The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-01-27

luton for a committee to investigate
the transfer of the Mountain Iron prop
erty. and Senators Yale. Sheenan,
Greer and Ring6al were named as the
senate portion of the committee.
Though Senator Sheehan was one day
behind the house with his Georgia anti
trust bill, he got his measure recon-
mended to pass yesterday and may
come under the wire first in the race
for glory on this measure.
Some members of the house evident
ly desire to find out where the state is
at, in the matter of deposits in broken
banks, and a resolution was offered
calling upon the state treasurer for a
detailed statement OF the deposits in
insolvent institutions.
The house disposed of one of its con-
tests by giving Mr.. Lehman, of Henne-
pin, the sitting member, his seat, as
the contestant did not appear. In the
Benton county case, Judge Hicks, I'M
der the authority of the resolution
over which he and Mr.. Donnelly had a
war of words, submitted a report tn at
there was no just ground for contest.
and if the house adopts that report, as
it probably viii, that will end the con-
tests in that branch.
A bill of a good deal of importance,
if it should become law, was offered,
requiring railroads TO operate second
class coaches on all their passenger
trains, charging no more than two
cents per mile. Ii this bill ever gets
on the statute book, it will result in
passenger trains being chiefly COM
posed of second class coaches, with one
first class coach attached, much the
same as the sleeping cars are now run.
The tinkering with the tax laws was
continued by the offering of a consti-
tutional amendment authorizing city
or county authorities to exempt per-
sonal property from taxation by vote
of the people. This measure could be
used to boom business enterprises by
offering exemption from taxation for a
term of years as a bonus for their es-
Enlistment
St. Paul, Jan. 23.-The senate occu-
pied the entire day in hearing the con-
tlnuation of the legal arguments in the
Dunn-Day contest. Mr.. Evans con-
cluded his argument for Mr.. Day at the
morning session, and as Mr.. Clapp was
unable to speak, owing to throat
trouble, Mr.. Mum made the conclud-
ing effort in behalf of Mr.. Dunn. The
argument yesterday was, as on Thurs
day, entirely legal proposition, and
no one would suppose from listening
to it that railroad or political interests
had any bearing on the case. Never
theless, when it comes to the decision,
those factors will undoubtedly be the
the force OF a legal argument, when If
conforms to mis- views of the case in
other respects, with much more force
than when it goes against his wishes.
As there are good legal arguments on
both sides, every senator can con-
scientiously vote upon the subject from
a legal standpoint and still vote just as
he wants to on other grounds. The
senate intends to continue the discus
sion today, though there is no certainty
that vote will be reached today.
So many members of the house were
interested IN the oratory in the senate
that the proceedings of the popular
branch of the legislature were rather
dull Mr.. Heimerdinger threw in a
bomb shell, in the shape of a resolu-
ton calling for a committee to investi-
gate the advisability of a law reducing
the salaries of state and county off,
Gals, including members of the legis-
lature. The cut proposed is 20 per cent,
but not to go into effect for two years.
This even brought Mr.. jacobson. the
great economist of the house, to his
feet, who gave notice of debate, and
the resolution went over. Mr.. Jacob
son and some other members of the
legislature probably expect to be here
two years hence, and they do not rel
ish the idea of cutting their pay down
from five to four dollars per day.
When the state was younger, mem
bers of the legislature received only
three dollars per day. It is safe to say
this resolution will have rocky road.
unless the portion cutting the legisla-
tive salary is eliminated.
Representative Feig introduced four
bills yesterday. "by request" which
are made to apply to cities of over 1O0,-
900 population and less than $50, 900.
They provide for electing city clerks,
city engineers and boards of public
works in cities of the proportions
named. Of course, such bills can only
apply to st. Paul and Minneapolis in
this state. 1t remains to be seen which
city will admit that it has only one
hundred and fifty thousand people, in
order to come in under the bill. The
usual bill taxing mining and mineral
lands appeared, but for the most part
the twenty bills offered were of minor
importance.
There was quite breeze over the
resolution directing the state treasurer
to furnish. by Tuesday next, the
amount of state deposits in each of the
insolvent banks, and the names of the
Surefias for tho sfate Tho ohiao{;ov,