The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-03-25

where they DoIUng. Inc pr1nclpal Op.
position to the bill was on the ground
that the board should also have powe,
to decrease assessments, but it passed id
its original form.
The Snodgrass ballot machine bill,
introduced in the house some time ago,
is now joined by similar bill brought
into the senate by Senator Stevens on
Saturday. The Stevens bill requires
80 days notice by publication, after
which automatic ballot recorders may
be used in counties, cities or villages.
Southern Minnesota senators who
went home over Sunday, after their
discussion Of good roads on Saturday,
got a chance to appreciate the necessity
for some action on the subject, for the
spring thaw emphasized bad roads
most uncomfortably. Many, however,
were unable to reach their homes.
The famous Foss morbid sentimen.
tally bill has for several days been on
the senate general orders and will soon
be among tho things that are not.
Earlier in the session there might have
been playful discussion of the meas
ure, but every senator is too conscious
of the rapidly approaching final ad-
journment to fritter away time in such
idle amusements.
The fourth hospital for the insane is
in statu quo. Senator Durham of An
Okla is vigorously opposing any such in
stitution now, although earlier in the
session, when Anoka was supposed to
be the site of the hospital, he intro
duced bill appropriating large sum
for buildings there. Action on the
Hastings location is deferred until the
investigating committee reports on the
alleged bribery, and two reports are
expected from them.
Department Store Bill.
Senator Theden's department store
bill has been made special order for
Thursday afternoon and country mem
bers hope to hear from their constitu-
ents before that in order to know bet
ter how to vote on it. The bill is long
and Classics all kinds of retail goods,
there being 50 different lines of goods,
with graduated license fee. from So
year for the dealer handling one line,
$40 for handling two lines and $25 for
three lines, up to $4,000 for those
handling more than 20 lines of goods.
Many amendments have already been
prepared and will be offered to the
bill, the Hennepin county solons want
ing to revise the schedules. Printed
copies of the bill have been mailed to
all parts of the state and this week will
bring opinions on it from all sections.
1t was prepared by Senator Theden
after his department store investiga-
ton.
Killed Civil Service Reform.
The house does not seem to be
friendly to the cause of civil service re-
form and has second time killed Sen.
ator Thorpe's bill providing for civil
service in the grain inspection depart
ment. For half an hour or more the
measure was discussed, the sentiment
being with Mr.. Donnelly when he said,
"The first instinct of the average Amer
lean citizen is to get an office, and his
second instinct is to hold on to the Of
fee he has secured" the friends of the
first named instinct, however, appear
ing to be in the majority for they voted
against the bill on the ground that it
would shut them out of office. The
bill was revised during the day and
placed on the table that it might be
given another chance for its life when
the attendance was larger, less than
quorum having voted on the bill
Committees Have Done Good Work.
In one respect the committees of the
present house have been doing their
duty more thoroughly than their pre-
decessors. Often in the past a useless
or even bad bill has been favorably
reported out of courtesy to it's author,
but this session committees have done
very little of that. Such action does
not accomplish any good end and it
does cumber the records and files with
bills that are sure to be killed anyway.
It also saves the time Of the house to
have the execution performed by the
committees. There have thus far been
S52 bills introduced in the house, and
of the 189 that have gone down to death
the larger number were killed in com.
mittee. The house is still nearly $50
DulS duSdu Ol TWO years ago IN the
number introduced, while the senators,
who brought in many bills two years
ago, have been satisfied to introduce
about so less than at the same stage of
that session.
BIS That Are Mixed UP Together.
Scarcely a bill is proposed that does
not at some stage of its life become
tangled up with some one or more
other bills. Three measures that are
now closely associated, almost vitality
joined together, are the university, tax
levy, new capitol and fourth insane
hospital bills, and these measures will
occupy prominent place i'll the pro-
ceedlngs until finally disposed of.
Votes on each of these measures will
be influenced directly by votes on the
others, so that any prediction as to the
outcome would be simply wasted
breath. 3. S. COWEN.
SMOKING OF CIGARETTES.
The Habit Is Apparently Becoming Min