The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-08-27
A GREAT BIG LAND SLIDE
TURNED LOOSE YES
TERDAY.
1T WAS THE ALL ABSORBING TOPIC ON
THE STREETS OF AUSTIN
ALL DAY LONG.
A Matter Which Has Been Brewing for
Weeks Begins to Bubble in a Decid-
eddy Interesting Style - The
Land Office and the
Railroads.

The newspaper men or Austln
awOke to feast yesterday morning.
About the first thing which met them
on the street was a rumor to the eff
feet that Investigations which have
long been pending in the state land
office in regard to the railroad lands
of the state had been brought to a
close and as soon as possible suit
would be brought involving over a
million and half acres Of land.
For about three weeks, Col. w. l..
McGaughey, the Commissioner ofthe
General Land office Of the State, has
had force ofclerks at work on
THIS HUGE INVESTIGATION.
1t is familiar fact that num-
Der Of the railroads have re-
ceived thousands of acres
of land, to which they were not en-
titled, and the commissioner will see
that the attorney general is furnished
with a statement of all lands Illegally
held, in order that he may bring suits
for their recovery. These lands have
been held by the railroads for num-
Der of years, and that they have not
been recovered sooner, or some move
in that direction made, is matter
much discussed.
The law plainly says that the roads
are not entitled to lands for sidings and
switches, and in a number OF cases
the very certificates themselves by
which the lands were located bear on
their face the fact that they were issu-
ed "for so many miles of main track,
and so many miles of sidings and
switches" and the commissioners
notice of the fact dates well back into
the first days of his incumbency.
The supreme court has already de-
cided the matter in the Del Rio and
Val Verde cases and having secured
the data, the attorney general can at
once proceed to
INSTITUTE A SUIT,
such as "Trespass to try Title" in Or
der that the courts may compel the
roads to point out so much land as
thew NAV have received certificates
for and located on sidings and switch
es. That this land will be recovered
there seems but little doubt anG
should any lands located by virtue o
such certificates be patented; the
courts will allow the roads to substi
tute some of their unpatented lands
in order that innocent parties may
not be disturbed. OF course this will
be allowed only where these lands
have been alienated and are now in
the hands Of third parties, who pur-
chased from the roads and paid them
"value received forit. TO see that this
matter is no "child's play" ''mare's
nestn or eden of snakes,n one needs
only to refer to the statement given
below. This statement is not report
of the investigation, but is merely
A TABULATED STATEMENT
that was furnished to the commits
sioner by Mr. Forrest Gather, the
clerk who has charge Of the work, and
it contains a brief synopsis of the
work. OF course the data which will
be furnished to the attorney general
will be full and complete; that is, it
will contain a description of every GER
tificate and all facts set forth in each,
and it will be some four or five weeks
yet before it is ready to be delivered
to the attorney general. Colonel Nc
Gaughey had this condensed state
ment made in order that he might
give it to the public, for he fully real
ICES that he is holding his present po-
sition merely by the will and suffrage
of the people, and that these people
who placed him in his present position
have right to know what he is do
ing.
This is true copy Of the statement
now held by Commissioner Me-
Gaughey: