Morris tribune., 1891-04-15
STATE. LEGISLATION.
RECORD OF WORK DONE BY MIN
NEsoTA SOLONS.
A Colnpren snsiyo Summary OF the Pro-
ceedinSs for the Week Giving List of
Important Bills Introduced. Referred,
and Passed.

| ceeulhSsS tof the week GiNices u list oi
Important Bills Introduced, Referred,
and Passed.
Tuesday, April Z.
The senate indulged in brisk debate
over the state prison investigation re-
port. A motion to reconsider tho reso-
luton to publish 5000 copies of the
report was lost.
The house worlds fair bill appropriat-
ing S5G, ,0o0 for an exhibit from this
state was amended to read $l00, ,000 and
sent to committee of the whole.
Donaely's bill making a combina-
ton "to prevent competition in food
products" a criminal conspiracy and
providing punishment therefor was
passed without opposition.
Senator Donneliy objected TO Mr..
Bars bill authorizing the refuntling of
moneys paid at tax sales on state and
school lands, hat it went through by a
vote of 80 to IL.
The Currier house bill providing for
the assessment and taxation of telegraph
and telephone lines, was passed.
A quorum was present in the house by
o'clock and business was proceeded
with at once. A large number of COM
mittee reports were received and
adopted, and then came another long
discussion over the Minneapolis patrol
| limits The bill to extend was defeated,
| and notice of reconsideration given.
| On notion of Mr.. Gildea, Mon
days calendar was taken up and bills
passed to permit foreign live stock COM
panies to do business in Minnesota upon
compliance with certain requirements;
amending divorce laws; regulating the
business of building associations;
Stockwelrs bill to regulate the labor of
railway employees; Stivars' bill to regu-
late the labor Of railway employees,
The Minneapolis patrol limits bill again
came up and after a lively, but short
sl1irmish, the bill was passed.
The house went into committee Of the
whole on railroad bills. A motion to
substitute the Hompe bill, which passed
the senate, for the Searle bill was lost,
and nfter considerable discussion it was
decided to report progress on the Searle
bill.
There was a good attendance at the
evening session. After voting to indef-
suffrage bill the house went into COM
mittee of the whole On the land grant
forfeiture bill. introduced by Er. Bell.
The discussion lasted until 9:45 when a
vote was taken upon a motion to indef-
nitely postpone. The vote was tie,
leaving the matter just where it was.
Wednesday. April s..
Resolutions occupied some little time
in the senate Wednesday morning. First
Senator Sanborn's resolution providing
for the payment of s5S9.30 for the ex-
penses of the state prison investigation
was passed. a resolution providing
that salaries of doorkeeper, assistant
doorkeeper and keeper Of the gallery be
raised from So to So from the beginning
of the session was passed.
On motion of Senator Sanborn it was
decided to make all bills relating to the
state prison a special order, Snd next
Monday evening at l:30 was chosen as
the time.
8 A portion of the Minneapolis deleggas
ton reported on tie veto of the charter
The discussion lasted al the forenoon.
The vote resulted 24 yeas, 90 nays, SO
the veto was sustained. ~
In the house the bill prohibiting the
sale Of liquors within twenty miles Of an
Indian reservation was placed On gsn-
eral orders.
House File eo4, regulati.,.,, tho ratio of
, --..oles5, introduced by Mr. Reeve,
which makes the legal rate Of interest
per cent in the absence Of any contract,
was also placed on general orders.
| The report Of the minority committee
On separating the university from the
agricultural college was submitted.
There are fifteen members on the com
mittee, nine Of whom favor separation.
| y,,oti0=, fn 10 4Ioa itxr7 on
the table was lost and the bill was
placed on general orders.
The Hompe railway bill was substi
tuted for the Searle bill by a vote "a to
81, and progress reported.
Mr.. Longs bill providing for eight
hours as days labor On all public
works in this state was considered
aud recommended to pass.
Thursday, April o.
Senate: McHale's anti-tight bill was
passed after sharp discussion, the vote
being 81 yeas, II nays.
The next thing to claim attention was
the Pickerel lake, West st. Paul, mat
ter. The lake occupies about 1870 acres
and is dry at some seasons of the year
and sometimes covered with water. It
is claimed by the abutting property
owners, the Great Northern railroad
and the state. The Ramsey county
senators, Messrs. Sanborn, Dean and
Stevens, fought the bill as an unWar-
ranted interference with private rights;
they held that the courts must settle the
matter. Senator Day claimed that the
bill was for the interests of the state at
| large; the land was valuable and the
attorney general wanted the assertion
of the state right made as an aid in
| pushing the claim. It was finally rec
commended for passage.
| In the house the bill in relation TO the
| license term was recommended to pass;
bill prohibiting minors playing pool OF
| billiards was placed on general orders;
bill providing for removal Of screens
from saloon doors and windows was in
definitely postponed.
The committee on banks reported to
Indefinitely postpone two bills relating
to the interest aud usary laws, and the
reports were adopted.
The committee on reapportionnleu6
reported unanimously in favor of So
ator Craig.s bill, dividing the state into
seven congressional districts.
McHale's anti-tights bill was referred
to the committee on education, though
not until temperance, printing and other
COuluitl6eo Hdu DcSil SUGGESTED eto proper
resting places for it.
The committee on education held a
meeting almost immediately and decided
to recommend that the bill be referred
/ TO the judiciary committee for them to
pass upon its canstitutionaIity.
The calendar was then taken up, and,
there being forty bills thereon, it occu-
pied the remaining part of the afternoon
session. The most important of the bills
passed was Mr.. Trips bill, House File
141, to prevent crimes against the cleo
tive franchise. The bill had been pretty
well discussed and amended and It
passed with but little discussion by q
vote of IA to 25.
/ Mr. Feig's bill amending the law re-
iating to the weighing Of grain was
passed by a vote of 7G to 6.
7 Mr.. Longs bill, House File G88, to es-
tablish the hours on public works by
making eight hours constitute q days
labor, was passed-70 to %.