Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-10-03
THE House COMMITTEE.
Listen to Representations From the
People of Dallas.

Austin, Tex, oct. 2.-(special)-
House judiciary committee number
met at $3.50. Representative Allen OF
Dallas was before the committee with
o request to be INDUCED about an hour
owing to the failure OF Colonel Craw-
ford to arrive with duplicate anna.
Wit which the Dallas people wished
to present. The originals were In use
at the time before the senate COM
mittee and Il would be n serious In
Jury to the cause he had chumpioncd
II II TO be deprived Of the use OF these
afildavits. There would be no attempt
at fillbusterlng, and he saw no reason
why action might not be taken tomor-
row. The Dallas people desired prize
fight law passed as wen az the rest Of
the state.
Mr.. Burmeister OF McATulleu. sug-
gested that inasmuch as the question
OF the law TO be adopted was not in
v0lved In the contention OF the Dallas
people, but only whether such law
should go into immediate effect, the
committee should proceed TO the con-
sderation OF the three measures before
the committee.
Mr.. Burmclstcr. after the reading OF
the bills. called attention to a new
style OF fighting in vogue In France
wherein only the feet were employed
and spiked shoes were used. He
thought the bill should be amended
to cover this style OF combat.
The committee then took a recess to
1880.
Upon reconyening ex-state Senator
w. H. Pope OF Harrison. addressed the
committe against the emergency clause.
He was given one hours time by the
committee upon the motion Of Bass.
Pope declared the object Of the call
was to prevent the Corbett and Fita-
simmons fight at Dallas October ~.
To prevent the carrying out Of these
men and the Florida Athletic club Of
contract entered into at "a time whom
there was no inhibition In the laws OF
Texas against It. The proposed law
was so clearly class legislation that
1t was inhibited. lie quoted q decision
from Justice Field In the case or a genA
eral ordinance nd y ted by the city Of
san Francisco requiring that all male
persons confined In the city prison
should have their hair clipped within
an Inch Of their head. Justice Field
decided the ordinance to be absolutely
null and void upon the suit of China
man who had lost his queue under the
ordinance and wanted damages there
for. The justification OF the ordinance
that 1t contributed to cleanliness jus
tice Field declared to be a mere pre-
tense. Pope declared the purpose eN-
pressed In the call TO be mere pre-
tense. He declared that the Iegisla-
ture could not hide within the pro-
visions Of u general law the fact that
the purpose was sepcill in It's appll-
cation. How many more laws was the
legislature going to enact only to have
them knocked down by the courts and
the attorney generals odlce2 There
had been, he was reliably informed,
In the past two years. as many as two
hundred Nights within the state and
yet he knew OF only one arrest having
been made. and that was the case
parsed upon nj Dallas by Judge Hurt
Dudley q. Wooten followed. He did
not represent any club or any orguni2a-
tlon whatever. and had not come for
the purpose OF addressing the COM
mlttee. But he believed lie spoke for
a large element OF the citizens Of Dali
las, lie would not spend any time In
meeting the legal argument, There
were lawyers ON the committee and
they would understand that one OF the
fundamental principles OF law was
that the state cannot ubdlCate her
right to the exercise OF police powers
merely In the interests OF private COM
tracts. lie did not understand that
the people OF Dallas were demanding
that this fight be permitted They
were willing to rest the whole m -
with the patriotism of the people
Colonel william Holland, a Dallas
business man. speaking for a meeting
OF Dallas business men, declared that
tho men who built the city OF Dallas
and who paid the taxes OF the city
were opposed to this hight. He did not
know how to answer Colonel Pope as
he was not u lawyer, but as to the ar
Bument thut the proposed Legislation
Involved vested rights. He did rot
Involved vested rights. he ala NOT
as vested rights In crime. He could
not say as hard things about prize
lighting ns Colonel Pope. who held
them in adherence and said that he
would not care II both participants In
every prize fight should drop dead as n
result, yet he entered the plea here
that Interference with this contract
would intilct injury upon the widowed
boarding house keepers OF that city.
Colonel Holland declared that the peo-
pie of Dallas asked this Legislature to
save them the humiliation OF having
the thugs and prostitutes OF the world
dumped upon them, to the permanent
injury OF public morals In Dallas and
throushont the state Colonel Holland
was loudly npplAudpd throughout hia
talk and at It's conclusion
Messrs, Wylie, Mittenthnl and Eur.
man, representing the commercial club
OF Dallas, addressed the committee
against the emergency clause. Mr..
Mlttenthal said among other things
that he was In the mercantile business
while Mr.. Dan Stuart was In the saloon
and gambling business and he ala not
| speak for stuart but for the CONF
mercial Interests Of the city. Mr., Wylle
made the equity plea In the interest
| or those who have stocked up with
goods and made other Investments OF
various characters, based upon the
| abaense OF amy legal inhibition at Inc
time these OUTLAWS were made.
! MT Furman spoke with show of
| considerable feeling, declaring IL had
been asserted Dan Stuart owned The
| city OF Dallas. He denied II. He also
| oontroverted the claim OF Colonel HoI-
land that the business men OF Dallns
were In favor Of this measure with the
emergency clause attached, Claiming
mat the meeting OF the commercial
| elub, which he represented was at
tended by at least $50 men, all tax
payers. and that among them were
| many OF the largest tax payers OF
| the city, He resented being classed in
ms matter with thugs. gamblers and
similar characters He declared that
the heart OF Dallas was pure and TINT
Dallas could be relied upon 10 on,
force any law against prize fighting
| which might be adopted, hut was over.
| Whelmingly opposed 10 a law passea 10
meet q special cnsc, az the call OF The
governor clearly Indicated 10 be the
| purpose, He was severe in his strlc.
lures upon Governor Culherson. chars.
Ing him with attempting TO usurr
legislative functions by practically IN.
structlng the legislature what 10 40
lie also charged him with nm nttsmnt
70 discredit and bring into contemni
the decision OF CHIEF .Iusiiee Hurt