The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-02-22
TBEY ARE MAD.
TIE COMMISSIONERS COURT JUMPS on
THE ABLE REP0RTEB.
Yet the Able Reporter Il abs to Producs
Evidence That Goes TO show That
His lem Of News Published
ca tho l7.h Inst,
Was Correct.

Setu(s 10 nave Dteu Oueuueu. lie
offeuse comes about in the way of a
STATESMAN reporter, or as they term
1t 'yOur able reporter" getting some
news concerning their deliberations
that did not exactly suit that august
body of celebrities. They seem to
think newspaper reporter Is fOTsOOth
compelled to get all his news straight
from their clerk and that he ID Only to
give out what they tell him. This is
very true possibly when the reporter
is just q reporter, but when the
county commissioners come to
the conclusion that he is "a very able
reporter, "then they should not neees.
sarily confiue him to the narrow linn
its Of what they see fl TO + and out.
However, that is neither here nor
there, The STATESMAN as it usually
does published an item OF interest to
the tax payers in is issue of the 17th
inst. That item cont aimed matter that
the county commissioners evidently
id not want the public to know. 1t
become known, however, to "the able
reporter through otner sources and
when he looked in upon the able body
in their deliberations last afternoon he
was preseuted with the following vol.
luminous communications:
AUSTIN, TEXAS, Feb. 10, 1893.
To The Statesmsn:
Ir your issue of the date of FebTu.
AIRY 18th, 1894, appears the following:
"THE COMMISSIONERS COURT
"The commissioners court was in
session yesterday with full board
They approved most of the officers
view in the case No. 7l2, G.. Oa,mau
ct al, which is a petition for q road
from North Cottonwood SchoolhOuse,
No. %, to public road on Lindsay's
survey. In No 705, A. 5 Houston ct
al, a petition for extensin OF the Web
herville and Haynie Chapel road.
The court rejected the petition"
Commissioner Jernigan was au.
thorized to investigate aud have
needed work done on the Comanche
Gap road"
The foregoing your able reporter
must have obtained from tho clerk of
SAID court, as the same is correct, hut
in another column of the same issue
appears the following:
1.-THE LAST DAY OF GRACE
"CollectOr Thrasher yesterday sub
mitted to the county commissioners
the question as to whether they would
10 80
passing upon his collections to later
day than the third Monday in April.
He requested this in order thai he
might give an extension of time to
the very able tax payers whoare at
present bounded to the earth by the
hard times. The court held, however,
that the law fixing The third Monday
in April as the last day of grace wss
manG atory."
"COllector Thrasher will now have
to levy and advertise tax sales on
March | and no later
Where your able reporter obtained
this last article of news | do not knew,
but can say for the benefit OF those
concerned that Mr. Thrasher did not
submit the above matters TO the com.
missiOners court, nor did said court
take any action upon any such appli.
cation for extension of time, for if they
had such action would have been
made known to your reporter by the
clerk of said court and would appear
in the court proceedings.
The law makes it the duty of the
commissioners court to co vene on the
third Monday in April Of each year,
to examine and approve the tax col
lectOr's final account, closing his years
collections for settlement should Mr..
Thrasher, the tax cOllec or, desire not
to follow the strict letter of the law of
the state governing his duties, and
extend the time within which he is to
force the collection of taxes, to accom-
Odate the much oppressed pubic at
this time, that is with him, and if his
final report Is not ready on the third
VI Dnday in April, 1894, when the com.
missioDers court is required by law to
convene tor the purpose as above stat
ed, then the court on said third Mon.
day in A pril, 1891, after having met,
wc'7'' h""n adjourn for some tuture
d > upOn such accounts for
"I.t e. 9nt OF said collector,
:H0V US nave prepared the same
n'i'l'.. .. reasonable time thereafter.
connection herewith, | must
hat Commissioner John w.
. .., II did hand to me ard some of
me commissioners, the law on the sub.
!ect, To read aud asked, as I under
stand, for his own informrtion, "if
that law made it mandatory fer the
commissioners court 10 cCnvere GU the
third Monday in April next?" We
told him ii was, v hich it il, but there
was nothing presented by any one to
the court asking it extend the time
within which the tax payers may pay
their taxes, or fixing the last day OF
grace, therefore no action was had on
same by fhe court,
In justice to the commissioners court
! think that the above should find
space in the columns of your next
issue, "a some one has committed an
error. VIM. Won ROSENBERG, JR.,
County Judge Travis County
We endorse az correct the above
communication of the county Judge
and join him in TIE same
CHAS. PACE,
Com. Prec No 8, Travis County.
TCpNTCGNr