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along the southern boundary of El Paso county to the place of beginning; and that all the territory within the said limits shall constitute the county of Presidio.

SEC. 2. That Peter J. Gallagher, George B. Lyles and Patrick Murphy, are hereby appointed and constituted a board of commissioners for the purpose of organizing and ordering an election for justices of the peace and county officers in said county.

SEC. 3. That said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at Fort Stockton, in Presidio county, on the first Monday in September, A. D. 1870, and said commissioners shall divide said county of Presidio into five precincts; said commissioners shall then order an election for a justice of the peace for each precinct, and for a sheriff and clerk of the District Court of said county. Said commissioners shall give at least twenty days' notice of said election, by posting notices thereof in three prominent places in each precinct of said county. Said election shall be held at Fort Stockton, and shall be conducted in conformity with the laws regulating elections in this State; and said commissioners shall make return of said election to the Secretary of State, within ten days after the close of said election.

SEC. 4. That at said election the county seat of said county shall be located by the electors voting thereat. Each elector may place on his ballot the name of some place within said county as the county seat, and the place receiving the highest number of votes shall be the county seat of said county.

SEC. 5. That all acts and parts of acts conflicting with this act be and are hereby repealed.

SEC. 6. That this act take effect from and after its passage.
Approved July 19, 1870.

CHAPTER XX.

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE OUTSTANDING INDEBTEDNESS OF THE SEVERAL COUNTIES.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Teras, That the County or Police Courts of the several counties of the State be, and they are hereby authorized at their discretion, to levy an annual special tax, sufficient to pay all the outstanding indebtedness of their respective counties; provided, that no special tax for

such purpose shall, in any one year, exceed fifty cents on the hundred dollars, on all taxable property within their counties, respectively.

SEC. 2. That the presiding justices of the peace of the several counties which are in debt in the sum of five hundred dollars or more, are hereby authorized and required to call a special term of the County or Police Court of their respective counties, within sixty days after the passage of this act, for the purpose of levying said special tax; and the presiding justice, and any two other justices of the peace of any county, shall be competent to levy said tax.

SEC. 3. All taxes levied under this act shall be assessed and collected as is or may be provided by law for the assessment and collection of the general State and county taxes; and all moneys. arising from said taxes shall be paid into the treasury of the counties respectively; to be paid out as provided in section four of this act.

SEC. 4. The county treasurers of the several counties shall register in a book, to be kept for that purpose, all the claims of whatever nature outstanding against their counties respectively, with the date and amount of each claim, and, the name of the payee and holder of the same, and shall number them on the register, noting on the back of each claim the date of presentation and the number of the claim; and said claims shall be paid according to priority, as thus numbered and registered; provided, that in the registration and numbering of claims, preference shall be given to the oldest in date; and provided further, that in all cases jury certificates shall be paid. first.

SEC. 5. That this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Passed July 21, 1870.

CHAPTER XXI.

AN ACT AUTHORIZING AND REQUIRING THE COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE TO ISSUE PATENTS ON CERTAIN SETTLERS' CLAIMS OF ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ACRES OF LAND EACH, ON PAYMENT OF USUAL OFFICE FEES AND FIFTY CENTS PER ACRE.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That, whereas, Milam county, on the twenty-third day of December, A. D. 1849, had surveyed, as a part of her school land,

two leagues of land lying together on the west bank of the Brazos river, about five miles north of Comanche Peak, in what is now Hood county; and

Whereas, Milam county failed to return the field notes of these two surveys to the Commissioner of the General Land Office until June 16, A. D. 1858; and

Whereas, Before the said return of said field notes by Milam county, certain citizens settled on these two leagues, and now respectively claim, each, a settler's claim of one hundred and sixty acres of land on the leagues aforesaid; and,

Whereas, Suits have heretofore been pending between Milam county and said settlers relative to said lands; and

Whereas, Said settlers ought to have the titles to their homes quieted;

Therefore the Commissioner of the General Land Office is hereby authorized and required to issue patents to the said settlers, their heirs or assigns, on their respective one hundred and sixty acre claims situated within the bounds of said two leagues; provided that each of said settlers, his heirs, or assigns, shall first, and within twelve months from the passage of this act, pay to the Commissioner of the General Land Office the usual patent fees, and fifty cents per acre for the amount of the claim patented; and further provided, that nothing in this act shall be construed so as to authorize the issuance of a patent on any settler's claim situated on either of said two leauges, when the settlement thereof did not actually take place before the sixteenth day of June, A. D. 1858. SEC. 2. Be it further enacted, That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Passed July 21, 1870.

CHAPTER XXII.

AN ACT TO PRESCRIBE THE TIME OF THE ANNUAL MEETINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the first regular annual session of the Legislature of the State of Texas shall begin on the second Tuesday in January, A. D. 1871, at the seat of government thereof, and annually thereafter on the same day until otherwise prescribed by law.

SEC. 2. That this act shall take effect from and after its passage. Approved July 22, 1870.

CHAPTER XXIII.

AN ACT LEGALIZING A SPECIAL TAX LEVIED BY MILITARY ORDER.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the special tax levied for the purpose of building a jail in Rusk county, by military authority, previous to the admission of the State, and authorized under military order to be collected for the purposes therein named, be, and the same is hereby legalized, and shall have the force and effect of law, and shall be collected, as assessed, for the year 1870.

Approved July 22, 1870.

CHAPTER XXIV.

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE DISTRICT JUDGES AND DISTRICT CLERKS TO APPROVE BONDS OF COUNTY OFFICERS IN CERTAIN CASES.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That in all cases where, under the laws in force, the county judge or County or Police Court are required to approve official bonds, and where, by reason of death, resignation or otherwise, there is no qualified county judge, or no quorum of the members of the County or Police Court can be brought together, then the district judge of the judicial district in which the county where such disqualification or defect exists is situated, or the district clerk of the county, is hereby empowered to act in all such cases, in all particulars, with same powers and authority now or heretofore exercised by county judges, or by the County or Police Court.

SEC. 2. That this act take effect and be of force from and after its passage.

Approved July 22, 1870.

CHAPTER XXV.

AN ACT LEGALIZING THE ACTS OF THE POLICE COURT OF GOLIAD COUNTY, IN ACTING UNDER THE ACTS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF 1866.

WHEREAS, The Police Court of Goliad county, under the acts of the Legislature of 1866, did levy a special tax of twenty-five cents on the one hundred dollars, collectable in United States currency, the proceeds thereof to be applied to the redemption of county bonds issued on the twenty-third day of February, 1870, and the second day of May, 1870, and the excess to be applied to the payment of expenses already incurred in repairing the courthouse of said county; therefore,

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Teras, That the above recited acts of said Police Court be and are hereby declared valid and legal.

SEC. 2. That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved July 22, 1870.

CHAPTER XXVI.

AN ACT TO ORGANIZE AND DEFINE THE POWERS OF THE CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT IN AND FOR THE COUNTIES OF GALVESTON AND HARRIS, AND TO PRESCRIBE THE DUTIES THEREOF.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That there is hereby created a court of original and exclusive criminal jurisdiction, in all cases of felony and misdemeanor, for the counties of Galveston and Harris, and the judge thereof shall, by virtue of his office, bave all the powers and perform all the duties appertaining to judges of district courts within this State in all criminal matters, and to grant all such writs and process as the district judge can or may do in the execution of the criminal laws of the State; and shall have and exercise appellate jurisdiction, and the same general control over inferior tribunals in said counties, in criminal cases, as now is exercised by said District Court; and all

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