature in order to settle the
matter handsomely, gave the contractors,
nearly double the amount of lands they
wouiI have been entitled to, bad they car.
RED on, their contracts.
Thus was l.l00OO0 acres Of valuable
land given ava, in drec, violation OF Law,
aud To a set Of hiflless men.
But this is not all nor IS it the half 81
the settlers who have obtained lands II
p,t.rs colony, from what We have been
credihly informed. q, least one third oi them
had previously received head night certih
Gates. aud located them IN other portions OF
the state But under the law Of 1870, they
came in for a share OF land in the COLONY.
Thus the Legislature of that year, surren-
dered at least iour hurdfed thousand acres
of Land Add this to the previous amount,
aud we have 100, coo acres ot land trlled
away by the Legislature on this single
colony.
lie, Us add To the above 800 900 acres of
land giyen away by the Legislature in til"
shape Of relief bills. laud this probably fall.
short Of the mark and we have the nice
little sum Of two milIions Of acres.
OF the Rio Graude affair, we do no,
know great deal We learn. however,
tina, the Legislature at one fell swoop gave
away nine hundred leagues mot scciions
This is a small fraction under four millions
Of acres sufficient to build one half the
railroad from the Louisiana line to IL
Paso.
The foregoing is but an imperfect ont.
line Of the history Of the stupendous .ys
TEN thu, has been At work in this State It
is possible TINT in giving it, we have been
mi~lod II such has been the case, we will
cheerfully make the necessary corrections
when we are convinced that We are wrong
Pu, il wil! We seen. there 1. much to awaken
intelligent, inquiry, and to arouse public
vigilance.
| Il certainly seems to us that there has
been something wrong in the Transactions
we have mentioned. and we hope i, will be
fully ferreted out and exposed