Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-07
THE HOUSE.

The members were generally IN their
seats yesterday, and business up to the
hour of adjournment was dispatched ex-
peditiously, the first reading of large
number of senate bills taking up good
deal of the time.
A bill was prepared by the house finance
committee appropriating 100000 for
finishing and furnishing the new capitol.
Mr.. McKusick, of Pine, proposes to cut
off, when possible, little of the expense
now incurred by frontier and sparsely set
tied counties by the giving the district
Judges authority to order the clerk not to
draw petit jury when nothing is before
the court to be submitted to such jury.
Mr.. J. E. Child, of Jackson, proposes to
amend the statutes to give the people of
villages the right to vote upon the ques-
ton of issuing licenses for places of amuse-
ments, billiard tables, for the sale
of liquor, etc. The same bill also pro-
hibits gaming in saloons, and fixes the
minimum sum for license for the sale of
liquor at 5000 instead of $50, as now.
Mr.. Hicks proposes, if he can, to reduce
the expense of county jails somewhat.
His proposition is that the judge of the
district court shall determine the salary
of the iailer, and also, that when his duties
as taller will permit, that he shall at the
same time perform the duties of janitor.
Mr.. Boardman, of Hennepin, is the au-
thor of bill making minors and habitual
drunkards share with the saloon keeper the
responsibility for violation of the law pro-
hibiting the sale of spirituous, malt or vi
nous liquors to such parties. He makes
the obtaining of liquor by such persons by
means of false representations a misde-
meanor, and in the case of minors i'm
poses a fine of not less than $40 nor more
than $50, and in the case of habitual
drunkards fine of $25, with costs of dis
bursement and commitment until paid in
both cases.
It has always been supposed that the
laws of the United States were extremely
liberal in the terms imposed upon foreign
ers wishing to become citizens. At least,
it is but few years since a powerful Sc
cret political organization, having for its
object the abridgment of the extremely
liberal facilities offered persons of foreign
birth to become full-fedged Americans,
with all the rights of those to the manor
born, except that of filling the office of
president, sprung up in the East and
swept over state after state until it ran
against the solid ranks of the Democracy
of Virginia, where -Nothingism suf-
fered its Waterloo. This Know Nothing
party thought that the laws of the land
were discriminating against its own
sons in favor of the immigrant, when it
made laws enabling the immigrant to be-
come citizen upon five years residence,
while it compelled the boy born here, no
matter what his advantages and qualiica
tions, to wait until he was twenty-one be-
| fore he could exercise the same rights. Mr..
J. A. Peterson, who is accredited to Henne-
pin, and by birth a Welchman, seems to
think the discrimination is against the for
eigner, for he has prepared, or had pre-
pared bill, which he introduced yester-
day, for a constitutional amendment, Civ
ing foreigners after one years residence in
the United States, four months in Mime.
sofa, and thirty days in the election pre-
cinct, the right to vote for all Offices be-
longing to and governed by state laws, and
of course to be elected to them. 1t is not
probable the bill will ever get beyond the
committee of the whole, as there is no ques
ton that the judiciary committee will set
down upon so radical states right meas
ure, aiming as it does, to usurp the author
ity of the general government in saying
when an emigrant from a foreign shore
shall become citizen of the United States.
But it shows which way the wind is blowing.
This is bad year for caucuses. With
eight bills + or third reading, and fourteen
on general orders, Mr.. Hicks yesterday
moved a recess until 2:3O. Mr.. Cole an
tagonized the motion by moving to ad-
journ, giving as his reason large amount
of committee work requiring the attention
of members. Upon vote the motion to
adjourn was carried. Mr.. Hicks then call
ed upon the members to remain to meet in
caucus few minutes Immediately after ad-
| journment. Adjournment declared the mem
bers remained and Mr.. Hicks nominated
JAS. Smith, Jr., and that gentleman, with
his usual accommodating disposition, &C
copied. Mr.. Hicks then addressing the
chair made one of his usual
fiery arguments in opposition to adjourn
ment on any day before the order of bust
ness was completed, as sure to throw
great amount of important business into
the last few days, and necessitate hasty
legislation and failure of measures that by
a proper attention to business could be
carefully considered and passed, if worthy.
He closed by moving that all members
pledge themselves against adjournment in
the future, before the business of the day
was completed.
Mr.. Cole, in reply, said he didn't believe
much in caucuses. He had just helped
smash one and he did not now propose
to be dictated to by one.
He knew his friend Hicks
was very industrious, but his kind of in
dustry was of little good. The legislature.
owing to the long and exciting sectional
struggle, had accomplished very little in
actual legislation, and the result was that
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