The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-08-05
GREER COUNTY.
THE PATENTS TO GREER
COUNTY LANDS ISSUED
LEGALLY.
COMMISSIONER WALSH INTER
VIEWED AND EXPRESSES
HIMSELF CLEARLY ON
THE MATTER.

A STATESMAN reporter called on Land
Commissioners Walsh yesterday to aser-
tam his opinion on the Greer county
land trouble.
Reporter-"What about the act of the
legislature permitting the locating of
veteran certificates in Greer county,"
"Commissioner-"Th act of February,
1879, set aside the territory embraced in
Greer county, one-half for common
schools, and one half for payment of pub
lie debt, as might be determined By future
legislation. This is the only act affecting
Greer county.
The act of March 10, 1881, section /,
grants to certain veterans of the Texas
revolution certificates for 1880 acres each
and provides that they shall be located
as headlight certificates upon any of the
public domain" 1t will be noted that the
usual phraseology of laws granting land
certificates is changed by emitting the
words vacant and unappropriated."
Section 6, of the same act repeats a
former law granting veteran certificates,
'and all other laws in conflict with the
provisions of this actn
ferred tor"
Uommissioner-"They are:
First, that under certain conditions
certificate shall be issued.
Second, that such certificate shall be
located as a headlight, thus relieving it of
an alternate survey and permitting it to
be divided until exhausted.
Third, that it shall be located upon any
of the public domain"
Reporter-"Do you regard Greer county
as public domain"
COMMISSIONER do, and to the extent
of one-half was at the disposal of the leg
islature"
Reporter-"What was the ruling of your
office in regard to locating veteran GER
tificates in Greer county,"
Commissioner-"The ruling of this
Office was, and is, that the act of 1879, APP
propriating Greer county for schools and
public debt, was repealed by the act of
1881 above recited, so far as it conhicted
with the location of said certificates, at
least to the amount of one-half of said
territory.
"Greer county contains about 1,628,OOO
acres, of which some 100000 acres have
been located by veteran certificates, leav-
ing 1,328,000 acres from which to satisfy
the $4,000 acres devoted to common
schools.
"These are the facts and conclusions of
this office, and l entertain no doubt that
the ruling will be sustained by the courts
when the question is presented"
Reporter-"D Gov. Ireland raise any
objection to signing the patents?"
Commissioner-"No,a and when the first
patents issued l forwarded them to Gov.
Ireland with letter calling his attention
70 their nature and their location in Greer
county, that he might not sign them I'M
awares. He had already examined the
question and signed and returned the pa
tents at once"
am satisfied that my ruling was and is
legally correct, besides nearly two millions
of acres of land were in the balances
Texas had claimed it for fifty years but
had not attempted, by exercising her
sovereign right, to take control. The
United States had also claimed it and ha d
sent her surveyors there and sectionized
the whole territory. l believed then and
now that it was our property, and be-
lieved the exercise of ownership by the
issuance of patents and collection of
taxes will do much to determine the ques-
ton in favor of Texas and rescue from
Indians splendid domain for the settle
ment of thrifty whites.
"To sum up, if these patents we're issued
as I maintain legally, all this discussion
is useless.
eff they were issued illegally, the state
has not lost one acre of land, and the
locators are out surveying and Office fees
and lose their certificates
Reporter - "Has the act of the legisla-
ture under which you acted benefited the
state ?"
Commissioner-"Yes, sir. 1t permitted
the location of the veteran certificates and
the result is that, from taxes and rentals,
over $4,000 annually is paid into our
state treasury, and there are $4,000 acres
for schools and $4,000 acres for other