The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-04-19
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,


jourhed till Friday $3.50 a. m.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
House met at appointed hour. Speaker
Gibson and a quorum present.
Prayer by the chaplain.
COURTHOUSE BONDS.
The business pending from adjourn
ment being senate bill 211, authorizing
county commissioners to issue bonds and
levy tax to build courthouses and jails,
the bill was taken up and passed.
PAY OF WITNESSES
MI Moore OF McLennan, moved to
postpone the pending business to take up
motion to reconsider the vote by which
senate bill II, to pay attached witnesses
in felony cases was passed, and to lay the
motion to reconsider on the table.
A ter some discussion by Messrs. Moore,
Woods, Patterson. Swan, Hill, Cotton
and others, call of the house resulted
in stopping further immediate considers
ton of the matter.
LUNATIC ASYLUM.
Senate bill 327, the asylum bill, was
taken up as regular order, and pending
amendment of Mr.. Foster. Of Grayson,
requiring superintendents to be expert
enced in the treatment of insanity, was
adopted.
Also amendment of Wood, giving pref
erence in admission of patients to chronic
over recent cases. to public over private,
and INDECENT patients over those having
means, etc.
Bill finally passed.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Substitute house bill 236 being next in
order, to lay out and better classify pub
lie roads, the adverse report OF the COM
mittee was adopted.
Senate bill 10, providing for reforma-
tory for cOnvicts, was called up by MIR.
Armistead. Motion was withdrawn.
Mr.. Swan calling up the pending mo-
ton on senate bill l20, above noticed d,
MIR. Wurzbach demanded call OF the
house, and the house refused to suspend
the call.
A message from. the senate announced
adoption of free conference committee
reports on the game law and land fraud
bills; and the passage of other bills.
SALOON LICENSES.
Senate bill go, to refund saloon keep.
ers pro rata of licenses paid in advance
of the option law. finally passed.
TAX COLLECTORS FEES.
Mr. Upton the chair.
Senate bill 2h9, amending article 4767
revised statutes, relating to fees of tax
COll0ClOTS, was next
Mr.. Moore, of McLennan, moved call
the absentees, which latter motion Ire-
vailed. 81.
Bill finally passed, and Mr.. Cochran
asked to have spread on the journal mo-
ton to reconsider.
Mr.. Moore again moved a call of the
house, pending vote on which the hour,
IL u. m, arrived for the special order, the
resolution looking to the
QUESTION OF FINAL ADJOURNMENT.
Various motions TO postpone were
made and discussed.
On motion to table motion to DO ST.
pone the resolution a call OF the house
was demanded. but suspended.
Motion to table the motion to postpone
was lost. Ayes SO, noes 30.
The resolution provides for finai ad-
journment to-day [Friday) noon.
A call of the house was demanded and
kept up, pending which the house pro-
ceeded to cOnsiuer other business.
ASYLUM BILL AGAIN 49,
Mr.. Frymler moved to reconsider the
vote by which senate bill 32T-the asylum
bill-was passed, so-.fs to make amend
ment covering constitutional defect in
the bill, which amendment, fixing the
term of office of the superintendent at
two years, was adopted and the bill final
iy passed.
SCHOOL MINERAL LANDS.
Mr.. MerrIwether called up senate bill
80, providing for prospecting and work
ing mines on the free school and uniyer-
sitT lands. Five per cent of the proceeds
is to go to the benefit of the school and
university funds.
BY MIR. Townsend: Strike out five
VIII rever it occurs and insert ten. Lost.
The bill finally p..ssed.
MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE.
The message announced that the sem
ate had passed senate bill 1926, with
amendment, to meet the objections OF
the governors veto, as to the time for
which he could appoint superintendent
OF the asylum; and that the senate had
passed sundry bills banned.
THE TAX COLLECTION BILL.
|. Mr.. Moore, of McLennan, as matter
OF privilege, called up his motion to re-
consider senate bill 259, al, eady noticed,
but subsequently withdrew his motion
for the time being.
REFUNDING LAND DEPOSITS.
Mr.. Patterson called up senate bill $50,
to refund to parties having purchased 30
cent school lands, amount of deposits
paid in Ell rOr:
Bill finally passed.
GREER COUNTY CERTIFIC ATEs.
Mr.. Robertson, of Williamson, asked
to take up senate bill ia, 10 pI ovide for
locating veteran land certificates in the
territory of Greer county.
The house refused 10 suspend the rules
to take up the bill.
House adjourned till Bpm.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Speaker Gibson and quorum.
After various motions to postpone to
take up other business, the house, on
motion of MIR. Upton, took up the
DEFICIENCY BILL.
Mr.. Upton moved hat the house refuse
to concur in the senate amendments and
ask for u conference committee. Carried.
In making the motion Mr.. Upton stated
incidentally that the senate amendments
Involved an additional expenditure of
over $40, 900.
THE PENITENTIARY BILL. H.
House concurred in senate amend.
ments.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.
Joint resolution requiring the governor
to submit the various constitutional
amendments to the vote of the people
passed.
COMMITTEE REPORTS.
Mr.. Acker, chairman of judiciary COM
mittee, presented report on sundry bills.
Mr.. F ster, chairman of enrolment
committee, reported sundry bills duly
enrolled.
REEVES COUNTY.
Mr.. Graves called up senate bill 367, to
create new,cOunty to be called "Reeves
county ;" out of part of Pecos county
The county is to be so named in honor OF
the former speaker of the house, Hon.
George Reeves.
The bill finally passed.
THE SETTINGS INVESTIGATION.
Mr.. Mckinney, chairman of the special
committee, presented the following re-
port:
Your special committee appointed I'M
der the resolution of the house of repre-
sentatives, adOrted March 81, 1888, re-
curing an investigation oil sundry
charges against the action Of members of
said house. have discharged that duty.
Your committee are of the opinion that
the evidence adduced before them in said
investigation does not establish any dis
honorable conduct against any member
of this house: and further that 1t does not
Justify the influence or even suspicion that
any OF the members thereof voted on the
questions pertaining to the penitentiary
lease, which have been recently consid-
cred in said house, otherwise than upon
his honest convictions in respect to such
questions.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
MCKINNEY,
MCALPINE,
STE LIE,
SHARP,
PARSONS.
COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Chenoweth said, in connection
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