The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-03-03
THE LEGISLATURE.
Both Bodies Are in Good Working
Order.
Cosby Letters Giving In Detail the More
Important Work of tho senate
and House of Repre-
sentatives.

st. Paul, Feb. 22.-Saturday waS a
working legislative day. The first event
in the senate was the passage of reso-
luton commenting the action of the
U. S. senate in passing resolution
calling upon our government to pro-
tect and secure the release of Sylves-
ter Scovel, correspondent of the New
York World, under arrest and in prison
in Cuba by order of the Spanish au-
thorities. The house concurred, and
within half an hour after it was intro
duced the joint resolution was ready
for transmission to Washington. This
arbitrary course of the Spanish au-
thorities has led large number of the
legislatures to take similar action.
Only three bills were passed by the
senate, but that was all that were
ready for passage. One of these is de-
signed to solve the tramp problem by
compelling them to work on streets.
public highways and public buildings
when arrested as Migrants and COM
mitted to Jail. Another bill passed
was one requiring all the land grant
railroads of the state to file with the
state auditor list of their lands. The
IdllIOduS nave UCCh AuOiCs odc
as yet have only obtained about ten
million acres. There is no record, save
upon the books of the respective COM
panies, showing the sales which have
been made and what remains. This
bill proposes to find out.
A bill proposing to give county COM
missioners the right to build bridges
and construct and repair roads, in stead
of village and town officers, as at pres
ent, provoked long debate. but was
finally killed. Another measure caus-
peddlers to pay 500 license. The OBJ
jeet of the measure is to prevent ped
dlers from roaming about the country
and interfering with the trade of local
merchants. No decision was reached
in spite of the long debate.
The usual move to cut the legislative
session short was made with the usual
result. Senator Knatvold endeavored
to pass resolution providing for final
adjournment March 81. Senator Greer.
as the shrewdest way of killing the
proposition, wanted to make it March
Is, declaring that all the business could
Uc uulSucu w llldI odlC. Lively SCud"
tor has one or more pet measures pend
ing, and he knew it would imperil it to
adjourn in two weeks. The result was
that both propositions were indefinitely
postponed, Knatvold being the only
one voting to shorten the session.
Saturday was the last day for intro
ducing road and bridge bills, and out
of 80 bills introduced IN the house, IA of
them were for roads and bridges. One
of the general bills introduced sets
apart 49, 900 of the grain inspection
fund to be used in supplying seed grain
to farmers who have not averaged four
bushels of wheat to the acre, seven
bushels of oats, six bushels of barley,
and three bushels of fax. Another
bill gives ten days for redemption of
property sold at chattel mortgage, in
stead of two as at present.
To repair the mischief of the recent
DISTINGUISHING constitutional amend
ment, bill was introduced allowing
town officers to hold Office even if they
have not been citizens of the United
States for three months. The most ex-
pensive bill offered was one appropri-
buildings and repair of old ones. Of
this amount st. Cloud is to have s43,-
900. Winona $50, 900, Mankato SIS, 900,
Moorhead $500, and $40, 900 goes for
the new building at Duluth, where a
normal school is yet to be begun.
A report of the committee on public
accounts stated that the state had on
hand in solvent banks S643. 21S. Is, and
in insolvent banks 1894, s12.6s.
st. Paul. Feb. 24-When the legisla-
lature resumed work yesterday, after
the Sunday and Washington birthday
vacation, it seemed to be much re-
freshed and resumed the grind with
vigor. Two of the bills introduced in
to the senate pertained to railroad reg
ulation. One authorizes the railroad
commissioners to prosecute railroads
for violating the law, or compelling
them to reduce freight rates without
anyone making any formal complaint.
Another is the copy of the Iowa law
forbidding unjust railroad discrimina-
tions. The time limit, fixed in the
house. when road and bridge bills can
be introduced having expired, that
class of bills will have to rely upon the
senate hereafter, and four were intro
duced in the senate yesterday.
In order to make sure that the bill
providing for bicycle paths was GER
tainly killed, Mr.. Grondahl, it's author,
moved its indefinite postponement
when the house met yesterday. He
said it had been amended until he
could no longer recognize it as child
of his, and consequently preferred to
have it killed. In view of the popu-
larity of bicycles in both city and coun-
try, it seems odd that the only measure
introduced into the legislature in their
interest should have met with such
violent hostility.
There was quite scrimmage in the
house over Mr.. Donnelly's bill requir-