TEXAS. 



TIDEMAND, ADOLF. 



747 



The new Constitution was adopted at the 

 election of February 15th. The whole number 

 of votes cast in the State was about the same 

 as on the Slut . ticket, and its adoption secured 

 by about the same majority, though somewhat 

 less. 



The new constitution, being ratified by the 

 people, went into operation on the third Tues- 

 day in April, 1876. The benefits expected to 

 accrue to the people of Texas from it have been 

 stated as folio WB : 



The adoption of the constitution has saved the 

 people from an appalling disaster. It is a rebuke to 

 railroad peculators ; it nas condemned the enemies 

 of the Texas & Pacific Railroad, by preventing en- 

 try to the lands guaranteed to the road by the State ; 

 it lias secured the payment of taxes on 80,000,000 

 acres of land, on which at present not a cent of taxes 

 is paid ; it has secured to every county its fair pro- 

 portion of the proceeds from taxation : it prevents 

 unjust usury ; it preserves the credit of the State in 

 her bonded securities ; it fixes the capital of the State 

 permanently at Austin, and gives her 3,000,000 acres 

 of the public domain .... which is worth, at the 

 least calculation, as many dollars ; this same to be 

 expended in the construction of a new Capitol and 

 other public buildings. Add to the other blessings 

 which the constitution confers, that it is so framed 

 ad to remove the objections of the fasti'dious in the 

 future by its provisions for easy amendments. A 

 two-thirds vote of the Legislature is required to pro- 

 pose amendments ; and the acceptance by a majority 

 of the votes cast, at either a special or general elec- 

 tion, secures its adoption. . . . Under the provisions 

 of the new constitution, the Legislature will be con- 

 vened on the third Tuesday in April. The session 

 will consist of three months' duration, and after 

 that the people will be called upon to pay for bien- 

 nial sessions only, and these confined to a distinct 

 period. The general election will be held on the 

 nrst Monday in November, commencing with No- 

 vember, 1878. The officers elected under the new 

 constitution will hold their offices as if they had 

 been elected in November. This prolongs their 

 terms of office six months and some days. They 

 will be installed in office on the third Tuesday in 

 April, the same day that is fixed for the assembling 

 of the Legislature. 



The members of the Legislature met at Aus- 

 tin on April 18, 1876, when both Houses were 

 soon organized. T. R. Bonner was elected 

 Speaker of the House, he having received 45 

 votes, against 43 cast for D. U. Barziga, his 

 competitor, also a Democrat. 



The aggregate amount of the State debt, 

 bonded and floating, on August 31, 1876, con- 

 sisted of the following items : 



BONDED DEBT. 



Bonds for funding State debt, act of November 



9. 1S66 



Bonds for funding State debt, act of May 2, 



Frontier defence bonds, act of August 5, i878.. 

 Bonds for funding State warrants, act of May 



80. 1S78 



Bonds for funding State warrants, act of May 



2, 1874 



Revenue deficiency bonds, act of December '2 



1871 .; 



Bonds for payment of floating debt, act of 



March 4, 1874 



Pension bonds, acts of August 18, 1870, and 



April 21, 1874 



Bonds for redemption of State debt, act of July 



6,1876 : 



Total $4,875,874 00 



$125,000 00 



75,000 00 

 697,000 00 



FLOATING DEBT. 



Warrants on general revenue unpaid August 

 81. 187 1212,03467 



Pension certificates and approved claim* no- 

 bonded 58,867 08 



Approved certificates of debt 13,978 88 



Interest due Agricultural and Mechanical Col- 

 lege fund 68^00 00 



Total $334,l 5 



DEBT OF DOUBTFUL VALIDITY. 



State bonds issued to State University fund, 

 under act of November 12, Mm. as Indemni- 

 ty for United States bonds belonging to that 

 fund, and transferred to general revenue ac- 

 count In February, I860 $184,47226 



Interest to August '>]. 1870, on above Loads is- 

 sued to University fund C8,874 80 



State bonds of act of November 12, 18C6. issued 

 to school-fund in lieu of United States bonds 

 belonging to that fund used during the late 

 war 82,168 6* 



Interest to August 81, 1870, on above bonds 

 issued to school-fund 89,030 20 



State bonds, act of November 15, U64, issued 

 to school-fund in lieu of warrants belonging 

 to that fund destroyed during the war 820.867 18 



Interest on above bonds issued to school-fund, 

 to August 31, 1&76 217,?49 60 



Total $867,762 21 



The business transacted at the General Land- 

 Office, in regard to the disposal of lunds be- 

 longing to the vast public domain of Texas, 

 has been much larger during the last fiscal year 

 than at any previous one. The number of pat- 

 ents issued within that period, und covering 

 2,421,989 acres of land, was 4,555; and new 

 files have been made covering 9,870,687 acres. 

 The amount of fees and dues received at the 

 said office during the year was $54,530.91. 



The whole number of acres comprised with- 

 in the area of Texas is estimated at 175,594,- 

 560 ; number of acres of public domain against 

 which no claim exists, 67,580,129. 



The Legislature continued its session for 

 ninety days, comprising the full time of a 

 regular session, and nearly the two additional 

 months allowed by the new constitution, until 

 August 22d. 



On May 2d, the second Tuesday from the 

 opening of the session, the Legislature pro- 

 ceeded to the election of a United States Stna- 

 tor, for the term of six years, to begin with 

 March 4, 1877. The joint votes having stood, 

 for Richard Coke 68, for John Ireland 49, 

 Richard Coke was declared to be duly elected. 



The legislation of the session was strictly 

 local in its nature. 



The total vote for presidential electors on 

 November 7th was 149,555, of which the 

 Democratic electors received 104,755, and the 

 Republican electors 44,800. The Democratic 

 candidates for Congress were elected by a 

 combined majority of 60,476. 



TIDEMAND, ADOLF, one of the most cele- 

 brated painters of Norway, born August 14, 

 1814 (not 1815, as erroneously stated in some 

 works) ; died August 25, 1876. He studied in 

 the Academies of Copenhagen and Dusseldorf, 

 and in 1841 brought out his first large paint- 

 ing, representing a scene from the life of Gus- 

 tavus Vasa. Having returned to Dusseldorf 



