The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-04-24
,..oe,,morion's Connection with the
Texas anh Pacific Railroad,

instant, Publishes lhe lollpWlHB lellel
,oeernlng Mr., Throckmorton's cons
a.odon with the Texas and Pacific rails
m,d. and preoedes the letter With the
following
yodoubt many honest, well meaning
s,,ens may be prcudioed against
Tbrocl,morton on account of his tenn.
'or,ry connection with the Texas and
P,,idc railroad company, az lawyer,
bslore he was elected 10 congress The
IInLbard press has very unfairly en-,
io,yored to make great deal out of
M, but thus far have figually failed,
rho more his record has b'en examined
m relation to this milroad, aud all
Olbers the brighter It Is shown,
Last week the editor OF the Pamela
Wl,Lpla, whom we recognise rs u gen
,eman who would hot Willingly do ms
n.licc to any man. directed some in.
.uries tou ~, which he desired answered,
4 ms alleged that, as the attorney of
tle company in the settlement Of the
Ten thousand dollar subsidy for lands, he
had cndenyored TO Oyerreach the state,
and to insist perIinaclously Tor twenty.
four sections Of land to the mile for the
company, the outside limit by the legis.
.lure. Now we wish our worthy COS
temporary, the editor Of the Pittsburg
udggd and the editor of the Sulphur
Springs Gazette both just and fair men,
10 read the subjoined letter, written 10y
one who has no interest, either directly
or indirectly, in the Texas and Pacific
nilroad, and has never been mixed up
with its affairs. The authors father,
Mr. Watts, settled in this county in
$40, about twelves miles west of Mar.
shall, and died in lS42, Mr.. A. y.
Watts, the writer, was then five years
DID, lie is now n practicing lawyer at
Weatheriord, of the firm Of Watts,
LanhOm and Roach. lie was in the
army Of Northern Virginia, with Stone
wall Jackson and Lee throughout the
war From the close Of the war to 1872,
lie was engaged in the practice of law in
the counties OF Polk, Liberty and Cham.
bers, and was one of the subcommittee
dlS73 that settled the subsidy guess
ton in the legislature. His statements
IN regard to the conduct of Throckmor>
ton in relation to this settlement and
the general sentiments he entertained
on railroad questions, are corroborated
by every member Of the committee, and
gall who are intimate with the dis.
inguished citizen Of Collin. We sin.
erely desire that every one who has
teen misled by the false representations
o the Hubbard press as to Trockmor-
TONS position and bearing to read this
tter carefully. We assert, without
The fear of successful contradiction, that
lehas the brightest and best railroad
record OF any public man in Texas.
The facts stated in this letter is what an
impartial man says of him. He speaks
what hundreds of others are ready to
verify. Read it, fellowecitizens, and
Judge for yourselves;
WBATHERFoRD, Texas, April II, 1875.
Colonel II. W. Loughery, Marshall, Texas;
DEAR SlR-ln reply to yours OF the 4th
instant, permit me to say that | was q
member Of the subcommittee in the
legislature in 1873, that made the COM
promise between the state and the
Texas and Pacific railway company.
Judge G. W. Smith, Judge John Tres
land, and myself were first appointed.
Afterwards, Major John Henry Brown,
Judge A. j. Booty and Hon. John Adri-
NnCe were added to the committee.
Judge Smith and | did all the work.
After careful examination Of the vari>
Gus acts with reference to the Southern
Pacific, Transcontinental, and Memphis
and Ell Paso railways, we found that the
Texas and Pacific was entitled to sixteen
sections Of land per mile each on both
the upper and lower lines from their
EASTERN termini to the point of junction,
and sixteen sections per mile thence to
1IPaso, The company had claim un>
der the forms of law, by virtue of an
act passed May "a, 1871, for the bonds
OF the state, amounting to $4,000 per
mile for SIX hundred miles. By the
Provisions Of the act the legislature was
allowed, where thereunto authors
led by the Constitution, to SUBJ
Ntute lands for the bonds, at
The rate of TWEEN ty.four sections per
nile These were the claims of the
company, as appeared from the acts Of
Tue legislature. j. W. Throckmorton,
one OF the then attorneys of the com
Fny stated to the committee that an
adjustment and compromise of the mat.
YER was desired by the company, and
mat they would meet us with this spirit
Alerconsultation, the committee agreed
70 otter twenty sections of land per
mile In lieu of all claims to land and
Wnds At this time it was reported
mu believed that the company had
secured a loan of $40,000,000 in Ger
many and Judge Smith suggested that
\ permitted to select its land from the
general mass of the public domain the
%uipany would secure all the good
anus, and therefore suggested reser,
"uon' The committee, with the exN
Npuon OF Judge Ireland, who con-
muued that the legislature had no power
create reservation, agreed with
puuge Smith. An estimate from the
@Go Office showed that it would re-
cure belt one hundred miles wide,
aOm Jones county to the Rio Grande,
supply. the lands going to the com,
so1y. We then made the proposition
IuoVernor Throckmorton to give the
May May company twenty sections of land
~. nile and confine them to the pro
c coaeu reservation. He promptly ac-
II 5n t'e1 the twenty sections per mile
asked asked us to reduce the reservation
SWFTy miles in width saying that he
~ eI I'm me company would not accept
oli with the reservation al
opposed opd' We finally agreed to reduce
SI,' same to eighty miles in width ano
fo inv" the company to locate 1000 sec
s. Ous outside of the belt. This was &C
Ih rIeu oy him, and upon this basil
,. sase Smith and l. aided by the sug
NJ Ins OF Col. E. B. Pickett, prepared
G.. o,l' During the time Governor
tb ., made many suggestion
were INCORPORATED in the hill nm,