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SEC. 3. This act shall not be held to supersede or repeal any law now in force correcting the evils herein defined, but shall be cumulative of all such laws.

SEC. 4. Any person may be compelled to testify and give evidence in any proceeding under this act, but such evidence shall not be used. against such person in any criminal prosecution in this State.

SEC. 5. The fact that we have no adequate laws in this State for the suppression of the illegal traffic in intoxicating liquor as herein defined and prohibited creates an emergency and an imperative public necessity that the constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended, and that this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage, and it is so enacted.

Approved April 6, 1907.

Takes effect ninety days after adjournment.

INSURANCE COMPANIES-PROHIBITING REMOVAL OF CASES FROM STATE TO FEDERAL COURTS.

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An Act to amend Article 3049 of Chapter 2, Title LVIII, Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, relating to insurance, and prescribing a penalty for failure to comply with same, and declaring an emergency.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas:

SECTION 1. That Article 3049 of Chapter 2, Title LVIII of the Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, be amended so as to hereafter read as follows, to-wit:

Article 3049. Should said Commissioner be satisfied that the company applying for authority has in all respects fully complied with the law and that it has the required amount of capital stock, it shall be his duty to issue to such company a certificate of authority under the seal of his office, authorizing such company to transact insurance business, naming therein the particular kind of insurance, for the period of not less than three months, nor extending beyond the 31st day of December next following the date of such certificate. And if any insurance company, organized under the laws of any State or county, after having obtained a certificate of authority from the Commissioner of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics and History, or other officer authorized to issue such permit to do business in this State, shall remove, or shall bring in any Federal court against any citizen of this State, or any suit or action to which it is a party, heretofore or hereafter commenced in any court in this State, to the United States District or Circuit, or to any Federal court, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics and History, or other officer authorized to issue such permit, shall forthwith revoke and recall the certificate of authority of such insurance company to do and transact business within this State, and no renewal or authority shall be granted to such insurance company to do business in this State for a period of three years after such revocation, and such insurance company shall thereafter be

prohibited from transacting any business in this State until again duly authorized by law.

SEC. 2. The fact that under the present law cases affected by this act arising in counties where there are resident Federal courts are being transferred from State to Federal courts, while such can not be done in counties which have no Federal courts, and the further fact that litigation affected by this act should not be removed from State to Federal courts, creates an emergency and imperative public necessity that the constitutional rule which requires bills to be read on three several days be suspended, and said rule is hereby suspended, and that said act take effect and be in force from and after its passage, and it is so enacted.

Approved April 6, 1907.

Takes effect ninety days after adjournment.

TAXES-LOCAL TAXATION FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES.

H. B. No. 55.]

CHAPTER LXXXIII.

An Act to amend Section 58, of Chapter 124, of the General School Laws, passed by act of the Twenty-ninth Legislature, relating to special local tax, and declaring an emergency.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas: That Section 58, of Chapter 124 of the General School Laws, passed by act of the Twenty-ninth Legislature, be amended so as to hereafter. read as follows:

Section 58. Whenever twenty or more qualified property taxpaying voters of any district, or a majority of the property taxpaying voters of any district, wish, for the purpose of taxing themselves for the building of school houses or supplementing the State school fund appropriated to said district, and shall make application to the county commissioners court duly signed by them, said court shall enter up an order for an election to be held in said district to determine whether such tax shall be levied or not; said application shall designate the amount of tax asked to be levied, and the order of said court shall state:

First-When said election shall be held.

Second-At what point or points the polls shall be opened.

Third-The amount of tax to be voted on; provided, that no election shall be held to determine the levy of a tax exceeding 20 cents. on the $100 valuation of property.

The commissioners court shall order the sheriff to give notice of such election by posting three notices in the district for three weeks before the election, and the sheriff shall obey such order. Not more than one such election shall be held in the same scholastic year.

SEC. 2. The importance of the passage of this act to the people of Texas and the fact that many districts are desirous of levying a special tax for the ensuing year, creates an emergency and an imperative necessity that the constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on

three several days be suspended and this bill be placed on its third reading and final passage.

[NOTE. The enrolled bill shows that the foregoing act passed the House of Representatives by the following vote, yeas 100, nays 0; and passed the Senate by the following vote, yeas 21, nays 0.]

Approved April 6, 1907.

Became a law April 6, 1907.

ELECTIONS-PROHIBITING CONTRIBUTIONS OF MONEY, ETC., BY CORPORATIONS.

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An Act to prohibit contributions of any money, or its equivalent, by corporations for the purpose of aiding or defeating the election of any candidate for the office of Representative to Congress of the United States, Presidential or Vice Presidential Electors from this State, or for any State, district, county or precinct office in this State, or the success or defeat of any political measure submitted to a vote of the people of this State, and providing penalties therefor, and provided that all laws or parts of laws in conflict herewith are hereby repealed, and declaring an emergency.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas: That it shall be unlawful for any national bank, or any other corporation organized by authority of any law of Congress, and doing business in this State, or authorized to do business in this State, or any other corporation organized by the authority of the laws of this State, or of any foreign country, or any corporation authorized by the authority of the laws of any other State of the United States, doing business in this State, or authorized to do business in this State, to make any money contribution, or its equivalent, or to offer to pay at any future time any money, or its equivalent, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of aiding or defeating the election of any candidate for the office of Representative in Congress, or Presidential or Vice. Presidential Electors from this State, or any candidate for any State, district, county or precinct office in this State, or the success or defeat of any political measure submitted to a vote of the people of this State. SEC. 2. Every corporation which shall make, or offer to make, any contribution in violation of the foregoing provisions shall be subject to a fine of not less than five thousand nor more than ten thousand dollars for each offense, and every officer or director of any corporation who shall consent to any contribution as above provided by the corporation in violation of the foregoing provisions shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the penitentiary for a term of not less than two nor more than five years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

SEC. 3. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed.

SEC. 4. The fact that there is now no adequate law on this sub

ject, an imperative public necessity justifies the suspension of the constitutional rule requiring bills be read on three several days, and the same is hereby suspended, and this act shall be in force and effect from and after its passage, and it is so enacted.

Approved April 6, 1907.

Takes effect ninety days after adjournment

COURTS-RESTORING CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JURISDICTION TO COUNTY COURT OF IRION COUNTY.

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An Act to confer upon the county court of Irion county the civil and criminal jurisdiction belonging to said court under the Constitution and General Statutes of Texas; to define the jurisdiction of said court; to conform the jurisdiction of the district court of said county to said change; to fix the time of holding court, and to repeal all laws in conflict with this act, and declaring an emergency.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas: That the county court of Irion county shall hereafter have exclusive original jurisdiction in civil cases wherein the matter in controversy shall exceed in value two hundred dollars, and shall not exceed five hundred dollars, exclusive of interest, and that it shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the District Court of said county when the matter in controversy shall exceed five hundred dollars and not exceed one thousand dollars.

SEC. 2. Said county court shall have appellate jurisdiction in civil. cases over which justice's courts of said county have original jurisdiction when the judgment of the court appealed from or the amount in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, exclusive of interest, and said county court shall have power to hear and determine cases brought up from the justice's courts by certiorari under the provisions of law relating thereto.

SEC. 3. The county judge of said county shall have authority, either in term time or in vacation, to grant writs of mandamus, injunction, sequestration, garnishment, attachment, certiorari, supersedeas and all other writs necessary to the enforcement of the jurisdiction of said court, and shall also have power to issue writs of habeas corpus in all cases in which the Constitution and laws has not exclusively conferred the power on the district judge or district court thereof.

SEC. 4. Said court shall have and exercise the general jurisdiction of a probate court; shall probate wills, appoint guardians of minors, idiots, lunatics and common drunkards, grant letters testamentary and of administration; settle accounts of executors, administrators and guardians; transact all business pertaining to the estates of deceased persons, minors, idiots, lunatics, persons non compos mentis, and common drunkards, including the partition, settlement and distribution of estates of deceased persons; to apprentice minors as provided by law,

and to issue all writs necessary for the enforcement of its jurisdiction, orders and decrees; and generally, to exercise all the powers in probate matters conferred upon such courts by the constitution and laws of the State.

SEC. 5. Said court shall have jurisdiction in the forfeiture of all bonds and recognizances taken in criminal cases of which said court has original or appellate jurisdiction.

SEC. 6. Said court shall have and exercise exclusive original jurisdiction of all misdemeanors, except misdemeanors involving official misconduct, and except misdemeanors in which the highest penalty that may be imposed by law is a fine, without imprisonment, that does not exceed two hundred dollars; and said court shall have appellate jurisdiction of criminal cases in which justice courts and other inferior tribunals of said county have original jurisdiction.

SEC. 7. The District Court of said county shall no longer have jurisdiction of misdemeanors, except misdemeanors involving official misconduct, and shall no longer have jurisdiction of civil cases of which the county court of said county, by the provisions of this act, has original or appellate jurisdiction.

SEC. 8. It shall be the duty of District Clerk of said county within thirty days after this Act shall take effect, to make full and complete transcript of orders on the criminal and civil dockets, then pending before the district court of said county, of which cases by the provisions of this Act original and appellate jurisdiction is given to said county court, and to file said transcript together with the original papers in each case, in the county court of said county, and the county clerk shall enter said cases on the respective dockets of said county court as appearance cases for trial by said court.

SEC. 9. The said court shall also have the power to hear and determine all motions against sheriffs and other officers of the court for failure to pay over moneys collected under the process of said court, or other defalcations of official duty in connection with said process, and shall have power to punish by fine not exceeding one hundred dollars, and by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding three days, and any person guilty of contempt of said court, and all other powers and jurisdictions conferred on county courts by the constitution and general laws of the State of Texas.

SEC. 10. The terms of said court shall commence on the third Monday in February, and on the third Monday in May, and on the third Monday in September, and on the third Monday in November of each year, and shall continue in session for three weeks at each term, or until the business may be disposed of; provided, that the County Commissioners' Court of said county may hereafter change the terms of said court whenever it may be deemed necessary.

SEC. 11. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this act are hereby expressly repealed in so far as they relate to Irion county,

Texas.

SEC. 12. The importance of the passage of this measure to the people of Irion county, Texas, creates an imperative public necessity that the constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

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