The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-09-22
pepar.ment Notes.


The galveston athletic club fled
| charter in the Office OF secretary of state
yesterday. It's object is the development
/ of athletic vigor and soundness OF con-
stituuon among Its members. The fol-
/ lowing are the directors: p. S. Wren.
Frank d. Mitchell. Austin Sommer, L.
Bullaseher and F. Sommer.
The Houston Belt railway company
| fled a charter. The line will extend
| from point on the north side OF
| Buffalo Bayou, at or near point
\ formerly used by the Houston Direct
| Navigation company for warehouses and
wharyes, below the iron draw bridge of
the international and Great Northern
\ railway company, and will extend around
the city to point opposite the place of
| beginning, q distance of about twelve
miles. The capital stock is placed at i've
| hundred thousand dollars, divided into
| five thousand shares, of one hundred dol
| lars each.
The following are the ineorporatOrs:
;. L. Derden. L. II. Nicholas, Henry
Scotield, j. L. Morris, ID. I. Davis, j. L.
Mitchell. George Dumble. NJ. Alberton,
Jacob Fisher. f. +. Hill, a. A. Derden,
and John j. stevens.
The governor has appointed w. +.
| Hardeman engineer TO inspect ten miles
| of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe rail-
| way, just completed.
Moore Il Company, to whom was award
| ed the contract to survey three hundred
| leagues oflaBd for the unorganized coun-
ties. have filed their bond for the faithful
performance of the services.
The governor Is quite busy considering
| applications for pardons.
| Election returns from the different
counties are being received at the state
| department.
Tne publication of tho list of qualified
! notaries, as required BY law, has been de-
| layed, because of the failure of the county
clerks OF many ofthe counties to send to
the state department the dates of quail
| ficatiOns.
The commissioner OF the general land
| office, I'm his report for the fiscal year
ending August 81, 1873, says: "There
are now in this Office nearly three thous-
and patents, which have been issued on
| applications OF owners or agents, and
which are retained for non-payment of
patent fees, amounting in the aggregate
| to nearly twenty thousand dollars. There
| are also over five thousand claims, which
| have been placed on the maps. and made
ready for patenting-in fact, all the work
| of this Office il completed, except the
writing out of the patent, Tor which no
patent fees are deposited, nor do the own
ers care TO pay the fees, as they are salts
| led that their claim to the land is beyond
| Question. Could some means be devised
| to secure the payment of the fees for this
| completed work, and in the future require
the deposit of the patent fee when the
| certificate and field notes were filed, the
revenues of this Office would be at once
| Increased, and whenever claim was
| found correct, the patent could be issued
| and be forwarded to the owner at once"
| The sixteenth legislature, acting on the
above, passed the following law:
Section /. That all persons and csrpo-
4 -l.nK, 70 for Ian hau
| been granted, and who have not paid the
fees thereon, are hereby required TO pay
the same to the proper lawful office within
sixty days after the passage of this act.
Section .. That if. at the expiration of
sixty days from and after the passage OF
this act, any patent, upon which any fees
| may be due the state, remain in the Office of
IL shall be the duty of said commissioner
to add to the amount OF said fees PEN
| atty of 10 per centum per month Tor the
| whole time the fees on said patents may
remain unpaid, and to collect the fees
and said penalty from the persons or cor
porations to whom said patents have
been granted, etc, etc.
Section 8. The state of Texas has, and
shall hereafter have, a lien upon all the
land, conveyed by or Included in ah
patents TO land granted by said state. for
the amount Of all fees, dies and demands
/ due, or to become due, TO the state there
| on, together with all the penalties pre-
scribed by the act, and said land shall he
| subject 10 be sold in satisfaction of said
lieu.
Section 4. That it is hereby made the
duty of the encouragement to institute
suits in the district court OF Travis
county against the owners and grantees
| of all patents to land upon which fees
| may be past due six months at the in
| sututiOn of said suit; and IL shall
! be his duty to sue for all
fees owing thereon, together with all
penalties incurred under the provisions
of this act, and the laws ofthis state. and
for all costs of suit, and for foreclosure
of the lien OF the state. etc., etc."
The act went into effect from and after
its passage and had the effect of causing
| owners of patents to call for them and
pay fees to the amount of nearly twelve
thousand dollars. There are still in the
land office a great many patents, uncalied
for, on which several thousand dollars In
fees are due the state. Owners, and ali
interested, should apply for and pay fees
on same, and save much trouble and ex'
pense, as 1t is more than probable the at
torney-general will institute suit against
them at an early day. The commissioner
of the land office recommended, in his
last report, that most of these lands be
escheated to the state.
| The receipts of the general land office
for the year ending August 81, 1881
amounted to the grand total of S91 ,446.2
| L. NJ. Moore Il Co., of Hampstead
Waller county, to whom the contract was
granted to survey three hundred leagues
| OF school land for the unOrganized
counties, presented their bond yesterday
for approval. Owing to certain infor-
malities It was rejected, and ten days
given in which to prepare another. The
bond is fixed at $4,000.
Mr.. Kirlicks, of Houston, is in the city,
Investigating the assessment rolls of Har.
ris county and the accounts of ex-collec-
tor Nelson Davis, who, it is charged, Il
largely behind IN his settlement with the
state.
The governors work on the resources
and developments of Texas, past, present
, and future. will be issued from the press
early next month. 1t will contain numer
Gus plates and maps, and will give an sc
curate description OF the state. The wOrl
has been carefully compiled and will un
doubtedly reach very large circulation
and be of great value to the state because
of the valuable information it contains.
, Owing to the success that attended the
, summer normal schools last season, Hon
? 10. n. Hollingsworth will recommend
, the next legislature to establish q sum
mer normal school In each senatorial dis
trict in the state, the schools to be opel
| | four weeks. He will also recommend
that a state normal school, composed o
delegates elected by the senatorial
J schools, be created for the purpose of dis
D cussIng educational questions and devils
: ing perfect system of conducting tn
. | state schools. Mr.. hollingsworth ha
written Hon. j. L. NJ. Curry, geners
D agent of the Peabody fund, to see If h
, | will not aid the free schools of Austil
and Galveston. An answer is expecte'
soon.
The acknowledgement has gone on
: visit to his home and will be absen
D several days.
The following is the official vote o
| Burnet county: So votes for amendmen
: | m folo fixa nj fha on or fuffnr. 0AR