TEXAS. 



759 



and as regards fair dealing with shippers; and de- 

 signed on the other hand to avoid the over-regulation 

 that might work serious injury alike to the public and 

 to legitimate railroad business. The law regulating 

 the management of the penitentiaries was amended so 

 as to forbid the leasing of the same, but authorizes the 

 board to hire convicts to planters for a term of years 

 if in then-judgment the interests of the State will he 

 served. The food-adulteration act provides that no 

 person shall manufacture, offer for sale, or sell any 

 article of food, wines, beers, fermented or distilled 

 liquors or drugs, which is by him known to be adul- 

 terated, within the meaning of this act. 



Four amendments to the Constitution were 

 passed, and directed to be submitted to a vote 

 of the people on the second Tuesday of August. 

 These amendments follow : The first provides 

 for the sale of lands set apart for schools. The 

 second limits the amount of taxation by the 

 State to 35 cents on $100, exclusive of taxes to 

 pay the public debt and for free schools ; and 

 by counties and towns to 25 cents on $100, ex- 

 cept for debts incurred before the amendment, 

 or for permanent improvements. The third 

 relates to taxes for a free-school fund. The 

 fourth regulates the terms of the county courts. 

 These were ratified by the following vote : 



Congressional Districts. The new congressional 

 districts formed in 1882 are as follow : 



1. Harris, Chambers, Liberty, Jefferson, Orange, 

 Hardin, Waller, Montgomery, Grimes, Walker, Polk, 

 Tyler, Jasper, Newton, San Jacinto, Brazos, Madison, 

 Trinity, and Angelina counties. 



2. Eobertson, 'Leon, Houston, San Augustine, Sa- 

 bine, Freestone, Anderson, Cherokee, Nacogdoches, 

 and Henderson. 



3. Panola, Harrison, Kusk, Gregg, Smith, Wood, 

 Van Zandt, Upshur, Camp, Hunt, Shelby, and Rains. 



4. Cass, Marion, Bowie, Bed River, Morris, Titus, 

 Franklin, Lamar, Delta, Fannin, and Hopkins. 



5. Grayson, Collin, Copke ; Denton, Wise, Mon- 

 tague, Clay, Rockwall, Wichita, Wilbarger, Archer, 

 and Baylor. 



6. Ellis, Kaufman, Dallas, Tarrant, Hill, John- 

 son, and Bosque. 



7. Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Wharton, Mat- 

 agorda, Jackson, Calhouc, Victoria, Goliad, Refu- 

 gio. Bee, San Patrick), Nueces, Duval, Cameron, 

 Hidalgo, Starr, Zapata, Encinal, Webb, McMullen, 

 La Salle, Dimmit, Aransas, Maverick, Zavalla, De 

 Witt, and Frio. 



8. Austin, Lee, Fayette, Colorado, Lavaca, Gon- 

 zales, Caldwell, Hays, Guadalupe, Wilson, Karnes, 

 Live Oak, and Atascosa. 



9. Washington, Burleson, Milam, Bell, Falls, Mc- 

 Lennan, Limestone, and Navarro. 



10. Travis, Comal, Blanco, Bexar, Medina, Ban- 

 dera, Uvalde, Kinney, Edwards, Kerr, Kendall, Gil- 

 lespie, Kimble, Burnet, Llano, Mason, Menard, Lam- 

 pasas, McCulloch, Concho, Coleman, Runnels, Bas- 

 trop, Williamson, Crockett, and San Saba. 



11. Parker, Hood, Somerville, Coryell, Hamilton, 

 Brown, Comanche, Erath, Eastland, Palo Pinto, Ste- 

 phens, Jack, Young, Throckmorton, Shackleford, Cal- 

 lahan, Taylor, Jones, Haskell, Knox.Nolan, Mitchell, 

 Howard, Martin, Andrews, Gainea, Dawson, Borden, 

 Scurry, Fisher, Stonewall, Kent, Garza, Lynn, Terry, 

 Yoakum, Cochran, Hockley, Lubbock, Crosby, Dick- 



ens, King, Cottle, Motley, Floyd. Hale, Lamb, Bailey, 

 Tom Green, Pecos, Presidio, ChildreBS, Swisher, Deaf 

 Smith, Donley, Gray, Oldnam, Hutchinbon, Lips- 

 comb, Sherman, Hall, Castro, Randall, Collingsworth, 

 Carson, Hartley, Roberts, Ochiltree, Dallam, Greer, 

 Briscoe. Parmer, Armstrong. Wheeler, Potter, Moore, 

 Hempmll, Hardeman, Hansford, and El Paso. 



Finances. The reduction of the State debt in 

 the past four years has been $1,745,157.21. Of 

 the bonds now outstanding, $1,712,200 bear 6 

 per cent, $1,254,000 are 7 per cents, $1,068,- 

 900 are 5 per cents, and $2,630 are 4 per cents. 

 The school fund, university fund, and other 

 State special funds hold $2,547,100 of these 

 bonds, and Texas counties hold nearly half a 

 million more, leaving only about $1,000,000 

 held by private parties. The following table 

 shows the appropriations made by the 18th 

 Legislature, used and to be used during the 

 two years from March 1, 1883, to March 1, 

 1885, with corresponding appropriations by 

 the 17th Legislature for the years beginning 

 March 1, 1881, and ending March 1, 1883; 



These amounts do not include the available 

 school fund derived from taxation, either for 

 the last term or the ensuing two years. The 

 valuation for 1884 is estimated at $527,500,000. 



Education. Texas has more liberally endowed 

 all the State educational institutions than any 

 other State in the Union. This endowment 

 amounts to nearly $100,000,000. To this may 

 be added buildings at the Agricultural and Me- 

 chanical College, some $200,000, and college 

 lands, $12,000; buildings and lands at Prairie 

 View Normal School (for colored teachers). 



