TEXAS. 



795 



it is often dry, while the latter has an unceas- 

 ing flow of water. Congress has been asked 

 to settle the boundary by law. The fact that 

 Indian reservations have been defined up to 

 the line of the North Fork, that none have been 

 laid off south of that line, in Greer County, 

 and that that county has been set apart by 

 Texas statutes for specific purposes, would 

 seem to argue that the General Government 

 has doubts as to the validity of its claim. The 

 Legislature, at its extra session, provided for 

 the settlement of the controversy by appoint- 

 ing a commissioner to trace the boundary-line 

 in conjunction with a commissioner on the part 

 of the Federal Government. 



EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, ETC. 

 The Governor called the Legislature to meet 

 in extra session on April 6th, to reapportion 

 the State into congressional districts, the Ap- 

 portionment Act of Congress having given 

 Texas five additional Representatives ; to pro- 

 vide a temporary Capitol, the old Capitol hav- 

 ing been accidentally burned in November, 

 1881 ; to authorize necessary improvements in 

 the Lunatic Asylum; to make provision for 

 a new lease of the penitentiaries at the expi- 

 ration of the existing lease at the close of this 

 year ; to take action as to the government 

 and funds of the University of Texas and its 

 branches ; to legislate for the disposition of the 

 public lands ; to pass laws for the regulation 

 of the railroads in the State; and to reduce 

 taxation as far as may be consistent with the 

 support of an efficient State government. 



The convention of the Democratic party 

 met at Gulveston, in July, to nominate State 

 officers. The choice fell on John Ireland for 

 Governor ; Marion Martin for Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor ; W. J. Swain for Comptroller ; F. R. 

 Lubbock for Treasurer ; John D. Templeton 

 for Attorney-General, and W. C. Walsh for 

 Commissioner of the General Land- Office, all 

 of whom were elected by large majorities. 

 The congressional elections resulted in the re- 

 turn of ten Democrats and one Independent 

 (Mr. Ochiltree). 



STATE AFFAIRS. The political contest was 

 between the Democrats proper and a coalition 

 of Republicans, Greenbackers, and Independ- 

 ents. The failure of the Galveston Conven- 

 tion to renominate Governor Roberts disaffect- 

 ed some Democrats and caused Mr. Ireland to 

 run behind the rest of the ticket. The great- 

 est interest was felt in the congressional con- 

 test between Hancock and Davis in the Tenth 

 District, Finlay and Ochiltree in the Seventh, 

 and Culberson and Dohoney in the Second. 

 The wool-growers, who are in favor of a high 

 protective tariff, opposed Mr. Hancock, who 

 was pronounced in favor of a " tariff for reve- 

 nue only." His opponent, Mr. E. J. Davis, 

 Governor of Texas in the time of reconstruc- 

 tion, was pledged to support protection on 

 wool and woolen goods. The canvass was ani- 

 mated and energetic, but generally peaceable. 



The creation of the Commission of Appeals, 



to aid the Supreme Court and the Court of 

 Appeals in civil cases, has produced a marked 

 improvement in the greater dispatch of judicial 

 business, thus preventing the unreasonable de- 

 lays which have been so long a just cause of 

 complaint. The inferior courts, too, have been 

 much improved by the appointment to the 

 bench of lawyers of greater ability, experience, 

 and integrity. 



In the exercise of Executive clemency, Gov- 

 ernor Roberts has been controlled by the pur- 

 pose to make good conduct and reformation in 

 the Penitentiary the main ground of commuta- 

 tion of the penalty or of pardon, teaching the 

 convict to rely on self-effort rather than out- 

 side influence. On account of the facility 

 afforded criminals to cross the Rio Grande to 

 escape arrest and prosecution, the Governor 

 constituted all the county and district judges 

 whose jurisdiction reached that river lt extra- 

 dition agents " on the part of Texas ; and, upon 

 communicating the fact to the Governors of 

 the border States of Mexico, assurances were 

 received that those officials would take similar 

 action on their side of the line. Since this was 

 done no trouble has occurred. The Frontier 

 Battalion and Special Police Force have done 

 good service in arresting criminals and pre- 

 serving peace and good order in the western 

 and southwestern parts of the State. The In- 

 dian depredations have practically ceased alto- 

 gether. The expense of this force has been re- 

 duced during this year to $60,000. 



The quarantine regulations for the protec- 

 tion of the people against yellow fever have 

 been systematized and much improved, while 

 all proper precautions have been taken not to 

 obstruct commercial intercourse with tropical 

 countries. 



Mr. A. "W. Spaight, the Commissioner of In- 

 surance Statistics and History, prepared and 

 published during the year a very valuable and 

 interesting book upon the "Resources, Soil, 

 and Climate of Texas," in which every county 

 is fully described. An admirable descriptive 

 map is affixed to the work. Existing law au- 

 thorizes the Governor to appoint a " State En- 

 gineer," who shall have the right to compel all 

 railroads that connect with each other in the 

 State to make their connections regular and 

 proper, so as to accommodate the traveling 

 public on said roads, and the right and power 

 to compel the railroad companies to draw the 

 passengers and freight of each other on their 

 respective roads ; and, upon a refusal to com- 

 ply, the Engineer is empowered to take charge 

 of the contumacious road and its rolling-stock, 

 and report it to the Governor, who shall then 

 order that the road shall be run for the benefit 

 of the State, until arrangements are made for 

 compliance with the law. But, as the Legis- 

 lature made no appropriation for the payment 

 of the salary and expenses of the Engineer, or 

 for the cost of taking charge of and operating 

 a railroad, the law is a dead letter. Several 

 of the Texas railroads are reported to be in 



