The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-02-10
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

leglslatlon III any is required.
Adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
STATE PRISON.
Mr.. FOX, from the Committee on State
Prison, reported in favor of repairing and
charging the the building; states the mum.
Der of c0nvicts to be five, while accommo-
dations exist for fifteen or twenty more
recommends guard TO be kept up night and
day; and that the Attorney General be
directed to take measures to secure to the
State clear title of the land upon which
the Prison is located. The report was
adopted.
PUBLICATION OF STATISTICS.
Mr.. PFAENDER, from the Committee
on Emigration, reported to the House the
Senate bill, providing for the publication of
statistics of the productions of the State,
recommending the passage of the same.
Adopted
ELECTION LAW.
Mr.. SECOMBE reported back the gener-
al election law, as revised and corrected by
the Special Committee to whom it was
referred. The report was adopted, and the
bill ordered to be printed.
MRS. BILANsKY's CASE.
Mr.. ACKER introduced Ga bill for an
act to commute the sentence of Mrs. Anne
Biansky, to Imprisonment for life in the
State Prison" The bill was read a first and
second time.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
MIR. SECOMBE introduced bill for an
act in relation to proposed amendments to
the Constitution of the State.
A number of House bills had their second
reading.
BILLS PASSED.
A bill for an act to regulate the duties of
the Supreme Court Reporter.
A bill for an act in addition to the act pre-
scribing rules and regulations of the trust
arising under the act of Congress entitled
"an act for the relief of citizens of towns
upon lands of the United States under GER
tain circumstances"
A bill to amend an act regulating the
recording of conveyances affecting real
estate.
ADJOURNMENT.
Mr.. MORRISON introduced resolu-
ton that all bills or memorials introduced
after the 10th of February, be referred
without debate to the next Legislature The
resolution was lost.
A Joint resolution, offered by Mr.. DONO-
HUE, providing that the Senate and House
adjourn on the 18th of February, was
taken up and indefinitely postponed.
Mr.. HUNT offered resolution that the
Legislature adjourn on the 2lst inst. Laid
over.
THE RAILROAD AMENDMENT.
Mr.. COGGSWELL, (Mr. Acker in the
chair offered the following resolution:
RESOLVED, That the act entitled San act
proposing an amendment to section ten of
article nine of the Constitution, and providing
for the submission of the same to the people,
approved March 9, 1885, is, in the opinion of
this House, part and portion of the Constitu-
ton of the State, and binding upon US, and the
people of this State, as much as any other por.
ton of the Constitution. adopted and ratified
by the legal voters of Minnesota, on the 18th
day of October, A. d. 1857
MIR. COGGSWELL said be would not
have offered the resolution had it not been
for the utterance on this floor, yesterday, of
alarming doctrines. His object in present
ing it, was to ascertain whether, in the
sense of this House, there was any such thing
in existence as an amendment to the Con-
stitution of the State. If there is such an
amendment, it means what it says, and as
part of the Constitution, clearly defines our
duty. But if there is no such amendment,
if there are no State Railroad bonds, if there
is to be no adjustment of our Railroad diff.
culties, then let US know it, and there wifi
be no use in occupying the time of the
Legislature in the consideration of any
question in relation thereto. He desired
that the question should be met fairly and
squarely, and that there would be a direct
vote upon the resolution. Let US know
whether there is such thing as the Rail-
road amendment. If there is not, then the
Democratic and Republican parties of this
State made fools of themselves last fall, in
Incorporating in their respective platforms,
provisions distinctly recognizing and ac-
knowledging its validity. If there is no
Constitutional amendment, the railroad
question need not occupy the time of the
House any longer.
Mr.. TROW said many persons who ac-
knowledged the validity of the loan amend
ment, did not believe in the legality or
honesty of acts resulting from its adoption.
He believed it valid, but also, that it was
obtained by trickery and fraud, and that its
adoption, under such circumstances, did not
require the people of the State to pay bogus
bonds
MIR. MANN moved the resolution lay on
the table for future action.
Mr.. MORRISON approved of the reso-
luton and believed it should receive the
unanimous endorsement of the House.
Mr.. COGGSWELL opposed the motion
to lay on the table; he was not mistaken
o his assertiionthat the gentleman from
Hennepin Mr.. Secombe) had yesterday
stated as his belief that there was no such
thing as an amendment to the Constitution
Of the State. Upon this proposition he
(Mr. C.) desired to get the sense of the
House he did not seek to ascertain whether
acts growing out of the practical operations
of that amendment were legal and valid.
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