790 



TEXAS. 



extremely defective instrument, and a barrier 

 to many reforms desired by the people. " In 

 its incongruous, repugnant, and heterogeneous 

 provisions, are faithfully reflected the extraor- 

 dinary character of the Assembly, and the disor- 

 dered times which produced it. Necessity 

 forced it on the people of Texas, and held it on 

 them until the first meeting of their honorable 

 bodies. Prudence and policy prompted sub- 

 mission to it from then until this time. No 

 reason exists now for longer submitting to it. 

 The causes which one year ago rendered it im- 

 prudent to call together a constitutional con- 

 vention have ceased to exist, and the time and 

 temper of the people are propitious for the 

 work of constructing a new constitution. We 

 no longer fear Federal interference ; we are 

 not hampered with financial embarrassment ; 

 the popular mind is free from passion or excite- 

 ment, and views the great questions to be 

 solved through no discolored medium ; and 

 last, but not least, for twelve months past the 

 thinking men of the State have been studying 

 and investigating the subjects to be dealt with 

 in framing a constitution, and are now prepared 

 to act." 



The Governor, therefore, recommended that 

 the Legislature provide for assembling, at the 

 earliest practicable day, a convention for re- 

 vising the constitution. 



The entire public debt of the State, January 

 1, 1875, not including about $800,000 due to 

 trust-funds of her own creation, the obliga- 

 tions of which are in the vaults of the Treasury, 

 was $4,012,421. Of this amount there is un- 

 bonded $976,988. Deducting the amount of 

 the floating debt from the aggregate debt, the 

 balance, $8,035,433, is the amount of the State's 

 outstanding bonded debt. The increase in the 

 public debt since January, 1874, is represented 

 by bonds and certificates to the revolutionary 

 veterans, amounting to $899,389. The remain- 

 der is due to school-teachers for services in 

 1873. The estimated deficiencies for 1875 

 amount to $332,574, and to this must be added 

 the cost of the session of the Legislature in that 

 year, and the anticipated constitutional con- 

 vention. 



The number of convicts in the penitentiary 

 is believed to be greater than in any other 

 State. In the prison-buildings at Huntsville, 

 as at present constructed, there are about 278 

 cells. A new building is in process of con- 

 struction, which will furnish 125 additional 

 cells. There are 676 convicts at labor within 

 the walls of the prison, being an average of 

 nearly three to each cell, leaving 777 who are 

 employed outside. Of the latter, 255 are em- 

 ployed on the various railroads, and the re- 

 mainder are engaged in cultivating plantations, 

 making brick, etc. 



The report of the Commissioner of the Gen- 

 eral Land-Office shows that, during the year 

 ending September 1, 1874, there were issued 

 3,339 patents, of all classes, embracing in the 

 aggregate 1,787,397 acres of land. During the 



same time 7,890 new files, of all kinds, cover- 

 ing 6,319,754 acres of land, were made. Of 

 these, 5,349, covering 5,427,675 acres, were 

 made with railroad scrip ; 1,608, covering 

 249,923 acres, were made under the preemp- 

 tion laws, and the remainder with miscella- 

 neous certificates of scrip. The estimated num- 

 ber of acres of land in the State is 175,594,560. 



In accordance with the act of April 10, 1874, 

 a battalion of six companies of seventy-five men 

 each, comprising the usual company officers, 

 was, on the 4th of June last, organized, and, 

 under command of Major John B. Jones, took 

 the field for the defense of the Indian frontier. 

 The threatening and hostile attitude of the va- 

 rious tribes of wild Indians, at that time, in 

 the judgment of the Executive, justified the 

 fear that the entire force would be immediately 

 needed for active defensive operations. The 

 decisive and energetic campaign conducted 

 by the forces of the United States stationed in 

 Texas, together with the presence of this bat- 

 talion on the frontier, constantly scouting the 

 whole line, from Eed River to the head-waters 

 of the Nueces, under the eye and personal su- 

 pervision of Major Jones, it is believed, saved 

 the outer settlements of Texas from devastation 

 by the Indians. Thus protected, however, the 

 'frontier has suffered very little during the past 

 year, and the people are now more hopeful and 

 encouraged, and the prospects for immigration 

 and advancing the settlements are better than 

 for many years. In addition to this, the bat- 

 talion has cleared the frontier of many desper- 

 ate and lawless characters, and given valuable 

 aid, when greatly needed, to the local authori- 

 ties in maintaining law and good order. 



The production and movement of cotton in 

 this State during the past two seasons have 

 been as follows : 



Included in the ' production of 1872 -'73 

 are 1,100 bales of sea-island, and in that of 

 1873-'74, 920 bales. 



An election for Congressmen was held in 

 November, and resulted in the choice of Dem- 

 ocrats in all the districts, as follows : First 

 district, J. H. Eeagan ; second district, D. B. 

 Culberson; third district, J. W. Throckmor- 

 ton ; fourth district, Roger Q. Mills ; fifth dis- 

 trict, John Hancock; sixth district, Gustave 

 Schleicher. 



The present State government comprises: 

 Richard Coke, Governor; Richard Hubbard. 



