House bill No. 107, a bill to be entitled "An act to define cold storage in local option counties, precincts, cities, towns or subdivisions, and affix penalties for keeping same." Read first time and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 2. By Mr. McGaughey: House bill No. 108, a bill to be enti tled "An act to amend articles 373, Penal Code of the State of Texas, re374, 375 and 376, chapter 2, of the lating to lotteries and raffles." Read first time and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 2. By Mr. Seabury: House bill No. 109, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend articles 1814, 1815 and 1816, of title 37, of the Revised Civil Statutes of 1895, of the State of Texas, relating to the time and manner of making returns to the Secretary of State of elections for electors for President and Vice-President, and of estimating the same, and of the meeting of the electors." Read first time and referred to Judi-State of Texas, relating to laboring or ciary Committee No. 1. hunting on Sunday." Read first time and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 2. By Mr. Holland of Harris: House bill No. 117, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend chapter 10 of the Revised Statutes of 1895, in relation to continuance of cases, so as to prevent unnecessary delays." Read first time and referred to Judiciary Comm.ttee No. 1. By Mr. Carpenter: House bill No. 118, a bill to be enti fees, salaries, commissions and other remuneration of county judges of the several courties of the State of Texas." House bill No. 111, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend article 3395, titled "An act to regulate and fix the tle 69, of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, adopted at the regular session of the Twenty-fourth Legislature in 1895, relating to prohibition elections in counties and subdivisions thereof." Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs. mittee on State Affairs. By Mr. Kimbell: House bill No. 112, a bill to be entitled "An act to create liens in favor of employes, and providing for foreclosures of the same." Read first time and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 1. By Mr. Bertram: House bill No. 113, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend article 4997, title 102, chapter 5, of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, relating to the mode for preventing certain animals from running at large in counties and subdivisions." Read first time and referred to Com By Mr. Fields: House joint resolution No. 9, to amend section 13, article 5, of the Constitution of the State of Texas, relating to grand and petit juries in district courts. (Proposes to authorize nine of the twelve members of petit juries to render verdicts in criminal cases.) Read first time and referred to Committee on Constitutional Amendments. The Speaker announced the appointment of the following clerk, to act as assistant to the Postmaster: Ed Shands of Travis county. On motion of Mr. McGaughey, the Read first time and referred to Com- Speaker was authorized to appoint one mittee on Agricultural Affairs. By Mr. Hensley: House bill No. 114, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend article 4991, chapter 5, title 102, of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, and add thereto article 4991a, relating to taking up and impounding stock." Read first time and referred to Committee on Stock and Stockraising. By Mr. Harris: House bill No. 115, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend an act entitled an act to authorize the incorporation of companies for the purpose of constructing union depots, and to authorize railway companies to own stock and bonds of such depot companies, and to regulate the issuance of bonds by such union depot companies." Read first time and referred to Committee on Internal Improvements. By Mr. Alexander: House bill No. 116, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend article 197, title 7, chapter 11, of the Penal Code of the more member on the Committee on Education. The Speaker thereupon announced the following appointment: Mr. Savage of Montague county to be an additional member of the Committee on Education. Mr. McGaughey offered the following resolution: Resolved, That the chairmen of committees hold a meeting to-morrow at 3 o'clock p. m. for the purpose of arranging the times and places of committee meetings, so as not to conflict. Read second time and adopted. Mr. Savage moved to adjourn until 10 o'clock a. m. to-morrow, and the motion was lost. Mr. Bertram offered the following resolution: Resolved, that we leave the Cuban question in the hands of our United States Senators, R. Q. Mills and Horace Chilton, and representatives in Congress from our State, believing them to be competent to represent our interest in this great question. Signed: Bertram, Jones. Read second time, and On motion of Mr. Fields, referred to the Committee on Federal Relations. COMMITTEE REPORTS. Committee Room, Austin, Texas, Jan. 18, 1897. Hon. L. T. Dashiell, Speaker of the House: provide a punishment therefor," Have had the same under consideration, and I am instructed to report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do not pass. BAILEY, Chairman. Committee Room, Austin, Texas, Jan. 18, 1897. Hon. L. T. Dashiell, Speaker of the House: Your Judiciary Committee No. 2, to Your Judiciary Committee No. 2, to whom was referred whom was referred House bill No. 22, a bill to be enti demption of real estate sold for debt," House bill No. 11, a bill to be entitled "An act to provide for the retled "An act to amend article 196 (183) chapter 2, title 7, of the Penal Code of the State of Texas," Have had the same under consideration, and I am instructed to report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass, with the following amendments: Amend section I by inserting after "whatever" the words "with firearms and dogs or either," and by striking out the words "within one mile of any church, school house or private residence." BAILEY, Chairman. Committee Room, Austin, Texas, Jan. 18, 1897. Hon. L. T. Dashiell, Speaker of the House: Your Judiciary Committee No. 2, to whom was referred Have had the same under consideration, and I am instructed to report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it be referred to Judiciary Committee No. 1. BAILEY, Chairman. Committee Room, Austin, Texas, Jan. 18, 1897. Hon. L. T. Dashiell, Speaker of the House: Your Judiciary Committee No. 2, to Whom was referred House bill No. 24, a bill to be entitled "An act to enable cities, towns and villages of this State to pay, provide for the payment of, of revive indebtedness barred by the statute of limitations," Have had the same under considerHouse bill No. 8, a bal to be enti- ation, and I am instructed to report tled "An act to amend chapter 6, arti- the same back to the House with the cle 400, of the Penal Code of the Re-recommendation that it be referred to vised Statutes of the State of Texas," the Commitee on Towns and City Have had the same under considera- Corporations. tion, and I am instructed to report the same back to the House with the recommendation that it do pass. BAILEY, Chairman. Committee Room, Austin, Texas, Jan. 18, 1897. Hon. L. T. Dashiell, Speaker of the House: our Judiciary Committee No. 2, to whom was referred House bill No. 12, a bill to be entitled "An act to make it penal for any railroad company, transportation company, or any kind of common carrier, or any officer, agent or employe of same, to grant, issue, send or deliver any free pass or ticket at a discount other than as sold to the public geneally, or for any legislative, executive or judiciary officer of the State, or for any district, county or municipal officer whatsoever in the State, to accept, use or travel on such free pass or ticket at a discount other than is sold to the public generally, and to BAILEY, Chairman. BILL SIGNED BY THE SPEAKER. The Speaker signed, in the presence of the House, after giving due notice thereof, and its caption had been read, the following bill: Senate bill No. 11, "An act appropriating one hundred and ten thousand dollars to pay members' mileage and per diem, and officers' and employes' per diem, of the Twenty-fifth Legisla ture." On motion of Mr. Peery, the House adjourned until 10 o'clock a. m. tomorrow. SIXTH DAY. Hall House of Representatives, Austin, Tex., Tuesday, Jan. 19. The House met at 10 o'clock a. m., pursuant to adjournment. Speaker Dashiell in the chair. A quorum was announced present. Prayer by Chaplain Jackson. Pending the reading of the Journal of yesterday, On motion of Mr. Evans of Grayson, further reading was dispensed with. On motion of Mr. Ward, the House, at 10:10 a. m., took recess until 11:30 a. m. to-day. The House was called to order by the Speaker at 11:30 a. m. On motion of Mr. Melton, Mr. Tracy was excused until next Saturday, on account of important business. BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS. By Mr. Lotto (by request): House bill No. 119, a bill to be entitled "An act to provide for the creation of a board of examiners of railroad telegraphers." Read first time, and referred to Committee on Labor. By Mr. Crawford: House bill No. 120, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend article 3335, of chapter 5, title 66, of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, relating to liens on livestock." Read first time, and referred to Committee on Stock and Stockraising. By Messrs. Schlick and Kirk: House bill No. 121, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend article 4978, of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, providing for the commissioners' court of any county upon petition of fifty freeholders of said county, or twenty freeholders of any given subdivision of a county, to order an election to decide whether goats, hogs, sheep, cattle, horses, mules, jacks and jennets shall be permitted to run at large in said county or subdivision." Read first time, and referred to Committee on Stock and Stockraising. By Mr. Browne: House bill No. 122, a bill to be entitled "An act to regulate the working of convicts, to prevent convicts from being hired to individuals and corporations, and to prevent their competition with free labor; to inhibit the State from competing with its citizens in the manufacture and sale of articles made in whole or in part by convicts, to utilize the labor of said convicts upon farms owned or leased by the State, and to utilize convict labor in improving public highways." Read first time, and referred to Committee on State Affairs. By Mr. Strother: House bill No. 123, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend title 17, chapter 16, of the Penal Code of the Revised Statutes of the State of Texas, by adding thereto after article 940, an article to be known as article 940a, prohibiting renters from selling, disposing of, or fraudulently converting farm products to the detriment of the land owner." By Mr. Savage: House bill No. 129, a bill to be entitled An act to amend article 3929, chapter 9, title 86, of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, of an act passed by the Twenty-third Legislature of Texas, regulating the qualifications and sala Read first time, and referred to Judi- ries of superintendents of public inciary Committee No. 2. By Mr. Bell: struction, the holding of teachers' institutes, and the qualification of county boards of examiners." House bill No. 124, a bill to be entitled "An act to provide for the survey of lands to be set apart as a perma-mittee on Education. Read first time, and referred to Com nent endowment fund for the branch university for colored people of this State." By Mr. Ewing: House bill No. 130, a bill to be entitled "An act to provide against unfair Read first time, and referred to Com-preferences by debtors in making conmittee on Education. veyances and assignments." Read first time, and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 1. By Mr. Morton: House bill No. 131, a bill to be entitled "An act fixing definite times for county and precinct officers entering upon the duties of office." Read first time, and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 1. By Mr. Melton: House bill No. 132, a bill to be entitled "An act to prevent the entire flow of water in streams from being divert Read first time, and referred to Judi-ed to other channels and purposes by ciary Committee No. 1. By Mr. Williams (by request): House bill No. 126, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend articles 4573 and 4574, of section 5, of title 94, chapter 13, of the Revised Statutes of the State of Texas, relating to railway freight and passenger tariffs." (Substitutes "misdemeanor" for "extortion;" "hauling" for "handling;" prohibits free transportation.) means of dams." Read first time, and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 1. By Mr. Fisher: House bill No. 133, a bill to be entitled "An act to repeal article 1189. chapter 2, of title 30, of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, giving time before amendments are filed." Read first time, and referred to Judi Read first time, and referred to Com-ciary Committee No. 1. mittee on Internal Improvements. By Mr. Logan: By Mr. Fisher: House bill No. 134, a bill to be enti chapter 2, of title 30, of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, relating to the pleadings of parties to suits, and providing for amendments to same during vacation." House bill No. 127, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend article 1188, tled "An act to require every express company to keep a general office in this State, and to furnish such information from time to time in relation to the property, indebtedness and business as may be required by the Railroad Commission of Texas." Read first time, and referred to Committee on Internal Improvements. By Mr. Logan: House bill No. 128, a bill to be entitled "An act to further define the duties of the Railroad Commission of Texas, to make and enforce rules concerning same." (Relates to the compression of cotton, and shipment of wool and hides.) Read first time, and referred to Committee on Internal Improvements. Read first time, and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 1. By Mr. Fisher. House bill No. 135, a bill to be entitled "An act to amend article 2301, chapter 4, title 40, of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, relating to the testimony of the husband or wife in suits for divorce and other suits or proceedings." Read first time, and referred to Judiciary Committee No. 1. By Mr. Vaughan of Guadalupe: |