The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-04-04


are after-meu who would burn a mans
house over the head of his sleeping
family. That is the stock we are trying
to reach.
Mr.. Robinson, of Bexar-There seems
to be Misrepresentation of the purposes
of the law. the trouble is we have no
civil statute on libel and are left to the
conflicting, unwritten law as interpreted
by the courts. What We want is a certain
civil enactment. If the bill don't suit let
us amend it. 1t only slightly changes the
rules of the common law. 1t don't let
down the bar to license to the press. This
bill don't shield a party from actual dam
ages and can't do it under the principle
that 70 man can be shielded from recourse
by process of law. When the question of
malice is presented the jury may give pu-
nitory damages. Malice ia presumed un-
der the oOmon law. Under this bill it is
to be proved. 1t is true that no money
could satisfy me for SANDER any more
than it would satisfy me for being shot.
But we can't expect the world to hold its
mouth, or men to keep from shooting on
account of any law in either case. The
bill is demanded all over the country, so
the papers can know what they car and
should publish for the information of the
people. No man could suffer under a
law requiring full retraction as this bill
proposes.
The house refused to reconsider-syes,
43; nays, A, as follows:
Yeas-Hon. f. p. Alexander, speaker
Messrs. Asberry, Brown, of Johnson; Brown,
ofNavarro; Campbell, of Cooke; Campbell,
of Grimes; Clemens, Connellee, Crayton,
Dawson, Dunlap, Faubion, Fields, Frost
Gresham, Handy, Hathaway, Humphrey,
Johnson, of Anderson; Kincaid, Levy,
Lewis, Martin, Mays, McComb, Mcdonald,
McGaughey, McGehee, of Hays; Middle
brook, Miller, Mills, Miner, Pope, Ralph,
Robinson, of Bexar; Selman, Stevenson, of
FL Paso; Stevenson, of Parker; Strong,
Swinford, Tolsr, Urbahn, Welhausen-
Total, 43.
Nays-Messrs. Allison, Childers, Cobb,
Cochran, Cook, Grassland, billiard, Ellison,
Fielder, Hamblen, Hayes, Hood, Hudson,
Jagoe, jenkins, Johnson, of Titus; Jones,
Landlord McGee, of Bowie; Mcclure,
Mckinney, Nelson, Moody, Moses, Muir
Gibson, Murrel, Newton, Owsey, Parker, of
Tarrant; PEBBLES, Pickett, Renick, Rhodes
Robinson, of Bastrop; Rowland; Sorrel,
Thompson, Tolbert, Towles, Weldon
White, Whitfield, Wilson, of Hill Woodruff
Total, Al.
Absent-Messrs. Breeding, Brown, of
Grayson; Bryan, Erskine, King, Overton,
Roop, Whatley, Wood--Total, 8.
House bill 407-Amending the law as to
condemnation of property for opening
streets, passed.
Also substitute house bill requiring raj
roads to provide depots at crossings, ex-
cept where there are union depots near
by in cities or towns.
House bill fixing the liability of EN-
ployes to employers in railroad accidents
was substituted by the senate bill and
tabled.
Senate bilrequiring county school funds
to be turned over monthly to the treasury,
passed.
Senate bill authorizing counties to fund
their indebtedness; and senate bill amend
ing the law as to disorderly houses passed
to third reading.
House bill relative to transferring
school children and pro rata of school
fund WAS defeated.
Mr.. MoGee,for free conference commit
tee on the state reformstory, presented
both houses.
Adjourned till O'clock.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
House bill authorizing the commits
sioner of the general land office, in GER
tain cases, to change numbers of surveys
made by virtue of alternate land certif-
Gates, was ordered engrossed.
ha irok rs ba
$685. requiring rendition for taxation of
notes, bonds, debentures, judgments and
other evidences of Indebtedness secured
by lien on real estate, was considered and
read second time.
Mr.. Martin offered as substitute house
bill 42l, levyipg besides state county, free
school and road taxes special school tax
for school buildings, and further regulat-
ing the taxation of debentures and evil
denoes of indebtedness held by loan asso-
Citations and mortgage companies, and
further regulating the taxation of bank
ing corporations, state or national, and
the shares therein.
The substitute was lost-yeas, AZ; nays,
40, and after adopting several amend
ments the bill was ordered engrossed, but
not passed for want of necessary vote to
suspend the rules.
Resolution for final adjournment April
was postponed till Wednesday, April 8.
House ooncurred in senate amendments
to bill amending charter of Galveston and
bill requiring county officers to furnish
statistics to the commissioner of akricul
ture. Adjourned till 9 O'Clock to-day.
Form Sundays Daflyl
The house met at 8 a. N. Speaker
Alexander in the chair. Prayer by the
chaplain, Rev. II. W. Dodge.
Mr.. Erskine called up house bill 995
amending the law fixing the time of hold
ing court in the Thirty-eighth district.
The bill passed
House bill 327, amending article 1852 of
the Revised Statutes by adding provisions
thereto relative to sales of property for
taxes, so as to better enforce collections,
was considered with pending amendments,
several of which were adopted, and the
bill was ordered engrossei.
Mr.. Robinson had read the following in
yitatiou: The citizens of San Antonio
through the chairman of the Alamo monu-
mert, and chairman of the Citizens asso-
citation, respectfully invite the senate and
house of representatives. ard officers and
ladies To visit San Antonio, as guests of
the citizens, leaving Austin ct $ O'Clock
Sunday morning, and San Antonio I
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