Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-24
SENATE

chamber yesterday morning they found
the desk and chair of the late Senator
James Mclaughlin, covered entirely with
Grape. and on the desk was a basket of
beautiful tuberoses, roses and other flow
ers. which were given to Sergeat-at-Arms
Reese. at his solicitation, by Governor
ana Mrs. Hubbard for that purpose. At
TIE close of the afternoon session the com
mitcee appointed to take charge of the
obseQuies of the late senator, stated that
they had decided to remove the remains
from the Sherman house to the union de-
DO at 1850 this morning, and they
invited all the senators who desired to be
present. A special car has been procured
to convey the casket, the relatives of the
deceased senator and the senate COMMITTEES
to Mantorville. where the interment will
take place il accordance with wishes ex-
pressed by deceased while living. The
train will leave St. Paul at $40.
after devotional exercises the senate
proceeded at once to business, and at the
outset there appeared to be a good
prospect Of passing through the regular
order of business and a reason
able hope of clearing general
orders of the accumulation of
business pending under that head. -Four
bills were introduced and passed under
suspended rules, and the reports of COM
mittees were made expeditiously, when
the senate went into committee of the
whole, Senator Castle, who possesses quite
a faculty for the dispatch of business, hav-
ing been called to the chair. A few bills
were considered when the progress of the
committee was checked for the remainder
of the morning session by the bill pro-
posing to legislate Mr.. Alexander out of
his Office of district attorney for the
Twelfth judicial district. The bill
as it passed the house proposes
to abolish the Office at the e1-
piration of the term of the
present incumbent, but Sc nator Clark, in
Difference to the wishes of his constitu-
ents, wished to make the act operative at
an earlier date, and sent up an amendment
to that effect fortified by a petition to
which were attached $500 names of voters,
also resolutions from the commissioners
of six counties, and numerous letters and
copies of newspapers, ali declaring that
the office was created without being asked
for by the people who pay the bills. The
senator made gallant fight, but the law
yers of the senate championed the cause of
their brother lawyer and did not want to
see him legislated out of fat place. In
the course of the discussion it was limited
that the Office was created to get Arctander
out of the way so that he would not inter
fere with Judge Browns election to
the judgeship of that district.
The amendment was voted down and the
bill reported for passage as it came from
the house.
Senator Morrison made an effort to
secure the favorable consideration of his
for supplies and materials furnished for
the construction of railroads that became
bankrupt, provision for the payment of
which was not made at the time the state
railroad bonds were adjusted. He did not
succeed, however, and the bill was indef-
nitely postponed.
Senator Rice's bill for the reduction of
the rate of interest on delinquent taxes
suffered the fate of the one last mentioned,
although he made a heroic fight for a
favorable recommend alton.
The next matter to excite discussion, and
upon which considerable time was con
sumed, was the bill proposing to reorgan-
ize the State Agricultural society. Sena-
tor Lawrence, chairman of the committee
on agriculture, offered a substitute for the
bill on general orders, and Senator O'Brien
offered an amendment to the substitute
The principal differences between the sub
stItute and the amendment are that the
substitute proposed to legislate the present
officers of the state society out of Office by
a provision for another election in March,
and the expenditure of some thousands of
dollars in printing and advertising. The
amendment to the substitute was adopted
and recommended to pass.
About half of the bills on general
orders were considered and many bills of
Importance went over until to-day.
Four hundred and eighteen bills have
been introduced into the senate this session,
and the end is not yet.
Near the close of the afternoon it was
Informally understood that the governor
had vetoed an important measure on con-
stitutional grounds. Investigation ellie
tied the information that the vetoed
measure was the bill reducing the rate of
interest from to per cent. upon all IN
paid purchase money due from the sale of
state school lands. The ground of the
governors disapproval of the bill is the
constitutional provision prohibiting the
reduction of the school fund. He regards
contracts for the sale of these lands as an
investment of the state school fund draw
ing interest at the rate of 7 per cent, upon
which the accrued and accruing interest
cannot be reduced by legislative enact
ment. The reduction of the rate of interest
would be diverting two-sevenths of the in
come from this source from the school
fund to the pockets of the holders OF
these contracts, which cannot be done
under the constitution. In this he is fol
lowing an opinion of Attorney Genera
Wilson, given while he was in Office, and
which is concurred in by Attorney General