Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1897-03-23
THE LEGISLATURE.
Both Bodies Are in Good Working
Order.
Cosby Letters Giving In Detail tho More
Important Work Of tho Senate
and House of Repre-
sentAtives.

IN the senate on Saturday. Senator
Ozmun's civil service bill was referred
back to him with SO many objections
that it was supposed to be dead, but
he came up smiling with an amended
bill and passed it with only three mega
tive votes. The most important amend
BILE to cities of $4,000 or less population.
This only leaves it applicable to four
cities in the state and the country SEN.
ators were willing to support it so long
as it did not apply to their own locali-
ties. 10 avoid too strong opposition in
the large cities. the bill was amended
so that it applies to but few officials
outside of the police and fire,ncn. Now
the bill must run the gauntlet OF the
house. and as that body is not desper-
ately strong on civil service, it may yet
go to the boneyard.
Senator Potter is evidently of the
opinion that existing national and state
laws do not give the colored man suti-
cient protection, and hence he offered
another civil rights bill, making dis
elimination on account of color a mis-
demeanor and punisha BILE by fine of
from S25 to 500. Another bill offered
might be termed an illustration of
Temperance morality as applied to
1.-The other fellow" 1t provides that
when town has voted no license, no
liquor shall be sold or given away in
that town, but liquor may be manu-
featured in that town in unlimited
quantities, to be sold elsewhere. A
bill to tax telephone companies Z per
cent on their gross earnings was cor
daily received by the senate.
Resolutions were adopted by the
house to investigate the charges against
the stock yards Of the Twin Cities.
These charges are that shippers of
stock are charged enormous rates Tor
feed and thus compelled to sacrifice
their stock regardless of the condition
of the market.
Civil rights must be in danger, for
the matter cropped out in the house as
well as in the senate, Representative
Gray introducing Il bill giving the col
ored man his rights in hotels, theater
and other public places. A strong
plea was made to reduce the penalty
on delinquent taxes from 10 to per
cent, but it failed.
Gov. Clough favored the house on
Saturday with his second veto this ses-
sion. 1t was the bill authorizing the
licensing of transient dealers in mer-
chandise." The theory of the veto was
that that the bill makes it an injustice
to the regular, all the year around
dealers.
Eight bills were passed. One of them
gives insurance companies organized
TO insure creameries, the right to do
business when they have secured so
risks, aggregating 100000.
st. Paul, March 16.-The legislature
was not strong in the matter of work
yesterday, neither branch meeting un-
til afternoon. In the senate the at
tendance was 50 light that senators did
not dare risk any action on their bills
lest they should be lost. No attempt
was made to do anything but consider
a few bills in committee of the whole,
and on these progress" was simply
reported. The senate committee on
printing, which has been investigating
the cost of printing, had its report
ready, but will not offer it until today.
The report finds that the large de-
fciencies in the state printing fund are
chiefly due to the fact that the legisla-
ture made appropriations known to be
inadequate in order to keep down the
gross amount of the appropriations.
They recommend that q sufficient sum
be appropriated at this session to cover
the printing, and thus avoid paying 7
per cent interest on deficiency war
rants. They also state that there is a
great deal of useless printing in some
of the department reports, and recon-
mend that they be not printed. State
Printer Whitney is commended and the
statement is made that the committee
will report a bill simplifying the whole
matter.
Tramp, tramp, tramp, the tramps
are marching. That pretty much tells
the story of the proceedings in the
house yesterday afternoon. A law
regulating tramps, declaring them va
grants and subject to imprisonment,
was debated for three hours. Repre-
sentatives Johns, Fosness, Shell and
Feig favored the bill, and Donnelly,
Grondahl and Martin opposed it, sue
ceeding in putting on an amendment
that man honestly seeking work
should not be brought under its pro-
visions because unable to find employ
ment. AS originally presented, the
bill did not discriminate, and anyone
out of work was liable to be sent to
JAIL The bill was still held in COM
1nittee of the whole for further debate.
No other bill of Importance was con-
sidered.
St. Paul, March 17.-Pass one more
day up in the senate to the credit of
the fourth insane asylum imbroglio.
At the session yesterday Senator Mil
Ter called up his resolution for the APP
pointment of committee of seven to
ascertain whether the present asylums
cannot be enlarged sufficiently to meet
the public demands, and thus postpone
the fourth asylum for a time. Of
course, the friends of Hastings were
up in arms in opposition, while the
Anoka contingent, feeling that any
turn of the wheel could make it no
worse for them, favored the scheme.
1HH