The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-07
SENATE DOES A GREAT DAYS
WORK In COMMITTEE OF
THE WHOLE.
SHEEHAN ANTITRUST BILL
Is FIRST ON THE LIST, BUT MANY
OTHERS ARE IMP0R-
TANT.
CULkIN'S ANT1-SUICIDE IDEA.
Flax Bounty Bill, Some Pure Food
Laws and Others Are Pushed
Forward.

A tremendous squirt of energy char
acterized yesterdays senate session
with the result that over fifty bills
were taken from general orders, all
but one of them going to the calendar
for passage. Among the more impor-
tant Of these were the Sheehan anti
trust bill, the Durham bill abolishing
the inebriate department at the Ro-
chester insane hospital, Senator Gull
kin's bill making it a felony to en-
courage suicide, the Douglas bill CIV
ing women the right to vote for library
as we'll as school boards, and the Dunn
bill from the house, changing the num-
Der of votes required for the ratifica-
ton of a constitutional amendment.
Senator Schaller, who presided in the
absence of Lieut.. Gov. Gibbs and Presi-
dent Pro. Tenn. Barr, showed a true Dis
raelian diplomacy when the first read
! ing of the house peddlers' license bill
! was had. He just referred it to the COM
mittee on towns and counties, which
VIII no doubt report it favOrably, and
at once.
The Sheehan antitrust bill was rail-
roaded through the committee of the
whole with a breezy insouciance. When
general orders were reached Senator
SChaller called Senator Sheehan to the
chair. The First ward senator thrust
away the kingly crown, pleading that
he had an important bill on the table.
But like the maiden in the popular
narrative, who Saying she would ne'er
| consent, consented" he finally, with
apparent reluctance, climbed to the
chair. Hardly had the senatorial toga
draped it's graceful folds over the plush
armchair, when Senator Greer rose and
moved that S. F. so, be recommended
to pass. With a modesty that prevent
ed any bluShing from the senatorial
eXtolling of his pet child, the Ramsey
county man promptly cut off debate.
On viva vOce vote, too Senator Shee-
| han declared that the noes had it.
The Dahl bill, to make the time limit
for asSlgneeS to notify creditors to file
claims for ten to twenty days, caused
an extended discussion among the SEN
atorial disciples of Blackstone, but
scarcely caused a ripple in the rest of
the chamber. The bill was finally
recommended for passage
There was also a short discussion
! over the tax committees bill relating
to the return to auditors Of delinquent
real estate taxes and penalties. 1t was
| Indefinitely postponed.
Senator Hits opposed the Stockton
bin to prohibit the use of tobacco by
minors, but he was alone. The bill was
! tavorably reported.
At this point the committee rose.
! and the senate concurred in the house
resolution to make the evidence taken
| in the bank investigation public rec
| ord in the office of secretary of state
Senator Sweningsen's bill to license
/ insurance agents and abolish the COM
| pact under which the local insurance
business is managed from Chicago, was
| also combatted
The bill provides that any person
| having anything to do with issuing
insurance policies must first secure a
! license from the insurance commits
| siOner. In cities of 10000 inhabitants
or more, with a privilege of operating
! throughout the state, a bond of 81, 900
and a license fee of $100 are required
/ In cities of less than 20 600 and more
than 5000 inhabitants the same bond
! is required and the license is fixed at
| $40. In towns of less than 5000 in
| habitantS the fee is placed at $40 and
| the bond at $1,000 The bill further pro-
! vides against restriction of COMPETE
| ton by combination.
senator
/ Miller was adopted fixing the license
at s.. u '9 '''''i 'OO LII" "'S
| Senator Sperry could see no benefit
| to be gained by the passage of the bin.
/ 1t was not right to prevent any citizen
! from soliciting insurance in any county
| Of the state if he wished to do so. AS
/ to the proposed prevention of restraint
| by combination, the Sheehan bill which
4 had just been acted upon favorably
covered the whole field.
Senator Potter said that the license
I was a very immaterial feature Of the
! bill. The entire aim of the measure
was to break up the insurance trust
| which for so many years had the state
/ of Minnesota by the throat.
Senator Greer made an appeal for
| the bill after motion to indefinitely
! postpone had been made by Mr. Hene-
man. An amendment by Mr. ROyerld
eXempting town insurance companies
from the operation of the act was
adopted.
With the consent of the author. a
motion by Senator Johnson w E. was
adopted, striking out all that part OF
! the bill fixing license fees Progress
was then reported to allow the mem
/ bers to study the bill.
Senator Dunham's bill to abolish the
lnebriate departments at the Rochester
asylum was discussed at some length
! Senator Greer opposed the bill on the
ground that it would be a breech of
faith with the liquor interests. which
/ had contributed to the esta blishment of
! the institution. Senator Stebbins said
/ he had introduced a similar bill two
! years ago, but had failed to find sup
port for it. Senator Wyman thought
it was wrong to confine inebriates with
the insane. The bill was recommended
/ to pass.
1t was then decided to temporarily
pass all bills to which there was any
objection, and, by this means, nifty
bills were called from the list and are
ready to go on the calendar.
The order then REQUIRED to the Dunn
1 bill, S. f. 348, to prevent the defraud-
ing Of realty owners by forfeiture
provisions in contracts of sale Senator
| Sevatson said the passage of the bill
would work a hardship on the farmers.
| Senator Thompson thought the bill
was too stringent Senator Dunn
said the railroads were against the
bill 1t would be a monstrous wrong to
defeat this bill. Senator Thompson
said if the railroads were opposed to
/ the bill it was the first time he ever
knew them to fight a bad bill 1t was
six o'clock.
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