



Rosebud, May 14. three negroes 

 tempted assault on two white girl* ; and for the 

 crime, a negro was taken from tin- jail at Nacpg- 

 doches, Aug. 7, and hanged. None of tin-**- vi -tuns 

 had l*en tried. A resolution inirlu . ,| in tho Leg- 

 islature mentions also a lynching at Klgin. 

 message on the subject the Governor 

 growth is alarming ami ominous. For n time t In- 

 sole objects of its vengeance were tin we charged 

 with criminal assault upon females, and thus found 

 some measure of provocation and apology in manly 

 and chivalric instincts. Taking encouragem. nt 

 from this toleration, it n-. seeks to judge and 

 i f.-r murder, nnd in a recent instance in 

 Waller County was used for the suppret^ 



.y. It has reached that slap- i this Slate 

 ifl mi indictment of tin* whole people and 

 defilement of their en ili/alion. l'.\perien. mak s 

 it plain thai onlinary judii -iul machinery i- i 

 (|iiat>. and if it is to be destroyed and the 8 

 spared further .i--i-.i-.-iM.-n; extraordinary measures 

 must be adopted." 



The Texas aUaffMTtV FoUowin| is the work 

 done by the Ran^< T- during a single month De- 

 cember'. iy7: They made 40 arrests during tho 

 month for vaiiou> eriiues. made 70 scouts, assisted 

 the sheriffs I? tune-, guarded jails ! times, at tended 

 t court" :t4 times, made '. attempts to anv-i 

 that failed, and traveled during the month 4.M4:i 

 miles. 



..ilveston. The harbor improvements have 

 the <-ity a straight, wide ehamiel leading to 

 the wharves. * The depth in the < -hannel at mean 

 low tide in December, 1805, was 21 feet : in I >. - 

 *96. it was 25 feet; and in December, 

 1897, it hail increased to 26$ feet. As the <-li.-iiin.-l 

 was deepened the whole space between the jetties 

 has shown an increase in depth. The jettie-. in- 

 cluding exficiiditurcs on previous project-, have 

 >v '.'.'.-''?. Work was sus|icnded on the south 

 jetty I-M-. 11. 1HU7. That jetty is completed, unless 

 it i- decided t" extend it to the :{o-foot curve. The 

 north jetty is completed as far as its effect on the 

 channel is concerned. The bars have been entirely 

 removed. The length of the south jetty is :*4,800 

 fe-t : that of the north jetty is 25,907 feet. 



After deep water was secured a new line of 

 steamers was established between New York and 

 Gal vest on, resulting in a rate war by which the 

 ship|*ers and producers have benefited. The city 

 has an elevator capacity of 2.750,000 bushels. The 

 port can handle 70.000*000 bushels of grain during 

 the season. Gal\.-t..n now has fifteen direct lines 

 of Kuropean steamers and two lines to Mexico. 



Da 11 a*. A monument to the soldiers of the Con- 

 federacy was unveiled at Dallas, April 20. The 

 shaft is surrounded by statues of (Jen-. Lee. .Jack- 

 son, and A. S. Johnston, and .letter-. M Davis. It 

 was erected by means of the efforts of the Daught -rs 

 of the Confederacy. 



LtfflftlatUe Se**lon. The twenty-fifth regular 

 session began Jan. II. Jr^-ph It. Dii.rdl was pn--i- 



pro Irmpore of the Senate, and K.-j 

 Ihnhicll was Speakrr of the House, 



The Governor and Lieutenant Governor were in- 

 augurated Jan. 19. The regular session was ad- 

 journed May 21. In le than two hours a call was 

 issued for a special session, to begin at noon the fol- 

 lowing day. It closed June 20. The cost of the 

 two sessions is given as $170.000. 



The appropriation bill passed at the regular ses- 

 sion was vetoed by the Governor in the interest of 

 economy. The object of the special session was to 

 secure one that should m- t with executive ap- 

 proval, as well as bills on other subjects on which 

 the party was pledged to Icffi-'late responsibility 

 as to fellow-servant*, official fees, and others. 



lynched forat- The fee bill, enacted at the special session, af- 

 fects ':! counties tho>e with a vote of nioiv than 

 3,000 but in -. me iv- peels it operates upon all. 

 The reduction of the fees of sheriffs and elei 

 the district and county courts paid hy litigants will 

 ibly average 20 | MT <.,.nt. The fees of assess- 

 iuced. and the payment |,y the State and 

 counties for assc im-nt equalized. 



The general appropriation hill passed at the spe- 

 cial session and appi s appropriation^ f-r 

 two years amounting to $4,884,855.00. Thi- is 

 $305,137.49 less than the total appropriation made 

 in the l>ill that was disapproved at the n-gula- 



>i. .n. Included in this lull was $50.000 heretofore 



paid out of the available sch>ol fund f..r the sup- 

 iMirt of the Normal Institute and Department of 

 Vlducatioii. and $172,000 for the erection of new 

 buildings at the Colored A-yluin. the Orphans' 

 Home, tin' Agricultural College, and the Terrell 

 and San Antonio a-ylums. The additions j., th,. 



asylums will afb>rd acoommodationi f-r 7<"i addi- 



ti<'.mil patients. 



An: 1 measures were an act for uniform 



primary text-books, jirovj-ion for enlar^in^ the 

 facilities of the uni\-r-ity. the Agrionltara] Col- 

 ,iii. 1 the Sain HoiiMon Normal Sch-M,!. and f.-r 

 setting apart 50,000 acres of land fora university 

 for colored student-. The price of school lands to 

 actual .-ettler- was reduced, and they will W per- 

 mitted toacipiirc more sections than befon a meas- 

 ure which i- expected to increase the school f u ml 

 by promoting sp. 



"An act to suppress lynching provides for imme- 

 diate trisJfl in cases of criminal assault, for tie 

 denunciation of participants in nmlis as mnr-. 

 with a view to their -peedy c..nviction. and for the 

 perpetual exclusion from office of any sheriff or 

 other officer who permits mob violence in his 

 county. 



A new and more stringent law was made for the 

 collection of delinquent taxes. 



An act was passed providing for a labor lien to 

 protect accountants, bookkeepers, nrti-an-. crafts- 

 men, factory operative-, -ervai :-. mechanics, quar- 

 rymeii. common laborers, and farm hands. 



It was provided that the proceeds of the volun- 

 tary sale of the homestead of a family shall i, 

 subject to garnishment or forced sale within six 

 months after such sale. 



Bills were passed for improving the roads in 

 certain counties, and one providing for a system of 

 drainage along the public roads of the State and 

 for the improvement and encouragement of natural 

 drainage. 



The Aransas Pass Harbor Company was author- 

 ised to buy from the Slat.- Harbor island. 



The law on divorce was amended so as to make 

 husband and wife competent witnesses. Law> 

 made in regard to new trial- and appeal-, concern- 

 ing absent evidence and presumption of regular 

 proceedings in the court below. 



A method was prc-cribed for determining con- 

 tests for the office of presidential elector. A II elec- 

 tion on the i|iie-tion of aboli-hing the corporation 

 of a town ..f .VKi t,, ln.ood inhabitants may be held 

 on |x-titioii of 25 qualified voter-. Where an entire 

 county has adopted local option any town or sub- 

 divi-j.'.n therein may hold a local-opt ion election. 



An act to prevent the sale and distribution of 

 immoral publications makes it a felony, with pen- 

 alty of two to ! n the Penitentiary, Sell- 

 ing or giving intoxicating liquors to minors is to be 

 punished by a fine of $25 to $HH). Throwing mi-- 

 r discharging firearms at or into any moving 

 train, residence, church, schoolhouse, etc., is made 

 a misdemeanor, punishable by fine of $5 to $1,000 

 or imprisonment in the county jail ten days to two 



