Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-13
THE NEW STATES.
Proceedings I'm the Various Constitu-
tional Conventions Yesterday.

The committee on Judiciary OF the North
Dakota constitutional convention, now in ses-
sion at Bismarck, had long session yesterday,
and trouble was developed between the district
and county courts, and it resolves itself into
night on the part of would-be judicial lights for
the emoluments of the Offices. II there are six
or more district judges and also county judges,
the latter Will receive fees which the former
would like to retain, because of the necessarily
limited work of the district judges.
When the convention assembled in the after
noon the motion to authorize the joint commits
sion in charge of the division of the assets and
liabilities of the territory and to settle tempo
rarily the boundary-line between North and
South Dakota was taken up and carried. NJ n.
johnson offered the following article for the
new constitutions:
Common carriers shall convey all troops Of
the state militia when on duty and all officers
of the military. executive, legislative and Judi
clal departments of the state government when
travelling on official business at a uniform rate
OF not to exceed one cent per mile. to be paid
out of the treasury as provided by law"
Mr.. Griggs presented series of clauses re-
latlnS to the organization of counties.
A resolution was adopted instructing the ju-
dietary committee to inquire whether the con-
vention has power to provide for the taxation
OF the road-bed and rolling-stock of the North
ern Pacific railroad, which by virtue of Its
charter is exempt from taxation, The tenn
perance committee practically stands pledged
to submit prohibition amendment to a popu-
lar vote. majority Of the delegates being in
structed to that effect. This settles the tenn
perance legislation of the convention and the
committee will probably make its first report
on Monday.
SOUTH DAKOTA.
At Sioux Falls, South Dakota, yesterday,
about three-fourths of the delegates met and
a1i ga ILL 4. m l..
feature of the proceedings was the effort to re-
consider the action of the convention Thurs
day regarding the memorial to the President
asking the withholding of patents to claimants
who have placed mineral filings upon school
lands In the agricultural districts adjacent TO
the larger towns and cities. The motion TO re-
consider was tabled by vote which indicated
absence or change of heart on the part of quite
number OF the opponents of the memorial.
A report was expected from the committee
on legislative and judicial apportionment, but
none was made, the committee not being ready
to report on the Judicial apportionment. 1t is
understood that an agreement has been reached
by the committee as to the Legislative appor-
tionment, which provides for one member of
the Senate for every !. 500 votes and one repre-
sentative for every 500 voters or fraction
thereof. This will increase tho number of
senators from 49, as provided for at present, to
AZ, and the number of representatives from SO
to 120.
THE WASHINGTON CONVENTION.
In the convention at Olympia, W. T., yester-
day large number of petitions and resolu-
buttons were introduced. Among them was one
signed by 594 men and Ais women in favor of
woman suffrage. All were appropriately re-
ferred. The remainder of the session was con-
sumed in discussion of the report on committee
rules.
IDAHO ANXIOUS FOR STATEHOOD.
The convention to frame a constitution for
the admission of Idaho, which has been in ses-
sion at Boise City for a week, finds its chief
difficulty upon the question of suffrage. The
Mormons formerly held the balance of power
throwing their vote to the party they thought
was most available for their uses Five years
ago the passage of the test oath cut them of.
Its constitutionality has been tested in the
courts and sustained. As last resort hun
dreds of the Mormons withdrew from the
church last fall. The fact that the Mormons
are colonizing portions of Idaho makes this
such a dangerous element that the republicans
and nti-Mormon democrats of the convention
insist that they must be shorn of their power to
do evil by having sufficient safeguard in a con-
stitution. This question will come up in the
convention to-day and will excite a lively dis
cusson Woman suffrage, prohibition, gov
erning corporations, and trusts will also be con-
sidered.