Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-18
Surroundings at Austin Finer
than They Have at Home.
The Bill Making Two Judicial Districts
out of Dallas County is Passed
by the Senate.
Stevenson Of Parker has the First House Bill
Passed to EngrOssment-The
Libel Bill.
A LITTLE INcoNGRUoUs.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX, Jan. 1t will be a
long time before Texas win have q legis-
lature that viii feel at home in her mag
nifieent capitol. The average man who
comes here is a fine, healthy looking fell
low, smart, shrewd, well informed as to
the needs of his constituents, but he is
not pretty, and when the floors are laid
with Brussels carpet, and the windows
are hung with rich draperies, and he is
furnished with a desk of antique oak of
the highest polish, and a chair with
morocco leather upholstering he is going
to feel just a little out of place. The lack
of proper appreciation of the fitness of
things received fine illustration to-day in
the erection in the hall of the house of
number of hat and cloak racks, resem-
bling old-fashiOned clothes horses. Think
of it! With cloak rooms specially de-
signed for the purpose, with more rooms
of other kinds than can be used for other
purposes, the walls of the beautiful hall
of representatives must be festooned
with umbrellas of every shade, ulsters in
every degree of wear, and hats of all
kinds from the shiny silk plug to the
broad, Tapping sombrero-
THE ONLY SNYDER.
Among the notable figures seen daily
about the capitol, the form of Snyder
looms up like four-time winner Sny-
der is the man who has squatted on the
arsenal lot presented to the city of Austin
by the United States government. Sny-
der, before this episode, was only known
to fame as the man whom Jimmy New
comb clipped below the eye and knocked
under the piano during the Re-
publican riot which occurred in the
Fort Worth opera house last September.
Snyder is the only man of whom history
takes note who became famous by simply
setting himself down and refusing TO
move.
A STRONG COMMISSION BILL.
Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX, Jan. 17.-From the
makeup of the subcommittee of the in
ternal improvement committee to take
charge of the railroad commission bills,
the opinion is formed that strong COM
mission bill win be reported. The MEM
bers are MessPs. Clemens, Frost, Gresh-
am, billiard, Whatley and Brown of
Grayson. OF these it is understood that
Frost and Gresham viii oppose COM
mission, and the others win favor it.
Albert Stevenson, the bright young
member from Parker is entitled to the
distinction of getting the first house bill
passed to engrOssment. The bill amends
the law in relation to malicious mischief
so as to meet the objection urged by the
court of appeals to the present statute.
WILL REPORT ADVERSELY.
The internal improvement commit
tee will tomorrow report adversely
Mr., Martin IS bill allowing railroad COM
panies when they kill or injure stock TO
force the plaintiff to submit the question
of damages to arbitration.
The committee was unanimously in
favor of Mr.. Pope's bill requiring rail-
road companies to keep their general Of
fees in this state, with the exception of
Chairman Brown, who asked a postpone
ment, as he may want to make minority
report.
Mr.. Levy will make a minority report
in favor of Wilson IS libel law.
The bill making two judicial districts of
Dallas county passed the senate to-day
and will go through the house all right.
1t is said to be an absolute necessity, but
it is feared that good deal of trouble
will grow out of having two courts of
concurrent jurisdiction in one county.
ANOTHER LIBEL LAW.
In view of the fact that Judiciary COM
mittee No 1 will almost surely make an
adverse report on Wilson IS libel bill Mr..
Robinson of Bexar has prepared the fol-
lowing bill on that subject, which he will
probably introduce tomorrow:
Section l. In all civil actions for dam
ages against newspapers for libel, malice
shaU not be presumed, but must be
proved like any other fact.
Sec .. The measure of damages shall
be the actual damage done the plaintiff,
unless malice is shown, ana if the publi-
cation was done maliciously primatory
damages may be allowed.
Sec. g. The defendant may show the
truth of the charge and that it was pub
lished in the interest of the public as a
justification of the publication
Sec. 4. The defendant may show that
the publication was made under a mis-
apprehension of the facts and that as
soon as he learned of its falsity he made
a full and complete correction of the
statement, in the same public manner as
the original charge was made which shall
be full release from all but actual dam
ages.
Sec. B. This act applies only to libels
published by the newspapers of the state.
Sec. 6. Suit can be brought only in the
county in which the paper was published
or in the county where the plaintiff re-
sides.