The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-06-18
BUILDING THE CAPITOL,


right to begin the selection of lands,
to be paid in installments as construc-
ton advanced, at selected point, the
surveyed leagues to be taken consecu-
lively in one direction until exhaust
ed, then in the other until all should
be taken. The selection began near
the middle of the reservation, and the
leagues have been taken consecutively
as named, until the syndicate has now
been paid on work, $4,000 acres of
the best grazing and watered lands in
the entire reservation. The next
leagues that begin to fall to them, un
der the plan of selection agreed upon,
cover about six hundred thousand
acres of sandy land, upon which there
is but a scanty supply of sage grass.
This six hundred thousand acres then
must next be taken in payment for
work as aatd% 4aRRees. fhe 448, 600 acres
Is said to be a splendid
body of lands and is worth full, if
not more than, two dollars per acre,
while the sandy land could not
be sold probably tor fifty cents an
acre, in fact, by itself, it is almost in
valuable. The remainder of the res
ervation is good and fair land, worth
from one to two dollars per acre.
What sticks in the gizzards of the
contractors, probably, is the fact that
they must, under present rules, take
the poor lands as they come to them.
Probably if they were not required to
take leagues IN the order named, they
might say nothing about the untitness
OF Texas stone for building the CAPT
toll. If they could have the order OF
selection changed they might find they
could go Oh with construction for
another period or as long as
least as good lands could be dealt out.
This is the situation, anu there really
is significance in the fact that work
was not stopped until it came time to
pay in bad lands. The contractors,
however, knew fully, beforehand, all
about the lands, having personally in
spected them. They knew well enough
where to begin selecting, so as to get a
fine body of lands of nearly half mil
lion acres, which probably is as much
land as they really desire, especially
since it is very fine body of pasture
lands. The lands they have will Craze
forty thousand head of cattle, and that
will give them an enormous revenue
on investment. We donot say it is the
purpose of the syndicate to abandon
the contract, but it is good stage in
its execution for them to do so, if
their desire be to stop a vas5 expen-
diture and wind up affairs at Austin
with good profit. The work of CAPT
to- construction increases III expense
as the contract progresses, while the
payments of land decrease in value.
The lands now received may be fairly
falued at 100000. Competent men
place the cost of excavation and con-
struction, up to this time, at not ex-
ceeding $5OO,OOO. Add to this the
bond of $25O,OOO, and we have in sight
$4,000 for the 448,OOO acres of land.
The bond, however, will have to be
collected, and single false step
of the board may make it uncollect-
able. Should such false step
l be made, then we may
reasonably look for the syndicate
to permanently quit work, for to pay
$4,000 for lands valued at $500, 1000
would not be bad transaction, even
for Chicago men. But we are in these
relations simply looking critically in
to the features and conditions of the
case as they now stand. # the spirit
of the Capitol syndicate be fair; 1t it be
the purpose to build the Capitol, there
should be nothing in the way of fair
arrangement about pushing construc-
ton. The STATESMAN has not been
wound around in this builders vortex
at such rate as to accept, as fact,
that the Capitol GIN not be
built of Texas stone; it
knows there is enough fine
building stone in reach of
Austin to build eapltols for
all the states, and 1T knows
that the board possesses ample
power to adopt such stone for the SUI
perstructure as it may see fit to de-
eide upon. A past decision does not
preclude it from making another con.
tract, if both parties to the compact
may be brought to an agreement. If
it be the desire of the syndicate to
complete the work we know salts
factory solution of differences may be
reached. There is the Burnet granite,
and nothing on the statute books in
Inmates it may not be used; and
there are thousands of convicts
whom Encouragement is making
expensive to the State. Nothing in
the statute books even Indirectly
proposes that some hundreds of these
convicts may not be hired to the Capt.
toll builders, to be worked in auarries
for their food, clothing and attention,
the State watching oyer their welfare
and proper treatment. A railroad is
now completed to within few miles
of the granite quarries, and its owners
would soon construct it to them for
the purpose of hauling stone to Aus>
tin. To have the Capitol built out of
granite is worth good deal more
than to have it constructed of lime
stone, and justice would demand,
should the contract be changed to
granite, that there should be addi-
tional compensation, which could be
made by hiring the syndicate convicts,