The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-12-10
GOVERNMENTAL.
REPORTORIAL ROUNDS IN
THE DEPARTMENTS
AN EPITOME OF WHAT WAS
LEARNED YESTERDAY AT
THE CAPITOL.
COMPTROLLER's OFFICE.

CONTROLLERS OFFICE.
In this department yesterday, Oliphat,
Mahoner and Belvin, the corresponding
clerks, were clicking OFF letters at rate
that was astonishing. This happy trio is
probably the most rapid and expert on
type-writers in the state. Mr.. Harrison,
the courteous and interchangeable book
keeper, was busy, too, and, by the way, he
shows the cleanest and most correct set
of books to be found in the departments
of either of the states of this glorious
union.
Joe Costa, the aldermanic looking clerk,
is footing up values, and such things, for
the next biennial report of the Office, and
from one of his tally-sheets, The STATES
MAN reporter CLEANED the following, show
ing the number of miles of railroads in
several of the most important counties in
this state:
Ell Paso, 231; Harris, 221; McLennan,
154; Grayson, 1873; Galveston, 119; Dali
las, 1913; Pecos, 1877; Preside, IA; Tom
Green, 1O2; Bell, 1O4; Bowie, 80; Duval,
So; Ellis, SO; Harrison, 60; Kinney, 741;
Jefferson, IA; johnson, II; Kaufman, so;
Eastland, 50; Navarro, IT; Nolan, 81;
While Freestone only has 4, and Franklin
3. In the state 139 counties have rail
roads within their borders, and 118 have
telegraph facilities.
Col. Swain has gone to Houston to at
tend the grand lodge of Masons.
From Mr.. w. E. Brownies desk the follow
ing figures were obtained:
Special taxes, payable at the comptroll-
er's Office collected during November,
For same time last year ................ 1881 81
Increase this year ms $3.50 II
The taxes included in the above list are
from non-residents for land owned in or
ganized and unorganized counties, drum
mers, insurance companies, etc.
Chief Tax Clerk Walsh furnishes the
following:
Taxes collected from non-residents
property owned in organized countless,
for No ember this year. ....... $16,229 4S
Same month last year ............... 1876 91
Increase this year............ IS 1917 81
From Mr.. Harrison the following was
obtained:
Taxes for 1885 on real estate bought in
by the state for payment of taxes due. $31 316 81
Increase this year......... ...........$10,S62 Sc
LAND BOARD.
Yesterday morning the board met, and,
after some discussion, made a rule requir
ing actual settlers to settle upon, in good
faith, and commence Improvements upon
the lands purchased within sixty days, in
instead of six months, as heretOfore; and,
in case of failure to do so, they are to for
felt their lands and the first payments.
Curtailing the time in which to settle is to
prevent bogus cattlemen from invading
enclosures on plea of being actual set
tiers, and turning hundreds, and some
times thousands, of cattle loose to Craze
from four to six months. Under the rule
adopted yesterday, the pasture men can
eject them after sixty days, if it is dis
covered they are frauds; whereas, under
the old rule, they could Craze their cattle
inside of leased pasture throughout an
entire winter, a privilege, it is alleged,
some of them were not slow to avail
themselves of at the expense of the les
lees.
Col. Templeton's resolution, alluded
to yesterday, requiring county surveyors
to send in weekly reports giving the num-
Der of applications received during the
preceding week, and describing the lands
wanted, was adopted. 1t also makes it
imperative upon the applicant to forward
his papers within ten or fifteen days, and
if it is not done the lands applied for will
revert to the state and again be subjectto
location. f.
It was also unanimously decided to send
the grass commissioners out and locate
them permanently in the grazing districts,
where they are to overlook the lands, re-
port depredatiAs and assist in making
oo1o 10 70 c4O
men. They will be furnished with maps
from the general land Office, and until
they are supplied they will assist the land
board clerks and render such assistance
in the land Office as the commissioner may
require. 1t will be week or ten days be-
fore they are ready to leave for their posts
of duty.
Yesterday the New York and Texas
Land company Qimited) paid taxes on
their land in unorganized countless $3,-
344.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.
If there is anything under the heavens
the genial private secretary of the govern
or is familiar with, it is, an application
for pardon. They pour in daily, setting
forth the eminent christian virtues and
benign attributes of those for whom
pardon is desired, and there is not a horse
thief in the penitentiary to-day, but who
has one or more applications for pardon
on file in the executive Office, and if they
are to be believed, each and every one of
these lovers of horse flesh, is paragon
of honesty and bright and particular
star in the gorgeous constellation of the
beautiful and irrepressible male branch
of the human family, at least that is what
Mr.. Carpenter says and he knows.
THE FESTIVE NIPPERS.
For some days certain unknown parties
have been plying the nippers in jackson
and Burnet counties and yesterday the
governor issued the following proclama-
ton:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE,
AUSTIN, Tex, Dec. 8, 1885.
Proclamation by the Governor of the State of