The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-08-16
THE STATESMAN.
AUSTIN. TEXAS.
DEPARTMENT NOTES.
STATE DEPARTMENT.

tonic, capital stock $lOOOOO, was hleu
with the secretary of state Friday.
The incorporators are: L. S. Berg,
VIM. Esser, 4. F. Hoppe, II. Barbeck,
j. III. kaufman, w. II. Weiss and b.
j. Mannermann,
COMPTROLLER's DEPARTMENT.
About $4,000 were paid into the
state treasury yesterday upon war
rants of the comptroller, all for &C
count of the general fund.
s. n. Fields, tax-collector of Up
shur county, settled his accounts with
the officers.
Mr.. Tbos. Spruance, by virtue of a
power of attorney from the heirs ard
representatives of ex-Comptroller n.
Bledsoe, deceased, was paid $1,000, the
amount appropriated by the last legis-
Alature to refund what Mr.. Bledsoe eX
pended in defending the mandamus
suit against him as the representative
of the state in the matter of the con-
troversy of the International railroad
company, to which the legislature
granted bonds to the amount of &c.
100000. The bonds that Mr.. Bledsoe
refused to sign had been issued to the
amount of $1,000, 90 by eX-Goy. Da-
Wis. 1t is part of the history OF that
transaction that Mr.. Bledsoe was i'm
portuned by every influential Repub-
lican and many prominent Democrats
at the time to sign the bonds. The
pressure on him was extraordinary,
and was accompanied by the offer of
heavy brides. 1t was believed at the
time, though never established, that
he was offered 100000 to sign the
bonds. For some time he was in
doubt about signing the bonds, but
when he sought and received the adj
vice of the late VIM. Alexander, then
attorney general, which was decidedly
adverse to the whole transaction, he
planted himself Squarely and firmly
against it and saved the state many
million dollars of principal and inter
est
It's even reported of Mr.. Bledsoe
that when the glittering offer of $780,
600 was made, he smilingly but sig
nificently observed to the spokesman,
that he would confer with the old wo-
man, Mrs. Bledsoe, about it, (some-
thing he had no idea of doing) and
would let them know. The next day
he replied that the old woman and
himself had concluded that, as they
were old and had always lived honest
they would not receive fees to which
they were not entitled, but leave them
to the lawyers.
The comptroller received the certifi-
cate issued for account of the Calves
ton available school fund apportion-
ment for the ensuing scholastic year,
which certificate was taken up by the
Galveston collector paying the amount
for which it calls to the county treas
urer. This is the first certificate taken
up in this way this year.
LAND DEPARTMENT.
The land fraud board, composed of
Representative Patton. who was re-
Gently in this city, and Messrs. Hall
and De Morse, will, it is expected,
meet together in Austin some time
next week, when it is suspected that
land frauds to the amount of about
half a million of acres will he di-
Vulged by the accumulated evidence
of the board to the sore discontinue,
ii not eventual conviction, Of land
grabbers. The way of the transgreS-
sor is hard.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
Secretary Baker, of the board of
education, has received the following
opinion Of the attorney general rela-
iiTe to school trustees:
AUSTIN, August 10.
Hon. B. NJ. Baker, Secretary Board of Educa-
ton:
Dear Sir-In regard to the matter
contained in the letter of the Hon,
q. G. Scruggs, county judge of Denton
county, which you have referred to
me, / have to say that it is my opin-
ion that during the term of office of
trustees chosen by the people under
the provisions of the act of April 3,
1879 (ch. 81 laws of 10th legislature
Gil under the act of April IA, 1883,
to displace them and appoint others
in their stead. 1t will be noticed that
the last mentioned act has no repeal
ing clause ana is not an amend
ment act. 1t will be fur
ther noticed that by" virtue
of section these appointed trustees
are to shave the same power to con-
troll, manage and govern the schools
that the city council or board of al
derman now have" But when under
the act of 1879 the people of certain
cities have voted that their schools
are to be controlled by trustees, the
council and aldermen have no power
to manage and control the schools
but it is vested in the elected trustees
1t would seem then that the law
passed by the last legislature was in
tended to apply to towns and cities
where the city council still control the
public schools. 1t perhaps is, how
ever, unnecessary to pass an opinion
further than to say that according tC
my construction of chapter SO, acts
1883, there is no intention to indirectly
legislate the elected trustees out OF
office. 1t is such an unusual exercise
of authority that 1 conclude the pur.
pose so to do would not have been
left to inference or to be arrived al
by any kind of doubtful construction
am, very respectfully,
JOHN ID. TEMPT ETON.
This decision is in conflict with the
action of the city council of Fort
Worth in appointing trustees instead
of leaving the matter to election by
the people under the provisions of the
old law.
UNITED STATES MARsHAL's OFFICE
United States Marshal Gosling is
somewhat annoyed by hearing that
parties in various parts of his district
are representing themselves as hi.
deputies, and assuming to perform thu
duties attaching to that Office. Espe
eialiy has this been the case at Tay
Tor, Burnett, fredericksburg and othel
places. He is indignant and earn
estly requests his friends to motif,
him who such parties are. He ha
- but few deputies in the field, all o
whom are gentlemen doing thei
duty quietly without proclaiming
their official position, and they carr,
their commissions with them.
Marshal Gosling's deputies hav
strict orders as to their conduct, an,
especially with reference to unneces
sary display of firearms, which i
strictly forbidden. Two of his depu
ties have been discharged because O
unnecessary assumption of authorit,
and display of firearms. He says h
intends to have the affairs of hi
Office conducted on business principle
and in gentlemanly way. Any PEI
sons acting otherwise can be set dow
rs frauds and not in his list % dept
ties.
United States Marshal Gosling il
forms us that Judge Evans, Unite
States district attorney, has gone t
Waco, where he will be Joined b
General Postoffice Inspector Foste
and both proceed to Gainesville to d,