The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-03-13
PENALTY FOR USJhI.
BY a Vote of 25 to 24 the Senate
Decides to Retain the Pres
ent Clause,
Which Forfeits Both Principal
and Interest for the Crime
Of Usury.
The House Passe. Another Memorial
to Congress SANDERS, Holidays
and Other Measures.

ST. PAUL. March 12.-The interest
bill, over which the senate has spent
days of valuable time, has at last been
disposed of. The rate has been fixed at
6 and per cent, and the present usury
clause providing for the forfeiture of
both principal and interest has been re-
tanned.
The senate met Wednesday morning
at 10 o'clock, and for half an hour rou-
tine business was transacted. At 1890
the interest bill was taken up.
Senator Donnelly first took the floor
and talked at length upon the attitude
of the Alliance ON the interest and usury
question, and read list of petitions re-
ceived. Senator John Day Smith had
also had numerous communications on
the other side and said so.
After much delay the vote was taken
on Senator Donnelly's amendment to
Senator Tawney's amendment, the force
of which was to retain in the bill the
present usury law-the forfeiture of
principal feature. The vote resulted in
the adoption Of the amendment by
vote of 20 yeas to "a nays.
An effort was made to take recess,
but it failed on a tievote. Senator Davis
moved to further amend the Tawney
motion by transferring the fine and i'm
prisonment provision to the end of sec
ton of the bill, thus making, if the
section were adopted, a double penalty.
This cd NV IF QR
to II, the obvious plan being to make
the bill as Objectionable as possible.
1t was after 1890 o'clock and hunger
drove the senators to recess till p. m.
Afternoon Session.
A call of the senate to bring in the
wandering members opened up business
at the afternoon session. The question,
when taken up, was upon Senator Taw-
ney's motion to amend, as amended by
Messrs. DonnelIy and Davis, two amend
ments which were passed at the morning
session. The Tawney amendment was
now obnoxious to its author, as it had
been distorted so as to include the double
penalty. Mr.. Tawney stated this as his
reason for voting mo" The amended
amendedment was lost by vote of %
yeas to "a nays.
Senator Sanborn at once moved to
recommend for indefinite postponement
the whole bill, but Senator John Day
Smith moved to amend by offering a
substitute for everything after the en-
acting clause
Before this substitute could be read a
storm of parliamentary opposition arose.
Donnelly fought strenulously against
any substitute. He tried to decide par
iamentary questions for the chair, and
interrupted everybody who tried to
speak. President Hompe finally ruled
Mr.. Smiths substitute out of order.
A motion to strike out "the principal"
from the second section was voted
down, but came up later on an amend
ment by Senator Donnelly, which was
lost by tie vote. AS soon as the vote
was announced Donnelly arose and an
nounced that member of the senate,
banker, had informed him that the
bankers of the state had raised $4,000
to beat the usury bill He gave Senator
Keller as his authority, but he had
hardly made the charge before Keller
was on his feet to deny it. A resolution
was adopted to investigate the charge Of
Senator Donnelly, and the senate adj
iourned