The Weekly Herald

The Legislature.

THURSDAY.

Senate.—Mr. Byrd offered a resolution providing for a settlement at fifty cents and four and five per cent. interest. Mr. Savage moved to suspend the rules and submit the bond holders proposition to the people. The Senate refused to suspend the rules and Mr. Byrd's resolution went over. Senate bill to provide revenue was amended so as to fix the State tax at ten cents and limit the levy by counties, to thirty cents and then passed third reading.

The following House bills passed third reading to change and fix the time of holding: the Chancery Court of Knox county; to require Supreme Court clerks to pay to the clerks of inferior courts money and fees upon certified orders; to prohibit speculation in witness fees and to declare Clinch river navigable.

House.—The regular order, Senate bill to settle the State debt at forty cents and four per cent. interest, came up, with Mr. Stovall's amendment to substitute fifty cents. Mr. Butler spoke at length in favor of fifty cents and arraigning the Democrats. Mr. Stovall moved the previous question on the adoption of his amendment. Agreed to, 39 to 34.

Mr. Fowlkes offered an amendment that railroads be assessed to pay one hundred thousand dollars annually. The previous question was called and the amendments adopted, forty-nine to sixteen. Mr. Anderson offered an amendment that no proposition be submitted to the people, nor that the Legislature be convened until the Governor had communicated with the bondholders and obtained the acceptance of said proposition from an equal number to that amount as now proposed to take sixty cents. Adopted, 41 to 33. The bill as amended passed second reading, 37 to 34.

SATURDAY.

Senate.—House bill to repeal the charter of Athens finally passed. Senate bill appointing a Register of the Land Office, and for the sale of certain lands on the Holston river, finally passed. After a great deal of filibustering and exciting discussions, the House amendment to the bill to adjust the State debt at fifty cents, was concurred in by a vote of 15 to 10.

The following appointments of the Governor were confirmed: Superintendent of Public Instruction, Leon Trousdale, of Shelby; Superintendent of the State Prison, Nathan Bond, of Lincoln; Commissioner of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines, J. B. Killebrew, of Montgomery; Trustees for the Hospital of the Insane, Geo. W. Jones, of Lincoln; T. Nixon VanDyke, of McMinn; W. M. Wright, of Carroll; Warden of the Penitentiary, Lon. Blizard of McMinn; Deputy Warden, Fred. Cross, of Rutherford. Arbitration Court for West Tennessee, John L. T. Sneed, of Shelby, J. W. Cochran, of Obion; Howell L. Jackson, of Madison; Middle Tennessee, W. P. Hickerson, of Coffee, Thomas M. Jones, of Giles, John E. Gardner, of Robertson; for East Tennessee, J. B. Cook, of Hamilton, Jas. Shields, of Grainger, Henry H. Ingersoll, of Knox.

House.—Mr. Beasley desired to enter a protest characterizing the State debt bill as the offspring of an unholy alliance between the Democrats and Republicans. Objections were raised to the language it contained, and it was withdrawn, to be offered at another time. It was reported that there were over 22,000 volumes in the State Library. Senate bills to levy a tax of ten cents for 1879, and succeeding years, and prohibiting the levy of a greater tax than thirty cents by counties; to repeal the charter of Greenville; to reduce the bonds of Registers; passed third reading. Most of the day was consumed in the consideration of appropriation bills.

MONDAY.

SENATE.—The appropriation bill was returned to the House for amendments. House bill to abolish corporations of Sevierville and Coal Creek passed third reading.

House.—Time all taken up in discussing appropriation bills. The State debt bill will be signed to-morrow.

TUESDAY.

Both Houses adjourned to-day at 4 o'clock, having passed the appropriation bills.

SENATE.—In the Senate a lively debate ensued on the motion to strike the words "undue influence" from the protest of the minority. Hot words were used on both sides, the majority charging that it was an unfair effort to throw a foul aspersion on their conduct. The Senators of the minority attempted to explain that it referred to no one. Finally the majority entered a protest to be spread on the minutes denouncing the charges of the minority as without any foundation whatever.

House.—Mr. Gardner submitted an explanation signed by thirty State credit Representatives in regard to their vote excluding the minority protest and in answer to its charges,

A cane was presented to Speaker Fowlkes and several congratulatory speeches made.