24
MESSAGE OF THE GOVERNOR.
quarter should be extended them in the application of severe penalties.
The mission of the concealed deadly weapon is murder. To check it is the
duty of every self-respecting, law-abiding man.
LOTTERIES.
The corrupting influence of lotteries, permitted or maintained by neighbor
States and countries, upon a great class of Texas people, cannot be overlooked.
The constitution provides that the legislature shall pass laws prohibiting
the establishment of lotteries and gift enterprises in this State, as well as
the sale of tickets in lotteries, gift enterprises and other evasions involving
the lottery principle established or existing in other States In some respects
the law on this subject is good enough. To give it full effect, however,
it would be well to make every one who deals in lottery tickets or in any
way represents a lottery company or sells or negotiates or transmits any
money to or from a lottery, guilty of a criminal offense named in the
law. In addition to this, any express company or other corporation doing
business in this State that shall transmit packages, letters, money or documents
of any character whatsoever to or from any lottery company or its
representatives or agents, shall pay a heavy penalty to the State on the action
of any county or district attorney or the Attorney General; and shall in addition
thereto be excluded from doing business within the State (if a foreign
corporation), and if a domestic one, forfeit its charter. There is a way to
exclude these instruments of public debauchery from the State; and the
legislature certainly can, and it is hoped will, rise to the emergency of the
occasion.
INJUNCTIONS.
Under the present laws there is some doubt as to the full right,
power and remedy of the State by injunction to prevent, prohibit or restrain
the violation of her revenue and penal laws. All doubt on this subject
should be removed. It would be well to confer this right upon the State,
acting thlrough the county attorney, district attorney or Attorney General, or
such other attorney as may be employed for that purpose by the Governor,
similiar to the act of May 12, 1888. To make this remedy effective to the
government in the prevention of crime and enforcement of the revenue and
and criminal laws, it would be important to attach to this law a fee bill
to be taxed up against the defendant when cast in the action or held in
contempt by the court for a violation of its decree therein.
STOCK QUARANTINE.
A well regulated quarantine system for the protection of the stock interests
of this State against infectious and epidemic diseases, as well as to guard the
citizens against hardships imposed on them by the quarantine laws of the
federal government and neighboring States, was advised by message to the
special session of the last legislature, but no further action was taken on the
subject. Your attention is respectfully called to the importance of this matter
with the hope that the interests involved may so assert themselves that
suitable legislation at this session to protect them may be the result.
CHARITIES.
The public may feel congratulated over the condition of all its present charitable
institutions. The reports of the superintendents and managers of the
Confederate Home, of the three lunatic asylums, located respectively at Austin,
Terrell and San Antonio, of the Institute for the Blind, of the Deaf and
Dumb Institute and the Asylum for Colorado Youths, at Austin, of the
