CHAPTER II
THE PREFECTURE, 1840-1841
Prohlet>ts of tlte Lamar a.dministration. The village of Independence lay west of Washington-on-the-Brazos. To this isolated, peaceful settle- ment Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar, president of the Republic of Texas, had retired for a respite from the heavy burden of government. The President had come to office in 1838, filled with ambitions. He had instituted a series of reforms diametrically opposed to what he called "the conservative policies" of the two preceding years. To him goes the credit for making the people of Texas conscious of the need of public education. Several measures to promote education, which may rightly be called foundational legislation, were adopted. The act of January 20, 1839, provided that each county be given three leagues of land for primary schools and that fifty leagues be set aside for two colleges or universities. The following year another law gave, an addi- tional league to each county, half of the proceeds to be used for a county academy and half to be distributed among the common school districts. Congress, under his leadership, adopted the policy of making liberal grants of land to private institutions, which benefited several early sectarian colleges. The question of the permanent location of the capital had to be settled. Acting upon the recommendations of a commission appointed for the purpos~, it was finally agreed that the seat of government be established in the village of Waterloo on the Colorado, which was re- named Austin. The President and his Cabinet took up their residence in the new capital in October, 1839. As the threat from Mexico had not eased, the people clamored for a larger army as protection against possible invasion. Much legislation of a contradictory nature was passed on the subject, but all efforts to raise a large and effective army proved futile. The new Republic, beset with debt and the hard times following the panic of 1837, could offer but poor and uncertain pay. At the close of 1839 there were but 25 g privates in the regular army and the recruiting offices were closed for want of volunteers. 1 d study of the dynamic character of Lamar, see H p G _ 1 For a 9 goo ,1, .,,e Lamar. For the location of the capital in Austin · ambrell, Mirabeau onara, f T ,, Tit Q • see E W . "Th Seat of Government o exas, e uarterl,y, X, 140_ 171 . 8 · · Winkler, e • 1 5-245. [34]
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