Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1897-02-18

ing jeered atas ridiculously high and
being admitted by its author to be
wild guess. None ventured to pre-
dict Halls success, aud the generally
accurate .press gang" naturally felt
somewhat chagrined at their failure to
forecast the result.
Members and the public generally
have not yet seen the end of the now
famous Foss morbid sentimentality"
bill, and the fighting qualities Of Mr..
fOss are certainly to be commended,
for his usually peaceable demeanor has
evidently deceived his colleagues in the
house. He could stand being laughed
ut OH the floor, hs made no complaints
when the newspapers joked about him.
SET, but when his pet measure was as
sailed he bristled up and was ready
for the tray. Aud his "morbid senti-
mentality" bill bids fair to have uine
hves-thanks to his careful nursing af.
ter it's various Knockout blows. He
introduced the bill several weeks ago.
and It's slmp.e purpose was to prevent
the apparent idealizing of crime and
ldolizing of criminals tat seems in
<,gue when flowers aud notes are
sent to the latter by sentimental
maldens OF uncertain age. Newspaper
paragraphers took turn at it and
thought to kill it by ridicule, but they
+ ga. The committee on crimes and
punishment killed it and so reported to
the house, but Mr.. Foss insisted that
the b II still had living idea in it and
he prevailed on the house to reverse the
committee and resurrect the bill. Then
the bill came up in committee of the
Whole and its opponents thought to
amend it to death, but Mr.. Toss beat
them out aud secured favorable action.
Mex 1t came up for final passage but
lew were present and the bill was
k.l4ed from lack of votes. But again
MIR. Foss was on hand, and moved a
reconsideration, thereby once more CIV
ing the bill life. and last week it went
through committee of the whole a Sec
Cad time and today was finally passed.
That the election laws would be
amended at this session of the legisla.
ture has been predicted heretofore and
good many bills for that purpose have
already been introluce1, while more
are promised. Those thus far brought
forward aim to correct the errors
in the general election law. Two
new bills are promised soon by Senator
Wyman to improve the law relating
to primary elections, making it more
stringent and giving more of the real
power in the caucuses to the people.
One bill will refer to cities of less than
100, 900 population and the other to
cities above that size. Senator Wy
man believes that the greatest need of
such law is in the populous centers,
and his bill for St. Paul and Minneap-
olis-which would be in q class to
themselves-will contain more ,strin-
gent provisions than the other measure.
He would have his caucus system based
on the registered vote of the last pre-
ceding election. At the time of regis
tration electors should state the name
of the party to which they wish to at.
tach themselves for primary election
purposes, and the registration books
would then be used at caucuses to pre-
vent participation by improper persons.
All conventions to select delegates to q
state. nominating convention should be
held on the same day in all counties,
and the voters the ourselves, instead of
county convention chairmen, should be
authorized to name the primary Of
ticers. Representative Smith already
has introduced bill covering part Of
this ground in the house. but these two
Wyman bills would take the place of
that and several other bills heretofore
presented.
Once more has an attempt been made
to abolish capital punishment in Min
nesOta and once more has it failed.
Representative Stockwen fathered this
years abolition bill and managed to
muster ~ votes in it's favor, but there
were - on the other side and that set.
tied it. The fact that some of the evils
Of capital punishment may possibly be
prevented by the Ferris bill to hold all
executions at the state penitentiary, to
which members had already committed
themselves, undoubtedly affected the
vote on the Stockwel bill, although it
ssood no chance of passage even then.
The committee substitute for the
Reeves iron ore tax bill ia now on cen.