The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-05-09

| n much visited place as you WehI " "'-''
! from the capitol. ,,,,. and
| Colonel Holland knew personalIE aIu
well the four presidents OF the ou IsepuD
| liz of Texas-Burnet, Houston, Lamar ~
ana Tones. He knew Rusk, Hemphlli'
Iipscomb. Wheeler, Timothy fliisDu III,
Edward BurlesOn. Isaac Van LaIul'
Volney f.. Howard, David ). haughiln l;li !,
| picL,rdson Scurry and all the SHINING
| iights of the great men of that cary ia!
He was well acquainted with j. ilhKheg
Henderson. p. Hansboro Bell ana All tle
other governors of Texas, from li n;z
son TO Jas. $. Hogg, Except MI. D ?..,,o'
and was familiar with every IuIiii df tbo
tion. He was also member Oh NE IHe
! official families of four governors we
dnnht If there is another old Texan now
| Iiyin% who knew all the old presidents
| nf the Rcpublic of Texas and all the gov
o,.nCrs If Texas personally from the lorna
| finn Of orr State government TO the pres
ent time or one as well acquainted WIN
the string events of old IeX3S Ilnles
and her past history as Colonel lloliahH'
as he, himself was prominent actor III !
tbe upbuilding of our State government
| from its infancy.
Colonel Holland is Mexican war vet
,,on and receives from the United States
government his pension as such. Nhen
The war broke out in 1916 he received
q commission from Governor henderson
to raise n company of volunteers when
he nrnceeded to do from the strip OF couh-
try living between the old and new line
diyiding Texas and Louisiana, known
rs the Seventeenth range. In one week
time, after marching 500 miles ron
Sabine TO the Rio Grande III the summer
heat, he and his company WerT ,rv ~,
their way to Join the main army, lIllS
cnmnonv, called the III rangers, was
attached at Poine Isabel to the SecQInu
Texas and reached General Taylor Wlthlh
n few DAYS march Of the city oil MOL
terey. General Taylor at once adopted
the "raugers" as his body guard on ms
march TO Monterey, and upon DRAWING the
first fire from the cty's gun he Withdrew
TO Walnue Cprings, where the man army
campcd that night. General laylor
selected the III rangers ana gave tlGIl
the post of honor on the hrst day OF the
fight, with Captain Bragg, at the front
gate Of the city. On the third gay Oh tIle
battle Colonel Holland gallantly led the
Second battalion of the Second regiment
with his company in the lead, under
calling fire from the old Moss fort, When
they were dismOunted and after sealing
the walls Of the city were again called
upon and used as infantry to protect
Bragg'S battery (Which had now become
famous) as he drove Ampuda's fleeing
army pcll-mcil down into the main plaza,
when the white flag was soon run up with
the Texas yell.
On his return home, though quite a
young man, he found himself unani-
nominated to a seat in the legls-
laturc by his fellow citizens, which nOml-
nation, however, he then declined, but
two years thereafter he accepted like
and was elected from the
of Rusk and Pamela, with the
same unanimity with which he was nomi-
mated. We next find Colonel Holland i'll
the senate from Pamela and Shelby cOun-
ties. He and his father then altcrnated
first in one house and then in the other,
and Mt one time both father and son were
in the same house together from different
AS chairman of the committee
on education in the senate, Colonel IIOl-
land made the first report ever made
upon the University of Texas and the first
report ever made upon the common
school system, and is now one of the char
ter members of the Association Of the
Texas Academy of the Liberal Arts.
He voted for Houston and Rusk for
United States senator's. He also voted
for the first railroad charter Cthe Hous-
ton and Texas Central railrOad) and the
0and 16 sections of land to the mile
to help build the railroad. He was
brought prominently forward in the great
fight that was made against the cele
bratcd 'loan bill' which he, by his act,
defeated that session. but the next session
it became law. 1t was this money,
loaned from the school fund, which the
late Attorney General CulbersOn was
trying to get back into the treasury,
hereby showing foresight of Senator Hol- |
and. He next became conspicuous in
his defeat of the celebrated Fred Dawson
claim for 81 100000 or more, against the !
Did Republic of Texas. At the close of |
he session Colonel Holland resigned his |
place in the senate, married and settled |
IN the BrazOs in Grimes county; and |
when the war broke out he was unani- !
nously chosen by his new fellow citizens
Is a delegate to the secession convention |
which nomination he declined for private |
his heart was in full !,
with the movement. But when |
the legislature was called during the |
war he was again nominated, without !
MS knowledge or consent, and elected !
with like unanimity from the counties of
Grimes, Montgomery and BraZOs. Colonel
Holland never left his home during the /
canvas nor did he 90 to the polls to vote. |
He was appointed chairman of the mill
larry board committee, the most important :
of the war, since which time !,
he has declined all office. While he was
l member Of the Third legislature he
introduced and had passed a bill to
livide the supreme court of Texas, !
which at that imc had become a public |
necessity as lawyers had to come from
Red river ami the Rio Grande on horse !
lack to Austin to practice in THE courts of |
Texas. At that early day the prairies !
we're covered with wild horses. which were
'aught up and used as common property |
Is they belonged to no one. Men made :
heir coffee in tin cups and carried their
water in Mexican gourdS hung to the
lOrn of their saddles. and with their
stake ropes and side arms. wrapped them
selves in Mexican blankets and slept upon =,
he ground-to come to Austin to make !
avs for the young republic and State.
There were no railroads nor public con- |
'eyances here in those DAYS. but Austin |
society will never see more refined. a '
more intelligent or more cultured class
# men and women rs were then in Aus
in-the men were all great and the women
Ill beautiful. 1t was noted fact that
here were no ugly women in Texas in
hose days. Some were more beautiful
han others, hut there were no ugly ones.
Colonel Holland was acting mar
shall for the Eastern district
then called the Western dis
ricO and opened the first Federal
'ourt ever opened in the town of Tyler.
n a loo po him ITn y,-ns o1Sn ,r,,nn1 unor-