The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-11-03

istence outside the moon when such
| patents we're issued? Yes! why are
these things thus? And yet the peo-
pie here are deEied the execution OF
| laws intended to protect them from
such confusion by making provisions
for the correction of such errors.
Let those who are moved by
Greely's advice to Ego west" beware,
lest when you have spent your money
in improving and your labor in grub
ing land for cultivation you find your
self "tresspasser," so called, upon
lands claimed by some chartered
banditti, or land shark, whose agents
have been quietly watching you, and
waiting for his opportunity to eject
YOU and sell your home to another
with your labor in his bargain. Such
has been the experience of some act.
ual settlers in this county to our per.
sonal knowledge, and such will be the
experience of others in the near future
unless our laws are executed just
as our people and law makers
intend them to be by those
who seek and obtain public confidence
for that purpose. In cancelling our
appointment the present commits
sioner is denying to the people of this
county the execution of such laws for
their protection. He is doing it will
fully and without any known reason,
unless it be for the special gratifica-
ton of the corporation above named,
whose agents were in the Houston
convention, the so-called delegates"
self-appointed from this county, who
were perhaps scratching his elbow.
w. l.. McGaughey may attempt to
Justify his action in this matter by
saying that we have a county sur
veyor. While that is so, it is no less
true that the governor and legislature
were aware of that fact when the act
creating the office of Estate surveyor"
became a law. When the application
was made for the execution of that
law by the people of this county we
were not prepared to find the sover-
eighty of the state had been trans
ferred to the commissioner of the gen.
eral land office. Nor was it known
here that the penal code of Texas,
which prohibits under severe penal
ties, any person in the general land
office from conveying or giving infor-
nation to others than to those for
whom it is intended, had become in
erative under w. l.. McGaughey's
administration. Yet such is the fact,
else how could agents of the corpara-
ton named possess such information
in advance of those for whom it is in
tended. OF course we cannot prove
who it is in that office doing this, for
the reason that those here won't tell,
but the fact that such information is
known to such agents here shows the
suspicion to be we'll founded.
While the appointment is of no
pecuniary value to the appointee, it is
of no little Importance to others as
a provision of the law for their
protection and the right of the
commissioner to deny it to them is
not admitted. We have been slow to
confess our belief that the administra-
tion of the land office was gross
fraud upon the people of Texas. That
confusion, however, now comes sup
ported as we believe, by the facts
above stated. We have been slow to
admit the administration treaoherous
in it's professions opposition to raids on
the land office by corporation, but il
can no longer be doubted here in view
of all the facts as they are
known to the people of
Coke county. When our social
ed delegates" to Houston conven-
ton, who were opposed to McGaughey
before they started, returned converts
to his reelection, and soon thereafter
the cancellation of our appointment
without cause came, it looked bad, in
fact it smells bad when we consider
that such delegates" were members
of the land company or in sympathy
with it. We do not believe that these
delegates" were any more author
lied to represent the Democracy of
this county than the same number of
Houtintots would have been. II our
appointment, Mr.. McGaughey, was
cancelled for the satisfaction of these
delegates" you have been sold by
them, if the consideration was the
vote of Coke county, mark in! You
have convinced us that your admins
tration is fraud upon the people of
this section, and our only regret now
is that this conviction did not possess
our minds little sooner than it has.
Respectfully, etc., G.. A. BALL.
"A true copy of the originall
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
AUSTIN, Tex, Sept 2S 1925
G. A. Ball, Esq, Robert Lee, Tex:
DEAR SIR-This to notify you that
your appointment as state surveyor
has this day beon cancelled. All
others have received same notifica-
ton. Please return your commission
as such and oblige. Yours respect
fully,
(Signed) w. L. MCGAUGHEY, Com'r.
decline to comply with request to
"return my commission and oblige,"
for the reason that no cause is given
for the cancellation of nv appoint