The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1891-01-29
LEGISLATIVE NOTES.
What the 27th Legislature OF Minnesota
Is Doing.

is Doing.
ST. PAUL, Jan. 24.-The week closes
with both houses adjourned until Mon
day. The House adjourned at II
o'clock Friday night when the Dunn
Price contest was closed. The Senate
had short morning session on the oath.
Notwithstanding a large number Of
local bills and several bills of great gen.
eral Importance have been introduced,
the present session has not been so pro-
Life as those of former years. Com
pared with two years ago which was
behind that of the two years previous
the difference is quite noticeable, espe-
cially in the House. At the close of the
18th day of the present legislature there
had been 102 bills, exclusive Of resolu-
tions introduced in the House. While,
during the same period two years ago
there were 1854 bills introduced. The
number of bills may be small, but some
of them will, even if they do not be-
come laws, be mighty interesting read
ing for the railroad people, as they
fully express the feeling and temper Of
the agricultural masses. Senator
powering the judiciary committee to
investigate the condition of the rail-
roads. Representative Wagner had
the same end in view when he asked
for special committee. His resolution
reads as follows:
That the speaker shall appoint a spe-
cial committee of five members of the
House to inquire into and report to
this House statement of the actual
cost of the construction of the several
railroads in this state, and their present
value, the amount of watered stock, the
amount of discount on bonds issued by
railroad companies within the state, the
value of land grants, right of way, and
the amount of bonds donated to aid in
building railroads in the state; the ac-
! tual cost of transporting passengers
and freight on the several railroads of
the state; the said committee will have
power to employ a clerk, who shall be
employed by the Speaker of this House,
and shall be an expert in railroad con-
struction, and shall receive the same
pay as the clerk of the judiciary COM
mittee of this House; said committee
shall have authority to send for persons
and papers and administer oath if nee
essary; to enforce attendance of wit
nesses and have acce ssto books and ac-
counts of railroad companies doing bus
mess in this state: and the chief clerk
is hereby authorized to draw his GER
tificate for expenses necessarily in
CURED by the committe when so certi-
| fed to by the chairman, providing that
not more than 1000 shall be expended
by the committee.
Whether the special committee or the
joint committee will take up the work
was not settled. That it will be taken
| in hand there can be no doubt. Senator
| Mayos resolution goes farther than
| Wagoner's inaSnuch as it declares that
the committee is instructed to prepare
bill, based upon information obtained
| governing the operation of railroads.
This bill shall declare all railroad prop
crty as simply held in trustees and that
the officers and managers are trustees
subject to the laws which may be en-
acted governing their acts.
There was a look of CONSERVATION on
the faces of the senators when they
fled into their chamber on the morning
of the 23rd. The privacy of their sane
tnm sanctorl1n, the executive session
of the 23d had been violated. A morn
ing paper of the 23rd had published a
very full and almost verbatim report of
TIE proceedings. How the newspaper
got the inside facts was question that
could not he answered and probably
never will be. The executive session
was for the purpose of considering the
ing were confirmed;
State oil Inspector, S. II. Nichols of
Ramsey county.
Railroad and warehouse commits
sioner w. M. Liggett of Benson.
Trustee of soldiers home, w. p. Dun
nington of Redwood Falls.
Inspectors of steam boilers, C. J.
Miller of Mower county; c. ]. Bission
of Sibley; f. G. Bloomfield of Kandi-
yohi: R. c. Clark of Ramsey; w. G..
Tomlin of st. Louis.
Members Of state board of equiliza-
ton. Second judicial district, William
Lindeke of st. Paul: Fourth district,
Daniel Bassett of Minneapolis; Eleventh
district, J. &. Cooley of Duluth; Six
teepth district, William Thomson of
Mankato.
The rest of the board of equalization
were not confirmed for the reason that
the agricultural interests were not as
fully represented as the senators de-
sired.
The election bill by Keyes, of Vino
ma, is very long affair: in fact it was
too long for the clerk so read, so it was
read by title only. 1t is re-draft of
the general election law of the state and
extends the. Australian system to all
election districts through the State ex-
cepting only village and township cleo
tions. In cities Judges shall be taken
from different political parties. A reg
istry oath of an absent person is pro-
! vided for. The Secretary of State pro-
vides ballots for state and national Of
fees, the County Auditor for county Of
fees. A separate ballot box is provided
for ballots cast by women. No person
is allowed to loiter within 100 feet of
the polls. The bill contains 13O sections.
The Speaker has appointed Messrs.
Keyes, Kinney, 1Iadland, Trip, Wells,
Lewis and Cole, r., committee to in
vestigate the management of the state
prison.
The Dunn-Price contest from the 46th
district. was settled at a late hour on
Friday night. The committe made a
report in the afternoon without recon-
mendation. The matter was set for
7:3O in the evening, when both parties
appeared by counsel. The whole ques-
ton hinged upon the recount of the
Little Falls precinct. The recount
showed gain for Dunn sufflciey. to
give him a majority. The House de-
cided that the original count must stand
by a vote OF Ga to AZ. allowed Mr.. Price
to hold his seat. -Four Democrats cast
their votes for Dunn and two members
were peired.
On Friday evening large number of