T i:\.\s. 



receipts, including the balance at I hi- bcginnin;,' 

 of tin' year. s.Y|.0'j:;.li. A in-vv building has 

 been erected with a Stalf appropriation <>f 

 XK i.i MM). The Houston Memorial Hall in this 

 building is ono of tin- lineM auditoriums in the 

 Stair, having accommodations f..r 1.500. H.I'. 

 I'ritchctt was appointed President in August. 



Legislative Session. The tw< 'iity-sccond 

 : ..ituiv met on .Inn. 1U and adjourned on 

 April K5. Two of tin- laws passed occasioned 

 a great amount of advene criticism and opposj- 

 tion on the part of the public. One of these 

 was the lull establishing u railroad commission. 

 Th0 Governor, in hie message, called the atten- 

 tion of the Legislature to tho constitutional 

 amciidmeiit requiring it to pass laws regulating 

 railroad freight ami passenger tariffs," and to 

 "provide all rct|uisitc means and agencies with 

 such powers as may IK- deemed adequate and ad- 

 visable." The act passed on this subject was en- 

 titled "An Act to establish a railroad commission 

 for the State of Texas, whereby discrimination 

 and extortion in railroad charges may lie pre- 

 vented, and reasonable 'freight and passenger 

 tariffs may be established: to prescribe and 

 authorize the making of rules and regulations to 

 govern the commission and the railroads, mid 

 afford railway companies and other parties ade- 

 quate remedies: to prescribe penalties for the 

 violation of this act, and to provide means and 

 rules for its enforcement." !t provided for the 

 appointment by the Governor, with the consent 

 of the Senate, of a railroad commission of three 

 persons not interested in any railroad, to receive 

 each an annual salary of $4.000 from the State, 

 with provisions for salaries of secretary and 

 clerks and traveling expenses; they were to have 

 I tower to govern and regulate railroad freight 

 and passenger traflic; to classify all freight, to 

 fix the rates, to adjust the division of thecharges 

 on freight carried over more than one line, and 

 to fix rates for storage and handling of freight, 

 and the use of cars not unloaded by the con- 

 signee. Any railroad company having cause of 

 complaint against the rulings of the commission 

 should have the riirht to file a petition in court, 

 when t he case should take precedence of all other 

 causes of a different nature. The commission 

 should investigate all complaints against the 

 companies and impose the damages, if any, the 

 case to be taken to the courts only in case of the 

 failure of the company to pay. when the evi- 

 dence taken by the commission, if reduced to 

 writing and sworn to. could be used in court. 

 The commissioners also to have the right to in- 

 spect the 'tooks and papers of any company, and 

 to examine under oath any officer, agent, or em- 

 ploye of such railroad in relation toils business 

 and affairs: and for any failure to allow such 

 inspection the company should pay a fine of not 

 less than $125 nor more than $000 for each day 

 it should so fail or refuse. This act originated 

 in the House and passed it by a vote of !',' to .">, 

 and passed the Senate by a vote of 21! to 0. it 

 was approved April 8. 



It was objected to this bill, on the part of the 

 railroads, that it conferred almost absolute |M>W- 

 ers on the commission; that by the exercise of 

 its powers that commission could bankrupt any 

 railway in the Stale; ami as -oon as the com- 

 mission began its work complaints were made of 



unjust diM-rimination in MX-dfic CMC*. Objec- 

 tion- were al4i made to the i.llii-.- ( 

 MHIHT U-ing made ap|xiiii!it. 



The other ini|Kirtunt lull mention. ,J \.-, 

 titled ' An Aet to prohibit alien* from acquirm^ 

 title to or owning land* within II. 



It provided that no peraon not a < 



of the I'niled States could own land in . 

 unless he had declared his intention of U-< . 

 a eiti/cn of that State. All alien* who il 



hereafter take lands b\ devi-c or de-cent could 



hold them for six years and no lunger, except in 

 the case of minors, who should !* exempt fix 

 years after coming of age, or of jM-rx.n.* uf un- 

 sound mind. The net was. of coiire. intend* d 

 to bar out foreign corporations rather than in- 

 dividuals, but applied to both ; and it wan a 

 question whether the charterf of such corj*>ru- 

 tions, as contracts with the State, would not en- 

 able them to stand upon their rights against the 

 law. A lest case came up in a suit against an 

 individual owner, and the law was pr< n< nm ed 

 void for want of a proper title. The judge also 

 said that the act was at variance with treaties 

 and conventions existing Itctween the t'nited 

 States and other powers. 



The Confederate Soldiers' Home, at Austin, 

 was transferred from private to State manage- 

 ment, to be placed in charge of a loard of 5 ex- 

 Confederate soldiers appointed by the Governor, 

 and $25,000 was appropriated to provide addi- 

 tional buildings, and $ 50.000 for t he maintenance 

 of the home for two years. 



Among other acts passed during the session 

 were the following: 



Prohibiting pri/.c fighting. 



Preventing the acquiri unlit of title t<> land l'\ t. n 

 years' i>ossessii >n under certain cireumstan.es. ThU 

 provides that no person, tinn. <>r corjmratioii. who have 

 now or sliall hen-alter have within <>iu- im-lm-ure more 

 than '.'.('<MI neres. including in the siui.e land Mong- 

 inir to others, shall liave any right t<> claim Mieh land 

 other than their own. by f. ns.-n of ten yeiir- 

 ]>ney or i tot-session <!' the same, unless iuch land nm 

 their own lias been he^re^atfil and separated from nil 

 other lands, and t'eiieed ill a separate im-Wi; 

 period often years, or unless at least one tenth of the 

 land so Claimed lias been Used for the name period for 



agricultural purposes. 



Providing for the destruction of wolves uiid "tl..r 

 wild animals. 



Making abstracts of hind title* or land-title book* 

 to lands in this State compiled from the record* of any 

 count v in this State prior t<> the vcur !>-". wl. 

 records have Incii partially or wnol tn-m 



any cause prior to the \ cur \^<\ j-rimn^'i-i' cvidcnct- 

 of the truth of the data or memoranda luwn l>v MU-|I 

 iiKstniets of land titles or land-title atwtnelMok*, 

 subject to certain eon.litiuiis. [The bill pn>\ide* tiiut 

 abstniets of land titles eeltitied to by the compiler 

 shall IK- received us ttstiii:n\ as t" the validity i-l' 

 titles.] 



M bar)., i si..']- c'ti Stmdnyi*. 



To fix the rite of taxation for the maintcni 

 the j.uhlie free sdiools at twenty cents on the humlm! 

 dollars. 



To make expntto companies subject to the control 

 of the railroad ei>iiiiniK.-iiiii. 



To create the comity of Sterling out of T-T. ' 

 Comity. 



Providing n pension of ?! 

 'astanon de Yilh.nciiva. U-tter known in ntot< 

 Madam Candclaria, of SUM Ant-m". > " *?' 

 to the sick Texaiw diiriliir t 



To protect the M-a-^iill. teni, shearwater, 

 hen.ii, juul i>elicau. and tht-iregffc 



