The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-02-17
SENATE.
SATURDAY. Feb. IL.

SATURDAY, rep. IL.
BILLS INTRODUCED.
By Mr.. TAYLOR: To define the boun.
daries of Tod county and provide for its or.
ganization Also bill to define the boun-
daries of Aiken county and attach it to the
county of Morrison for judicial purposes.
By Mr.. BALDWIN of Scott To fix
time for selling lands for delinquent taxes in
the county of Scott.
By Mr.. McKUSICK Defining the
duties of Treasures and Collectors.
REPORTS.
The Committee on Towns and counties
recommended that the bill changing the
boundaries of Anoka and Isanti counties be
indefinitely postponed. The report was
adopted.
THE APPORTIONMENT BILL.
This bill came up, and Mr.. Cook moved
that the Senate adhere to its amendments.
Decided out of order.
Mr. MCKUSICK moved that the Senate
recede from its amendments.
Mr.. COWAN called the attention of the
Senate to various districts where the appor-
tionment was grossly unequal in the bill as
it came from the House, and argued against
receding from the amendments adopted in the
Senate.
The question being on Mr.. McKusick's
motion to recede, the yeas and nays ware
called for and ordered, which resulted as
follows:
YEAs-Messrs. j. F. Baldwin, Bhisop, Holley,
King and McKusick-5.
NAYs-Messrs. Adams, Andrews, F. E. Bald.
win, Clarke, Cook, Cowan, Cruttenden, Edger.
ton, Evans, Frost, Galloway, Gluck, Hall,
Heaton. Kennedy, Nelson, Norris, Petit, Rob.
inson, Rogers, Stannard. Stevens, Stewart,
So the motion was lost.
Mr.. STANNARD moved that the Sen
ate insists upon its amendments. Carried
unanimously.
THE BILANsKY BILL.
The bill to commute the sentence of Mrs.
Anne Bilansky from the sentence of death
to Imprisonment for life, came up for its
final passage.
Mr.. McKUSICK was opposed to having
the first execution of the death penalty on
woman.
Mr.. STEWART spoke against the bill.
He corrected the statement often made that
Bilansky was poisoned by strychnine whis-
ky-and said that arsenic was found in the
stomach of the murdered mau, and that if
ever there was a devil incarnate, it was in
her person. The woman had had full,
fair and impartial trial she had been de-
Tended by the most able and efficient counsel
to be obtained in the State, who had done
everything in their power to avert the SEN
tence of the law. But the case had been
fully made out, and the law had declared
her guilty, and he was in favor of allowing
it to take its course, so long as that law
remained upon the statute book.
Mr.. BISHOP spoke in favor of the
passage of the bill, and deprecated the exc
cution of the law upon woman.
Mr.. COWAN made a most eloquent
speech in favor of the bill. He contended
that as the penalty for murder had been fixed
by legislature, that the same power could
modify it, so as to embrace this case or any
other-that there was nothing to prevent
the members of the legislature from exercis-
ing that mercy to fhllow being which they
hoped to obtain for themselves for the trans.
erosion Of any of the Divine laws, and that
it was an outrage on public sentiment to
make a poor, friendless woman the first
victim in the State, to the death penalty.
The question on the passage Of the bill
was then taken, aud the yeas and nays being
called for and ordered, there were yeas 19,
nays l3, as follow:
YEAs-Adams, Andrews, ]. F. Baldwin.
Bishop, Clarke, Cook, Cowan, Cruttenden,
Edgerton, Evans, Galloway, Gluck, Kennedy,
Mck9sick, Norris, Petit Stevens, Taylor,
and Wells-l9.
NAYs-F. E. Baldwin, Frost, Hall, Heaton,
Holley, Mackubin, Nelson, Robinson, Rogers,
Stannard, Stewart, Watson, and Winn-l3.
So the bill was passed.