TEXAS. 



741 



stances, the committee trust you will comply with 

 this request. 



Yours, respectfully, D. N. BARZIZA, 



Chairman of the Committee. 



Governor Davis replied that he did not think 

 that the Legislature was entitled to the election 

 returns, bat, if the committee would go to the 

 Secretary's office and take them of their own 

 accord, no resistance would be made. The 

 official returns having ben obtained, the vote 

 of the State was counted, and Richard Coke 

 declared to be elected Governor for four years, 

 and R. D. Hubbard Lieutenant-Governor for 

 the same period. Governor Coke, having taken 

 the oath of office, delivered his inaugural ad- 

 dress. The Capitol was now guarded by armed 

 troops. On the following day another appli- 

 cation was made for Federal interference, and 

 refused as follows : 



AUSTIN, TEXAS, January 16, 1874. 

 George B. Williams, Attorney-General: 



The newly-elected Governor (Coke) was inaugu- 

 rated last night. Armed men are guarding the ap- 

 proaches to the offices at the Capitol. Other armed 

 men have possession of the legislative halls. A 

 conflict seems inevitable. A message from you may 

 save U8 from this disaster. 



THOMAS F. PURNELL, U. S. Marshal. 



To this the Attorney-General replied : 



I can only appeal to the parties to peaceably settle 

 their differences if possible. Cannot sonic one ne- 

 gotiate a settlement ? I have no power to interfere 

 with force, nor have you any duty to perform in re- 

 spect to the matter except to use your moral influence. 



The opposition to the new Legislature soon 

 ceased, and that body proceeded with its du- 

 ties. One of the first proceedings was the 

 election of General Samuel Bell Maxey to rep- 

 resent Texas in the United States Senate for 

 six years, from March 4, 1875. Senator Maxey 

 was born in Southern Kentucky, and was 

 graduated at West Point in 1846. After serv- 

 ing as a lieutenant in the Mexican War, he re- 

 signed his position in the army and began the 

 practice of law at Paris, in Lamar County, 

 Texas, where he now resides. On the break- 

 ing out of the war, he entered the Confederate 

 service as a colonel, and subsequently attained 

 the rank of general. After the close of the 

 war he resumed his law practice in Texas. 



The Thirteenth Legislature, which had as- 

 sembled January 14, 1873, adjourned on the 7th 

 of June, after a session of nearly five months. 



The entire bonded debt of the State at the 

 end of 1873 was stated at $1,661,181 ; due to 

 school fund, |80fi,306 ; floating debt, about 

 $500,000. Besides these, there was a claim in 

 New York on bonds deposited as collaterals, 

 not over $400.000, and railroad claims for sub- 

 sidies not adjusted and not exceeding $3,000,- 

 000. The estimates for 1874 embraced $80,- 

 700 for March and September interest ; $108,- 

 710, frontier defense; appropriations for 1873, 

 not paid, about $500.000; ordinary expenses 

 for 1874, $500,000. To meet these the Treas- 

 ury holds, cash, $36,173; unpaid taxes for 

 1873, $802,790; bonds deposited in New York, 



$900,000 ; and the income from taxes for 

 1874. 



Governor Coke informed the Legislature that 

 there was no need of increasing the rate of tax- 

 ation, advised economy in the appropriations, 

 said the March and September interest on the 

 debt would be paid out of the current means, 

 asked for authority to fund the floating debt, 

 settle claims in New York and sell the bonds 

 deposited there, and added that "we ought to 

 settle what we now owe, and hereafter pay as 

 we go." 



GALVESTON. The chief city of Texas, in. 

 point of population and commercial impor- 

 tance, is Galveston, situated at the northeast 

 extremity of Galveston Island, at the mouth 

 of the bay of the same name, 180 miles east- 

 southeast of Austin, and 290 miles west by 

 south of New Orleans. In 1870 the popula"- 

 tion was 13,818, of whom 3,007 were colored, 

 and 3,614 foreigners. At the end of 1873 the 

 population was estimated by local authority as 

 high as 35,000. 



The harbor is the best in the State, and lias 

 thirteen feet of water over the bar at low tide. 

 The city is provided with good wharves, ai>d 

 large storehouses adjoining them. The trade 

 and commerce for the year ending September 

 1, 1873, as reported by the Chamber of Com- 

 merce, were as follows : 



EXPORTS. 



Cotton 833.602 bales 132,423.606 



Wool 3,873 bugs 201.886 



Hlde-460,6f 3 , g.6:6.985 



Cattle 60,699 1,013,980 



Tallow 714,600 



Bones 19.200 



Peltries 21 .300 



Horns 46,450 



Pecans 16,080 



Beeswax 14.200 



Hair 6,750 



Tola! exports $37,045,747 



IMPORTS. 



Foreign gold $2,460,610 



Domestic en rrency 27,851,221 



Total imports $29,811,831 



Among the imports were 42,500 bags of cof- 

 fee, received direct from Rio Janeiro. The 

 tonnage arrived during the- year amounted to 

 784,376. The number of immigrants that ar- 

 rived was 44,614. 



The chief business is the shipping of cotton. 

 The Southern Cotton Press Company have m 

 nse fourteen brick warehouse coverings, thir- 

 ty-five acres, while the Texas Cotton Com- 

 pany use three brick' warehouses, occupying 

 seven and a half acres. The receipts and ship- 

 ments of cotton for a series of years have been 

 as follows : 



