The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-06-14
THURSDAY.

DELAY IN PATENTS.
The following letter explains the
necessary delay in getting patents is
sued by the commissioner:
GEN'L LAND OFFICE,
AUSTIN, June 6, '83.
Messrs. Powell s. Gage, Dallas, Texas:
Ihave received and carefully read
yours of the 531St ult., in which you
propose to pay salaries of additional
clerks to be employed in this depart
ment, in which you and your clients
are interested. Similar propositions
have been made by Messrs. Maddox
Bros. & and Anderson and Thomp-
son Bros, of this city, and declined
for the same reason [ must decline
yours. The statutes say that the en-
ployes of the land office shall be such
as are prescribed by law, and the va
rious legislatures in max
ing their. appointments prescribe
definitely what force shall be en-
ploy ed and fix the salary of each en-
ploye. 6Icannot, therefore, find any
warrant in law for the employment
of additional force, as suggested by
you, or in fact, in any other manner
I regret this situation of affairs, for
while private interests are suffering
by the delay the state is in no wise
benefited, If, indeed, she is not finan-
cially injured.
have noticed recently some news
paper communications and comments
rejecting severely upon the recent
legislature for not making pro-
visions for this emergency by
an increase of force in
the department. These comments
are wrong, for the legislature was
exceedingly liberal and if any one
must bear the blame, mine are the
shoulders upon which it must be
placed. Six of my land office clerks
are employed on school land sales, and
as the bill before the legislat are for
the sale of these lands provided for
the employment of necessary clerical
force by the school land board, l an
ticipated the release of these six
clerks, and their return to regular
duty in the land office proper.
| The bill, however, did not receive the
requisite number of votes, and con-
seQuently takes effect three months
after adjournment, and for that length
of time deprives me of the services of
six clerks. As the bill passed in the
closing hours of the session, there
was no time to pass any law to as
sist the office. In addition to this
shortage in force it must be remem-
bered that the demand for patents is
abnormal, and in excess by thousands
of anything heretofore known in
the state. This rush is the
result of a combination of circum-
stances which could not well have
been anticipated, even if the legisla.
ture had deemed it wise to provide
for it. Among these causes must be
reckoned the sale of several thousand
/ sections (under sale act of July IA
1879 to lOcators, most of whom had
contracted or hypothetical the lands
even before their survey, to capital
lists, and the uneasiness of MANY pur.
chasers of school lands as to legality OF
their. purchases and consequent
hurry to pay out in full anC
procure patents and the desire
of great corporations like the Central
and International and others to get
their land grants into patents, and
thus preclude the possibility of annoy
ance by speculative locations
based on technicalities. These spec
ial causes added to the cur
rent work of this Office present
an urgent demand for about 25,O0(
patents. This demand cannot NEE
as rapid as patentees desire, nor would
! the building accommodate the neees