The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-02-14
LAWS AT THE EXTRA SESSION.
Bills and SynOpseT of Bills Approved
by the Governor.

House bill No. Amending tn
revenue law reducing taxation an
conforming same to the amended cen
stitution. 1t fixes the ad valorem ia,
at Tx and school tax at l215 cents
for county revenue Il of per cen
and for roads and bridges u cents OF
the 500, and for county Indebtedness
from April, 1876, and prior to adop
ton of section 8, article 8, of the ctn
stitution, not exceeding Is cents OF
the 500 any one year, with right t.
levy one-half of state occupation tax
provided, any one wishing to pursue
any of the vacations taXablei namet
in this act and upon which tht
state tax, in such cases exceeds S2(
for less than one year may do so by
paying same quarterly; provided, the
| provisions of this act shall not affect
the provisions of any law specially
authorizing any commissioners court
to levy an additional rate of tax; pro.
vided no licience shall issue for selling
Intoxicating or spirituous liquors OF
for keeping ten-pin alleys Tor other
things named or any thing of the
kind used for profit for less than
! twelve months; and provided further,
the mayor and board of aldermen of
any incorporated town or city shall in
no case levy greater tax on any Oc-
cnpation than that authorized by their
charter, to be levied by the county
commissioners court. Emergency
clause is added.
Senate bill No. 5J-Amending arti-
Giles 3672 and 1915, revised statutes,
and adding other articles relative to
duties of superintendent of public
grounds and buildings. Useless prop
erty of the several state departments
is to be sold at auction for the benefit
of needed repairs in several state
offices or for the state cemetery. The
state superintendent is to have the
state sewers kept in sanitary condi-
ton. Appropriation for the purposes
Of the bill is $1,000.
Senate bill No. 3G-To require COM
miSSioners' courts to lay out and open
certain first-class roads from county
seats to lines of adjacent counties in
direction of adjacent county seats.
Senate bill No. Making certain
reservations for public roads out of
lands hereafter disposed of by the
state. If more than one road across a
tract, county is to pay the land owner
for subsequent ones, original cost of
land and damage to Improvements.
Senate bill No. 63-To prevent de-
struction of grass by wilful burning
inside or outside of enclosures, under
penalty of from two to five years in
penltentiary. Such offense with in
tent to lnjure owners of stock grazing
on the land to be subject to penalty
OF from one to three years in peniten-
tiary.
Senate bill No. $40 provide for
leasing the unorganized county school
leagues. They are to be advertised
for lease for from five to seven wears
at not less than five cents per acre.
Rents are to be paid annually in adj
vance as part of available school fund,
and when a league becomes separate
of the county a sum equal to
proceeds OF the lease shall be paid over
to the county out of available school
fund. Any lease to be null on nom
payment of rent, the action of the
board created by the act being suff1-
clients eclare the forfeiture and have
the land readVertised. Leases and
transfers of leases to corporations or
allowing them to use such lands are
forbidden under forfeiture of leases
and improvements. Act to be in force
in ninety days from the date of adj
journment of the legislature.
Senate bill No. 42-Requiring gates
every three miles of fencing, allowing
six months to parties who already
have fences to comply with the law.
Penalty, from 800 to 5000; each day a
a separate Otfense-not to apply to pas
ture lands.
Senate bill No. 46-Providing for
more than four terms of county courts
and not over six terms; all to be fixed
by county commissioners courts.
Senate bill No. 29-To authorize rem
dering lands by owners or agents for
taxes not assessed on affidavits of cash
values for the years 1871 to 1876 inclu-
sive.
House bill No. 98-Authorizing
counties to issue bonds for court
houses and jails, running not over fiji
teen years, and redeemable at the pleas
ure of the counties.
Senate substitute bill No. 4, appro-
priatlng $4,000 for the representation
of Texas at the New Orleans EXPOSE
ton. 1t provides for one chief COM
missioner at salary of $1,000 with
chief clerk at $1,000, and eleven assist
ant commissioners who are to get
$500 each, Articles exhibited belong
ing to the state are to be returned to
the state capital, except perishable ar
ticleS which are to be sold at auction.
Senate bill No. 68, Authorizing coun-
ties to issue bonds for bridge pur-
poses and to levy tax to pay same
and to validate bonds heretofore is
sued for bridge purposes. Bonds are
to run not over 20 years at not over 8
per cent interest. Tax levied not to
exceed Is cents, sufficient to pay
sinking fund of 4 per cent.
Bonds not to be sold for
less than face value. Interest
to be paid every April. No county
shall issue more bonds than ten cents
tax will meet in ten years. Money to
credit of sinking fund to be first ap-
piled to payment of bonds or invested
in other bonds of the county, or bonds
of other counties, or in Texas ate
bonds, or United States bonds, for all
which not more than their face value
shall be paid. All bonds heretofore
issued, coming within the provisions
of this act, are validated.
House billNo. so -Appropriating$5O,-
600, to be used by the governor to pay
rewards and ferret out and suppress
crime.
House bill No. 72-County courts at
first term after December 81 and June
80 shall appoint three jury commits
sioners with the same qualifications as
those of the district court, and similar
proceedings as in district courts to pr
cure jurors, except that such commits
sionerS shall select jurors for all the
terms of the county court to be held
in six months next after adjournment
of said courts first term, after De-
cember 81 and June 30. The county
Judge to designate number of jurors
House bill No. 4-Amending arti-
Gle S04 of the penal code so as to read:
1.-THE agreement to come within the
definition of conspiracy must be to
commit one or more of the following
offenses, to-wit: Murder, robbery, ar
son, burglary, rape or any other Of
tense of the grade of felony"
Note-Fence-cutti having been
made a felony the words cor any other
offense" brings conspiracy to cut
fences within the law of conspiracy.
The following is the full text of
the fence-catting bill:
Substitute House bills Nos. 2, and
9-"An act to prescibe the punish
ment for the wanton and wilful
cutting, injuring or destroying OF
| fences.
"Section 1. Be it enacted by the
Legislature of the State of Texas,
That any person who shall wan
tonly or with intent to injure