New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-02-06
LEGISLATIVE DOlNGs.

The bill reducing interest," rates from
10 to s per cent was defeated in the
Senate by a vote Of % to II.
The Willrich bill relating to crimi-
| nails. was defeated by an overwhelming
majority in the house.
The Ives divorce bill was defeated by
one vote
Senator Chapman has introduced a
bill to amend Section 80, Chapter 20 Of
the statues of 1879, relating to jurors
fees in justice court. He proposes in
his bill TO raise the fees of a juror from
80 cents to $1.OO.
Senator Bowen has introduced bill
prohibiting none residents from making
arrests or do police duty.
Senator Bowen has introduced bill
appropriating $4,000 for the erection Of
a monument at New Ulm in commence
ration of the Sioux Outbreak. The bill
was referred to the committe on appro-
priations. Gen Sibley, Hon. j. F.
Meagher, Or. j. w. Daniels and Col.
Pfaender are constituted a committee
to locate and decide the character of
the monument.
A bill introduced by Senator Pope
provides for a tax levy of one-tenth of a
mill for the soldiers relief fund.
Senator Bowen has introduced bill
amending the libel law so as to put the
weekly newspapers on the same plane
as the dailies respecting the privilege
of retraction. Under the present work
ing of the law the weeklies are unable
TO comply with its conditions regarding
the time in which u retraction shall be
made.
Two bills, affecting the Jury system,
have been introduce in the Legislature
and oughtto become laws. Represen-
tative Stevens has introduced a bill
which provides that in civil actions
two.thirds of the jury shall be compe.
tent to render q verdict. The present
system places in the power of one man to
affect with his vote the judgment of his
eleven colleagues, and in too many cases
| works great injustice. The require.
ment of 4 unanimous verdict in civil
cases places too much value upon the
Judgement of a small minority and cor.
respondingly undertakes the value OF
the judgment of the large majority. The
other bill, by Senator Goodrich pro-
vides that jurors who have formed
opinions from newspaper. accounts OF
murders and have become familiar with
the case in which they are called 10
act shall not be debarred from serving
provided they make oath that they can
| give an unprejudiced verdict on the
evidence brought out. This bill ought
to pass. The requirement of the law
as it now stands which excludes from
| juries in murder trials men who hav.
became familiar through newspaper
accounts or otherwise with the facts in
the case to be tried and have formed
opinions concerning its merits, is in.
tended, of course, to secure an abso.
lutely impartial judgment, but it goes
to such an extreme in this purpose that
IL incurs great risk Of defeating its OWL
object. As a rule it may be safely
assumed that the man who has no,
re ad of a murder committed in his
own county and has no. an opinion Of
his own which it would require evi.
dence TO change, is not possessed of a
very high order of intelligence, and the
rule holds good that after all the men
who are intelligent enough to read and
form opinions from what they read are
excluded, the residue is not made up OF
the material from which a jury should
be selected to sit in judgment IN a
] matter Of life and death. It does not
follow by any means that the men who
have read accounts of murders and
have formed opinions are necessarily
j SO prejudiced that they are unable to
/ render a just verdict. On the contrary
the more intelligent the jury the less is
it likely to be Influenced by prejudice.
Senator SWenson has introduced a
bill prohibiting the sale of cigarettes,
cigars ortobacco in any form to minors
under is years of age. Severe penal
ties are provided for disobedience O
the law.
Iohn Dillon Americas greatest come
dian coming.