TENNESSEE. 



747 



Any state can withdraw upon a year's 

 notice. The Swiss Government was requested 



years from the date of publication. A Bureau tions. 



of the International Union for the Protection 



of Literary and Art Works is to be established to invite the several governments" to V diplo- 



in Bern. The convention is to enter into force matic conference for the conclusion of a defini- 



three months after the exchange of ratifica- tive treaty at the end of a year 



TASMANIA. See page 66. 



TENNESSEE. State Government. The follow- 

 ing were the State officers during the year: 

 Governor, William B. Bate, Democrat ; Secre- 

 tary of State, John Allison ; Treasurer and In- 

 surance Commissioner, J. W. Thomas; Comp- 

 troller, P. P. Pickard ; Attorney- General, B. 

 J. Lea; Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

 T. H. Paine; Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 Statistics, and Mines, A. J. McWhirter ; Regis- 

 ter of Lands, W. S. Winbourn. Judiciary, Su- 

 preme Court : Chief-Justice, James W. Deade- 

 rick; Associate Justices, William F. Cooper, 

 Thomas J. Freeman, Peter Turney, and Rob- 

 ert McFarland. 



Legislative Sessions. The Legislature met on 

 Jan. 5, and adjourned about the middle of 

 April. One hundred and sixty-seven bills were 

 passed, of which the following were the most 

 important : 



To encourage the raising of blooded stock. 



To amend the act establishing taxing districts of the 

 first class. 



To establish referee court for Middle Tennessee. 



To amend the act providing for the organization of 

 corporations. 



Appropriating $95,000 to finish the East Tennessee 

 Insane Asylum. 



To take private property for internal improvements. 



To pay post-notes. 



To repeal the Eailroad Commission. 



To punish polygamy. 



To authorize municipal corporations to issue bonds. 



To provide for the descent of estates of illegitimate 

 children. 



Continuing liens of decrees of Chancery Courts. 



To punish the killing of another's stock. 



To prohibit the playing of base-ball, cricket, or any 

 other game of ball, bat, or club on the Sabbath. 



To prohibit the sale of intoxicating bitters within 

 four miles of institutions of learning, except within in- 

 corporated towns and cities. 



To enable county courts to build bridges over 

 streams or rivers. 



To incorporate the purchasers of tbe property and 

 franchise of any incorporated company of this State, 

 when sold under mortgage. 



To change the line oetween the counties of Over- 

 ton and Clay ; also between Overton and Pickett. 



To provide for the appointment of commissioners 

 on the part of this State to act with commissioners 

 on the part of North Carolina, for the purpose of as- 

 certaining the true boundary-line between said States. 



To fix the time when taxes assessed for the support 

 of taxing districts shall become delinquent. 



To amend the fish law, and allow any person to 

 catch fish by means of any trap, box, basket, or bait 

 net, any of whose meshes or openings are not less 

 than one and a half inch in diameter, in any stream 

 in this State as far as navigable. 



To extend the statute oflimitation on realty, and to 

 quiet titles to ten years from the maturity of the debt. 



To perfect the mechanic lien law, and to secure to 

 the mechanic his just reward. 



To protect the public, define the rights of carriers 



of passengers, and prevent and punish certain discrim- 

 inations at public places of amusement and resort. 



Providing that a municipal corporation or taxing 

 district having 36,000 shall not bury its dead within 

 its corporate limits. 



Providing that notaries public, duly and lawfully 

 commissioned by the proper authorities of other States 

 than Tennessee, empowered by law of such State or 

 States to take depositions, are hereby authorized to 

 take depositions to be used in the courts of this State 

 upon the same terms that are provided for the taking 

 ot depositions by other officials in such States. 



To incorporate an independent militia. 



A registration law was defeated by most of 

 the Republican Senators near the close of the 

 session absenting themselves, thus breaking a 

 quorum. Their objection to the registration 

 bill was its "partial application to certain lo- 

 calities, which rendered it not only unjust and 

 oppressive, but also unconstitutional." 



The bill abolishing the Eailroad Commis- 

 sion was passed over the Governor's veto. 

 A resolution was passed proposing a pro- 

 hibitory amendment to the Constitution, as 

 follows : 



To add as section 18 to Article XI the following : 

 " No person shall manufacture for sale, or sell or keep 

 for sale as a beverage, any intoxicating liquors what- 

 ever, including ale, wine, and beer. The General 

 Assembly shall by law prescribe regulations for the 

 enforcement of the prohibition herein contained, and 

 thereby shall provide penalties for the violation of the 

 provisions thereof." 



On May 16 the Governor issued a proclama- 

 tion calling the Legislature together in extra 

 session on May 25. The following were the 

 principal objects specified in the call : To pro- 

 vide revenue ; to make appropriations for cur- 

 rent expenses; to make effective the funding 

 act of 1883; to prevent the cattle-plague from 

 spreading ; to redistrict the State ; and to pass 

 a registry law. The extra session adjourned 

 about the middle of June. Bills were passed 

 on most of the topics suggested by the Gov- 

 ernor. The registration bill again failed this 

 time by the Republican members of the House 

 breaking a quorum. 



Valuation and Taxation. The following state- 

 ment exhibits the assessment of property in 

 1884: 



Land in acres in East Tennessee $39.313,060 



Land in acres in Middle Tennessee. . . 67,216,943 

 Land in acres in West Tennessee. . . 



Town lots in East Tennessee $12,043,144 



Town lots in Middle Tennessee 23,239,704 



$145,862,841 



Town lots in West Tennessee 



Other taxables in East Tennessee . . . 

 Other taxables in Middle Tennessee. 

 Other taxables in West Tennessee . . 



19,067,211 



54,850,059 



$6,097,545 

 15,914.976 

 4,618,763 



Total taxable property $226,844,184 



