The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-01-27
LETTER FROM AUSTIN.
COMMITTEES HARD AT wosk
Specimen Retrenchment Ideas OF Certain
Ambitious statesmen-A Dynamite
Bill" Before and After TAX
ing''-1he Press Club

morning, until Monday morning, 10
o'clock. This was done to enable COM
mittees to catch up, or as nearly up as
possible, on bills before them for con-
sideration, and all yesterday afternoon
and to late hour last night, committees
were hard at work and committee clerks
were more than earning their money.
In this connection it is appropos TO re-
fer to resolution introduced in the
house., Friday, by Mr.. Blackshear TO
INCREAsE THE PAY
efcommittee clerks of the house from
"a to So per day. The resolution lay
over one day under the rules and was
taken up yesterday and passed, despite
the efforts OF some members, notably
Mr.. Taylor, of Red River, to the con-
trary. This would have been well for
the clerks if the matter had rested
there, but "there is many slip betwiXt
the cup and tine lip" Mr.. Woods, Of
Kaufman, warm friend of the measure,
and with view of befriending the
clerks, Immediately moved the vote
passing the resolution be ssre-corsid:a
cred, ana the motion to reconsider be
laid on the table. Had the motion to
lay on the table prevailed. it would have
prevented the house reducing the pay
at any time during the session, but alas!
the motion to table did not carry, as a
majority of members were unwilling
TO put the matter entirely out
Of their control. The opponents
Of the movement had gotten warmed
up by this time and while number of
them had been content with simple
negative vote before, they now began to
make efforts for its defeal, and several
speeches we're made. Mi. Taylor, the
gentleman from Red River county,
gifted with plentitude of elOuuence,
taking the lead, and resorting to ali
known parliamentary tactics to carry
his point. Lis mezzo soprano-like
voice rang out, cannot say like the sill
very murmur of babbling brooks,
though there was good deal of babble
TO 1t, and ii might be unparliamentary
10 say, like the soft and sensuous hum
sf-well, OF bugs on summers after
nood, yet 1t rang out. He enchanted
the house in wrapt attention as he
glibly and glowingly put himself on
record in behalf of retren chment and
economy, yet, if mistake not, he only
She day before voted in favor
Of instructing our senators and
requesting our congressman to vote for
the Eads plan OF obtaining deep water
at Galveston-a plan which Gen. New
ton, chief of United States engineers,
y,
say will cost just five times more than
1t ought to cost--Mr. Eads asking ST.
100000 to do the work, of which amount
100000 will come out Of the pockets of
the people of Texas, that sum being
$H8,O0O more than they ought to pay.
The discussion on the resolution pre-
eipitated by Mr.. Taylor and others, oc-
eupied siXty-iive minutes of the time of
the house, and as the Legislature cost
the state $3.50 per minute, as l am told,
there were, therefore, $29250 wasted in
the discussion, which, the increase
asked heing only 81 per day, each, for
nine committee clerks, would have COW
cred thirty-two and half days of their
services, much better disposal of the
money than to waste it. OF course
Mr.. Taylor and the other
gentlemen who opposed the reso-
luton did so conscientiously,
and with view singlv to save the state
all the expense possible, but little at
tention to figures, to multiplication and
addition sometimes, is not out of place.
Mr.. Woods, of kaufman, yesterday
introduced bill in the house that has
DYNAMITE IN II,
and that will create sensation if il be-
somes q law. Its provisions are that all
lands in excess of grants or certificates
in surveys made heretofore, shall revert
to the state and be subject TO purchase
or location. 1t is said that hundreds and
hundreds of surveys have been made in
different counties in the state on grants
or land certificates, the tracts as sur
Veyed and laid of, being largely in ex-
cess of the amounts called for in said
grants or certificates. For instance, |
am creditably informed that in the Mi
lam grant, embracing Milan, McLen-
nan, Bell, Bosque, Cory
oil, Comanche, Erath, Eastland,
Hamilton, and Falls countios, ten coun-
ties, most of the surveys were made by
Major George b. Erath, in honor Of
whom Erath county is named, who had
four-pOle claim but cut IL down to
make IL a vara cham and made an error,
whereby for every section, Gi0 acres, no
measured 500 acres, an excess of 100 per
section. BY simple calculation it will
be seen there is over million acres in
those counties that under this bill,
would revert TO the state. But the ques-
ton arises, would it not so complicato
titles, these original surveys having
since been cut up into smaller tracts,
and passed into second, third, fourth,
fifth and sixth, and perhaps twentieth
hands, rs to cause endless litigation,
feuds, perhaps, and ceaseless bother,
perpleXity and confusion? ! don't know
that it is true Major Ernth made this
fearful mistake, aud only re-
peat what l have been told
1t is funny what difference IL makes
some times In whose OK is gored. In
the Galveston News OF the 2Srd instant
in the Austin correspondence there is
apparently n striking oXemplitloation
of this principle. 70 show what l mean
/ will give the following extract from
the News under the head
"BEHoRE TAKING"
"Senators Stenson, Camp, Terrell,
Bell and Hall are all young men and
will prove TO be valuable members.
They are clear headed and industrious
and go to the bottom OF every question
that goes before tho senate. The cOun-
try is safe so long as in the hands of
such able young statesmen" The date
Of the special correspondence to the
News in which this extract appears is
January 81. The next day, January y,
the vote ON the resolution in the
senate favoring the Eads plan
was taken and Senator Terrell not only
voted, but made speech against that
resolution. Under thai date, take from
the Austin correspondence of the News,
the following, which | put under the
Nead OF
"AFTER TARtNG:"
"MR. TBRRBLL,the sophomore young
ster who represents tho Dallas district,
was afraid OF Pfouts and Sterrett. lie
was the only senator that spoke extern
sively against the b:ll, and II might be
said that he filled the chamber with
noise without saying anything And
again: "TERRELL attacked Galveston in
his feeble way, and there was no repre-
sentative of Galveston on the floor to
defend her. Senator Jones, of Houston,
however, came to the rescue OF his
nelghboring city, and right nobly did he
defend her nom the petty assault of the
gentleman from Kaufman" The
small caps In which MIR.
Terrelps namo appears are
the HRRALD's). have no com.
ments 10 mako, further than that l en-
dorse most heartily and repeat as my
s,..,, ,~nrdu mud enptfnnnta TIM aNtrupf