Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1889-02-28

was secured. Twenty-six members were
present, twenty five being necessary.
Not much business Of Importance was
transacted. An attempt was made, how
ever, to take snap Judgment on absentees
by rushing through the Morris railroad
bill. A minority OF the judiciary COM
mittee, in whose hands the bill was, got
together and made report on it, recon-
mending that the rules be suspended and
the bill be Immediately passed. The re-
port was adopted and the bill partly read
before anybody not in the scheme tum-
bled. Hunter, who is chairman of the
railroad committee and especially devo
ted to the substitute for house bill No.
o. which was introduced by the joint
railroad committee, when he found out
what was going on, turned from the work
upon which he was engaged and protest
ed against the proceedings. After long
and interesting debate the bill was made
a special order for tomorrow, when it is
expected that all the members will have
returned. The Morris bill was only IN
trodaced recently, and most of the mem
!)ers are even unacquainted with it's pro-
visions. It is copy of the Minnesota
railroad law, and has stood the test of
the Minnesota courts. A1kens, Jones,
Morris, ct al claim that the substitute for
| H. B. o. IS unconstitutional in some of
| its provisions and would become inopera-
tive. This is assigned as the reason for
the unusual action of the judiciary COM
mittee-or the minority who signed the
report. It was stated on the floor by one
of the members of that committee that
the session is now nearly over: that the
railroad legislation which their constitu-
ents demand has not been enacted, and
that the ra6son the committee made the
report it did was because the only bill
which seems likely to pass Will be dead
letter upon the statute books.
! The temperance committee also slid in
report on Council bill No. 133 Patterns
liquor law. 1t was recommended that
| the bin do pass. There is some question
about this bill becoming d law. Mr..
Fletcher, the recognized temperance ad-
vocate in the house, thinks he sees III
that section which confers on the dis
trict attorney judicial powers, provis-
ion that will invalidate the whole law
and remarked to the writer last week
that he was preparing number of
amendments which he should offer If
the bill is amended of course it means
more time. 1t will have to go back to
the council for concurrence, and impor-
tant bills are frequently lost in an open
, shuttle OF that kind.
The house passed a number of bills,
none of them important, however; Coun-
Gil bill No. 1879, an amendment to section
400 of chapter of the code of civil pro
cedure; council bill No. 227, amending
J the law relating to the disposition of lots
in towns entered under act of congress,
approved March 2nd, 1867: house bill
24O, providing the method OF appeals to
the supreme court: house bill No. 270,
repeating portion of the Mayville char
ter; house bill 297, amending the coee of
civil procedure in reference to notice in
cases of levy: and No. 23S, cutting down
court reporters allowance for making
transcripts from Is cents to s cents per
folio.
\ In committee of the whole some "a
bills were considered and practically dis
posed of by recommendation. Gronna's
bill cutting down the exemptions was
killed-the recommendation on it being
indefinite postponement.