The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-04-15

8
This mixed report concludes BY rec
ommending labor commissioner at a
salary of $4,000 q year. and three as
sistants, effecting q saving Of Sc, 900 in
the department. A bill to accomplish
this is now pending. %'~
The senate passed the house bill re-
quiring peddlers to take out town IL
censes, very few besides the city mem
bers opposing it. .
The house broke out yesterday in
favor of abolishing the Office of state
fire warden, a position now held BY
Gen. C. C. Andrews. Arbin was intro
duced some time ago to abolish the Of
fee and on yesterday the majority of
the committee on forestry reported
against the bill and the minority in its
favor. After debate, made lively by
personalities, the minority report was
adopted. An effort to suspend the
rules and pass the bill failed. but the
motion developed 81 votes in its favor,
which lnsures its passage BY the house
when reached in its regular order.
The house passed bill forbidding
sectarian teaching in public schools or
the wearing Of sectarian garb. and re-
fused to pass a memorial to congress
for general bankrupt law.
The senate took up the reapportion-
ment bill as special order yesterday
afternoon and fought it to finish,
holding an evening session to complete
the work. As the bill was finally
passed it makes So senators and 1875
representatives. The vote on passage
stood IS to *.
The house, with great unanimity,
passed four bills taxing corporations.
One makes.a five per cent tax on the
gross earnings of express companies;
a second levies a per cent tax on the
gross earnings of sleeping and parlor
cars; third imposes q per cent tax
on the assessed valuation of freight
line and equipment companies. and the
fourth a S per cent tax on the gross
earnings of telephone companies.
There were 10 negative votes on the
last named measure, but the others
passed unanimously. It is estimated
that the four bills will add $75, 900 to
the revenue of the state.
st. Paul, April 9.-An echo of the
last campaign was heard in the senate
yesterday, when q bill declaring gold
and silver to be legal tender in this
state was defeated.
The commitment of Frank Hoskin to
the insane asylum at Fergus Falls
came up in the house yesterday in the
shape of a report from the committee
on insane hospitals. Mr.. Hoskins had
a bill introduced expunging the records
of the insane asylum showing his COM
mitment. The majority of the COM
mittee reported for indie tinite postpone
ment of the bill while the minority
favored its passage. The minority re-
port was lost by tie vote, and then the
majority report was also lost so that
the whole matter lies on the table and
Hoskins bill is likely to fail of passage.
The bill extending the water works to
the State Fair grounds was resurrected
and killed for the second time. The
legislature is evidently willing to
chance it on a fire sweeping away $780,
900 worth of state property.
When the reform school was removed
from st. Paul to Red Wing the site
which had been used in st. Paul was
supposed to be valuable. 1t was mort
gagged for $115,000 and bonds issued
and sold, the proceeds being used for
the new buildings at Red Wing. At
present the real estate would not sell
for one-fourth of the mortgage and the
holders of the bonds ask the state to
take them off their hands. The SEN
ate wrestled with the problem a couple
of hours yesterday without being able
to reach decision.
The anti-department store bill came
up as special order in the senate late
yesterday, but consideration was not
completed and work will be resumed
on it today. The attorney general has
given a guarded opinion which indi-
Gates that he regards the bill unconsti-
tutional on the ground of unequal tax
alton.
The house passed the reapportion-
ment bill and amended it in surpris-
ing manner. The senate passed it maxi
ing SO senators and 1875 representatives.
The house passed it leaving the senators
the same but cutting its own member.
ship down to 119. BY this arrange
ment Crow Wing, Big Stone, Fillmore,
Faribult. Swift, Washington. Wright
and Wabasha counties each lose a rep
resentative. The bill is now in the
hands of a conference committee to see
if the two houses can agree,
st. Paul, April 10.-The bill taxing
department stores, which has been one
Of the conspicuous bones of contention
in the legislature this winter, was fin
ally killed in the senate yesterday.
The bill was debated nearly all day
and just before adjournment was indie
fnitely postponed by vote of % to %.
The bill making ageneral revision of
the game ana fish law was the subject
of long debate as soon as the depart
ment store bill was killed, but no con-
clusion was reached.
The bill preventing minors under 81
years of age entering saloons and wine
rooms was passed under suspension of
the rules.
The house passed IS bills and de-
feated two on attempted passage yes
terday. the greater portion of the day
being devoted to work on the calendar
and the incidental ebate. Among the