The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-01-20

| slaves. This bill makes it the duty of
| Prosecuting Attorneys to defend fugitives,
and gives them the benefit of the habeas
| corpus act.
COMMON LAW PRACTICE.
HAYS moved that the Committee
on Judiciary be instructed to report bill
substituting the Common Law Practice for
the present code, which was adopted, yeas
Al, nays IA.
MIR. FOX introduced bill providing for
the substitution of the Common Law for
the present code of practice, which was
| referred to the same committee.
BILLS INTRODUCED.
BY Mr.. PFAENDER An amendment
to the License Law of 1858.
By Mr.. MORRISON A bill to regu-
late the rates of interest. This bill provides
that any interest specified in note not ex-
ceedng IL per cent. per annum, shall bear
the same rate rate of interest after maturity
until paid, and when interest not specified
the rate shall be 7 per cent.
By Mr.. CLEVELAND A bill to extend
the time for the collection of taxes, to the
lst of May, 1860.
Mr.. DONOHUEm moved to reject the BILL
Upon which Mr.. CLEVELANDg gave the
reasons inducing him to offer the bill, which
were the same as always advanced, that
the farmers in the interior could not eX
change their grain in time to raise money
by the first of February He proposed this
as measure of relief.
Mr.. DONOHUE replied that The pro-
posed extension would only benefit the rich
man, who always was the last to pay his
taxes. The poor men of his county always
paid their taxes in time. The delinquents
were the rich men, spectators and non.
residents.
A substitute was accepted to refer the
bill to the Committee on Ways and Means.
By Mr.. ROY: A bill to prohibit the
use of strychnine by hunters, in poisoning
animals for their furs, in certain counties of
this State. Referred to the members from
the counties interested.
MISCELLANEOUS
H. F. No. 35 The Township Organiza-
ton Bill was made the order of the day for
Monday, al IL o'clock, A. M.
Bills to the amount of S4S42, for fees of
witnesses in Dakota county election case,
were referred to the Committee on Claims.
The House went into Committee of the
Whole on the Apportionment Bill.
The motion for indefinite postponement,
offered by Mr.. Sweet, was withdrawn, and
substitute recommending its reference to the
Judiciary, with Instructions to district the
State according to population, which was
lost.
Mr.. LEAVANS proposed to amend so
that the fifteenth district should be composed
of Mower, Dodge and Freedom.
That the sixteenth district should be
composed of Waseca, LIE Sueur and Steele.
That the seventeenth district should be
composed of Blue Earth, Faribault, Martin,
jackson, and that portion of Brown county
east of range "a.
This amendment was discussed by the
members interested.
MIR. SANBORN moved to refer the bill
to committee of one from each Senatorial
district.
To which Mr.. SWEET offered an amend
ment instructing the committee to report
bill on the basis of population, and for single
Representative districts.
Mr.. SECOMBE said, in opposition to
Mr.. Sweets amendment, that the bill under
consideration was based on population; that
there was no census to make up the appor-
tionment except that of 1857, and that since
then there had been great changes, so much
so that it was impracticable to use the
census returns; that there was another way
of ascertaining the populatiOn-by the num-
Der of votes cast at elections.
Mr.. SWEET replied, denying that the
bill under consideration did not represent
the population, as was required by the direct
reading of the constitution.
MIR. ROBERTSON said the constitution
clearly contemplated that the apportionment
should be based on population, and that
there was no other means of ascertaining
population: except by enumeration. The
constitution was clear upon this point, and
there was no escape from the proposition
that if an apportionment was made, it must
be done from the census returns. He
thought there could not be an example
produced of an apportionment made by
votes. The census returns of 1857, were
made in part for the very purpose of an
apportionment. He argued that if an ap.
portionment was made, as proposed in the
bill, it would be unconstitutional and void
and if members were elected under the old
law, they would be entitled to act as the
Legislature of the State.
| The amendment was accepted by Mr.
SANBORN, and before any further action
was had on the motion to refer, the commit
tee rose, and the House adjourned.
SEN ATE.