The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-08-27

the t. and N. o. Ry. Co., and the
Eastern Texas Ry. Co., received certi-
ficate for sidings, but there is nothing
on file in the land office to indicate
the length of the sidings.
An over issue of sixteen certificates
on the Washington County Ry. is
evident. The inspector in his report
dated May 7, 1861, states that the
road, including sidings is % miles and
1917 feet, which at 16 certificates per
mile, entitled the company to 1857 GER
tificates, and 1888 certificates is the
number that was issued.
The Dallas and Vicinity Ry. Co.
received $50 certificates or certificates
per mile on 80 2-3 miles of graded
roadbed, and on the first 90 miles of
completed road, 240 certificates, or II
certificates per mile. For the last Sec
ton of II miles and 1900 feet OF COM
pleted road, the company received 277
certificates, or 16 certificates to the
mile.
The Governors certificate, dated
April 18th, 1881, states that the Dallas
and Wichita Railway company is en-
titled to 277 sections of land for seven
teen miles and 800 feet Of completed
road.
The certificates We're issued accord
ingly, but this is an error. The COM
pany was entitled to 277 certificates,
less fifty certificates previously re-
ceived on their road bed.
During the years of 1860 and 1861 +,
the NJ. E. p. q p. Railway company
received 40 certificates for grading
fifty miles of read bed, and subse-
quently the Texas and Pacific Rail
way company received twenty GER
tificates per mile for completing a road
over the same line.n
BY the above statement it will he
seen that the state of Texas has do
mated
ONLY 2S,S26,SSO ACRES
of land to the railroads within her
boundaries, and that Of this quantity
there were 1,254. 567 acres illegally
located by these roads.
TO place this matter on pecuniary
basis and value the land at the price
at which the public free school land is
now being sold, the action now being
taken means recovering to the state
about $2,634 $50, OF what is much
more to the interest of Texas, the
offering of some 5000 or more new
homes to settlers. This latter state
ment is based on the ground that
800 are home. OF course the
land will be reclassitied, and
placed on the market to be sold to
actual settlers under the act of 1887,
requiring three years Of consecutive
occupancy and improvement as a
homestead, and allowing such pur-
chase forty years in which to make
final payment OF the same. These
lands are generally sold in tracts of
$40 acres each, but they are eventual
ly cut up and transferred until some
three or four homes are made out of
one section.
Some weeks ago land agent of one
of the big railroads was heard to re-
mark that the clerks of the land Of
flee worked hardly half of their time.
No doubt this gentlemen will change
his opinion after he peruses the above
list and finds that his own road is
IN THE TOUR
with the others. OF course, the above
statement does not cover the whole
ground, but merely deals with such
lands as were located on certain miles
of sidings and switches. 1t is fam.
iliar fact that the Texas and
Pacific and other roads were
restricted to locate certain certificates
within such reservations, as were
set apart for that purpose by the
state. Now q number of roads, to.
gether with the one mentioned above
have not complied with that require
ment in every case, and this is another
point which will receive attention and
will be developed. Also, the roads
were compelled to locate the sections
adjoining one another, or in close
proximity, that is, section num-
bered must join the school section 9.
In locating every certificate the roads
were compelled to locate one section
for themselves, and one for the state,
the roads taking those with odd
numbers, and the even sections fall
ing to the state. The law also re-
quired that these lands should be sur
veyed, and field notes of such survey,
together with the certificate, returned
to the land office within twelve
months next after date of issue. A
number of the certificates were not
returned within the date prescribed
by law, and thus another point APP
pears against the roads. Still further
it is very noticeable fact that the date
of survey and return on the
face of the field notes and certificates
in a number of cases, appears to
have been scratched and changed so as
to comply with the law. This is one
feature Of the case which will receive
a very close examination, and of
course if there is any apparent evil
dence that the certificates or field
notes were "mutilated" or "doctoredn
THE CLAIMS WILL BE CANCELLED.
The number of acres to be recovered
by the state on account of these irre%u-
larities is not known, nor can it ever
be approXimated, as the investigation