

TENNESSEE. 



companies operating outside of their domicile and 

 counties adjacent thereto was increased from 

 $150 to $300. Assessment life companies have 

 to pay 2J per cent, of the gross amount of pre- 

 miums in the State, instead of a fixed tax of 

 $200 a year. The tax of 1 per cent, on the pre- 

 mium receipts of home companies was repealed. 

 A privilege tax of $500 was imposed upon trad- 

 ing stamp companies in each county where busi- 

 ness is done by them; and every merchant dealing 

 with or through such companies must pay a tax 

 of $250. Other privilege taxes were changed. 



A local option bill was defeated, but a measure 

 was passed which allows towns under 2,000 to 

 incorporate without being required to grant li- 

 censes for the sale of liquor, and towns of that 

 size may surrender their charters and reincor- 

 porate. 



Gov. Taylor pardoned or commuted sentence 

 of nearly 700 convicts during his two years of 

 office. A statement was made by a Senator that 

 money had been used in procuring the pardons, 

 and he was requested to file specifications and 

 substantiate or withdraw his charges. It does 

 not appear that he paid any attention to the 

 resolution. But it was thought best to relieve 

 the Governor of the whole responsibility for 

 granting and refusing pardons; and the Prison 

 Commissioners were constituted a board of par- 

 dons to advise with the Governor and to serve 

 in this capacity without additional compensation. 



Several bills were introduced with the object of 

 reducing the cost of schoolbooks, and the Gov- 

 ernor sent in a special message on the subject. 

 The result was a schoolbook commission, con- 

 sisting of the Governor, the Superintendent, and 

 three members of the State Board of Education, 

 who are to select a subcommittee of five men ac- 

 tively engaged in school work. 



At the request of the union labor men, the 

 office of Shop and Factory Inspector was cre- 

 ated. The salary, $1,500, is to come from the 

 fees charged to factories inspected. Only counties 

 of more than 30,000 inhabitants are affected. 



The negotiable instrument law proposed by the 

 conference of commissioners on uniform legisla- 

 tion was adopted. It was provided that contracts 

 for payment of money in gold, silver, or coin 

 may be discharged in any legal tender. 



The keeping or conducting of halls or houses 

 where the game of craps is played was made a 

 felony. 



The appropriation for pensions to Confederate 

 soldiers is $100,000. The sum for maintenance 

 of the National Guard is $10,000. For repairs 

 upon the Capitol $10,000 was appropriated. The 

 annual appropriation of $20,000 to the Peabody 

 Normal Institute was continued. 



Among other measures were the following: 



Providing that contractors on public work 

 must give bond to pay laborers and those that 

 furnish material. 



Making wages up to $30 exempt from execution 

 or attachment. 



Making it unlawful for news agencies to dis- 

 criminate against newspapers, and for an em- 

 ployee to aid in the business of an agency refus- 

 ing to supply. 



Making Saturday afternoon a legal holiday. 



Requiring fire escapes in hotels. 



Allowing graduates of the school of osteopathy 

 at Kirksville, Mo., to practice in the State. 



Regulating primary elections in counties of 

 100.000 to 110,000. 



Abolishing the office of State Geologist and 

 Mineralogist. 



Reducing the pensions of disabled soldiers. 



TEXAS. 



815 



Making the second Friday in May Confederate 

 Memorial Day. 



Providing that franchises be submitted to vote 

 in cities of 36,000 or more inhabitants. 



Decisions on Laws. In the United States 

 Court at Memphis, Oct. 17, the opinion was filed 

 that a homestead, though exempt from execu- 

 tions at law in ordinary prosecutions, must be 

 included in the aggregate of value in a proceeding 

 in bankruptcy. 



The Supreme Court of the State passed upon 

 the cigarette law in September, declaring ciga- 

 rettes not legitimate articles of commerce, and 

 upholding the law. 



The law of 1877 regulating foreign corporations 

 for mining or manufacturing was declared void 

 in so far as regards the provision that creditors 

 resident in the State shall have priority in dis- 

 tribution of assets over creditors of other States 

 and countries, because it violates the United 

 States Constitution, which declares that citizen* 

 of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and 

 immunities of citizens in the several States. 



A decision affecting combines was given by the 

 Supreme Court at Memphis in June. Memphis 

 plumbers formed an association, requiring the 

 members to pay into the treasury of the associa- 

 tion taxes graded in accordance with the work 

 performed when a member did work in competi- 

 tion with another member, and brought suit to 

 compel such payment. The court held that the 

 by-law of the association providing for a tax upon 

 a member when work is done in competition with 

 other members is void because in restraint of 

 trade and public policy, its tendency being to pre- 

 vent and destroy competition; that associations 

 formed for farming out business and work, as- 

 this association is shown to have been, can not 

 use the courts to discipline recalcitrant members. 



TEXAS, a Southern State, admitted to the 

 Union Dec. 29, 1845; area, 265,780 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial cen- 

 sus since admission, was 212,592 in 1850; 604,215 

 in 1860; 818,759 in 1870; 1,591,749 in 1880; and 

 2,235,523 in 1890. Capital, Austin. 



Government. The following were the officers 

 of the State for the year: Governor, Joseph D. 

 Savers; Lieutenant Governor, J. S. Browning; 

 Secretary of State, D. H. Hardy ; Treasurer, J. W. 

 Robbins; Comptroller, R. W. Finley; Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction, J. S. Kendell ; Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, Jefferson Johnson; Ad- 

 jutant General, Thomas Scurry; Commissioner of 

 the General Land Office, Charles Rogan; Attor- 

 ney-General, T. S. Smith; Chief Justice of the 

 Supreme Court, Reuben R. Gaines; Associate 

 Justices, Thomas J. Brown and F. A. Williams; 

 Clerk, Charles S. Morse all Democrats. 



Finances. On Aug. 31, 1898, there was a bal- 

 ance in the treasury to the credit of general rev- 

 enue of $811,279.74; the receipts during the year 

 ending Aug. 31, 1899, amounted to $2,790,897.18; 

 making the total receipts, including balance, 

 $3,602,176.92. There was disbursed during the 

 same period $2,375,607.60; transfers adjusting ac- 

 counts amounted to $133,761.38; leaving a bal- 

 ance on hand, Aug. 31, 1899, of $3,092,807.94. 

 This shows that at the close of the fiscal year 

 there was an increase in the cash balance of 

 $281,528.20, the increase being accounted for by 

 the Comptroller " because of economy in expenses 

 throughout the administration, fewer delinquen- 

 cies, and closer collection of taxes, and also be- 

 cause of the fact that a large percentage of the 

 appropriations made by the last Legislature for 

 permanent improvements at the various elee- 

 mosynary institutions of the State had not been 



