The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-04-01
The LEGISLATURE.
Both Bodies Are in Good Working
Order. =.
Cosby Letters Giving In Detail the More
Important Work of the Senate
and House of Repre-
OOnt0tives.

either branch of the legislature. In
the senate the bill providing for pub
fishing notices of expiration of redemp-
ton in the newspapers was indefinitely
postponed. A long debate ensued over
the distribution of the $4,000 appro-
priated for county fairs, it being
claimed that Olmstead county, in OBJ
tanning $4,000 for a Southern Mime
sofa fair, got more than her share. The
bill was recommended to pass, in spite
of strong opposition.
The longest debate in the house was
over the bill allowing ten men in
jury of twelve to render a verdict in
civil cases. 1t was finally recommend
ed to pass. The bill placing the grain
inspection department under civil SER
wee was again defeated. There seems
to be a ''to the victors belong the
spoils" feeling regarding this bill, and
the farmers in the legislature don't
want to be tied down to any one set of
inspectors. A desire has cropped out
all through the session to hit the rail-
road commissioners, and measure
was proposed yesterday cutting their
salaries from So, 500 to $4,000, and their
secretary from 81, 500 to 81, 500.
st. Paul, March 24.-Yesterday was
an eventful day in legislative circles.
In the senate the tax levy for the sup
port of the state university was
doubled, the bill passing with only
four negative votes. There was quite
protracted discussion over the bill
providing that treasurers in counties
having over $4,000 people should fur
nish bonds from some approved surety
company. Some of the country sena.
tors opposed it, but the city senators
won and the bill was recommended to
pass.
Politics cropped out in the house
when the bill organizing Nelson coun-
ty, out of portion of Polk county,
came up. Mr.. Feig called upon the re-
publicans to vote for 1t as party
measure. He said that the populists
thought the new county would be a
populist affair, and they favored its Or
ganization. When they discovered
that it would be repn blican they op-
posed it. He called upon every repub.
lican to favor the bill, and it went
through by 60 to 80.
The so-called mental suffering bill,
which provides that the failure of a
telegraph company to deliver a mes
sage, such delay causing mental an
gu1sh, was passed almost unanimously,
though at first good deal of opposi-
ton was encountered. It limits the
damages to $500. The bill extending
the terms of county auditors was lost
by a close vote.
The great event of the day occurred
in the house during the afternoon.
The bill taxing iron mines S cents per
ton on their output was under consid-
GRAFTON, having been reconsidered after
its defeat last Friday. Messrs. Reeves,
Donnelly, jacobson and Staples led the
Feig, Stockwell and Hicks led the OPP
position. Efforts were made to re-
duce the tax to 8 cents, and
that failing to cents. but that also
failed, and after two hours debate the
the bill was passed by 81 to 46. Rep
resentative johnson created sensation
by announcing that he had been offered
money to vote against the bill.
Mr.. Donnelly said he wanted to say
to the republican party, of which he
was once an ornament, that they would
have no party if they allowed this bill
to be defeated.
It looks as though Anoka had been
given its quietus in the fourth insane
asylum fight. The senate committee
on insane asylums, to whom had been
referred the resolution to inquire as to
the advisability of charging present
asylurns instead of building fourth
one, submitted two reports yesterday,
Senators Cole, Stebbins and Schaller
favoring the fourth asylum and Sena-
tors Durham and Peterson opposing.
The majority report was adopted after
several hours debate, and the bill ap.
propriating SIS, 1000 to buy the Hastings
site. which has already passed the
house, was placed on the calendar for
passage by 81 affirmative votes, which
is nine more votes than is required to
pass the bill.
st. Paul, March 25.-The new mill
tary code bill, which has passed the
house, received backset in the senate
yesterday, where it was attacked by
Senator Ringdahl. The bill was ready
for passage, but was reconsidered and
sent to the committee of the whole fol-
further consideration. The bill pro.
viding that Olmsted county shall share
alike with her sister counties in the
agricultural fair fund, instead of re.
ceiving $4,000 for the Southern Mime
sofa fair, was passed.
The committee on railroads submit
ted a majority report against the house
bill making the railroad commissioners
elective. Two members of the com.
mittee favored the bill, and it was
made the special order for next Tues.
day.
The senate banking committee sub
rnitted report which was favorable
to the work of the bank examiner
The railroad commission sent in q
statement that the Milwaukee road de-
clined to change its time table at Aus
tin to make connections with trains
for the Twin Cities. A bill is to be in
troduced compelling the road to do so
The senate finance committee has
Topped off 81, 200 from the bill presented
fo,. the expenses of the Dav-Dunn con