The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-15


house this week will decide whether or
not to advance it to the calendar or put
it down. 1nasmuch as the question of
railroad rates on wheat and coal ship
ped in this state is an important one,
and views upon it are governed by
conditions existing in different portions
of the state. the house leaders are
naturally divided on the matter. This
fact will undoubtedly lead to a pretty
struggle when the measure is reached
by the committee of the whole.
The house had a little comedy of
it's own Wednesday when house file
40. introduced by Representative
Scott, Of this city, was taken up in
pieces and laughed to an undignified
death. The bill, the second or third of
its kind to be introduced this session
and by Ramsey county members, was
to extend the scope of the vagrancy
law so that police officers might pick
up professional crooks with less cere-
mOny than is at present considered
necessary. The bill, which was very
sweeping in its character, was vivi
sected by MeSsrs Fieg, Johns and
others, who pointed out that an unem-
ployed member Of the community could
only escape the clutches of discriminate
ing patrolmen by bidding adieu to this
HluuudIIe SpLGGe anu rising TO aerial
heights in a balloon The matter was
not seriously considered for minute
but owing to the excellent humor of
the house was picked to pieces for an
hour, transmogrifed by a handful Of
facetious amendments, and killed.
Some time this week the vote by
which the bill to place the state grain
inspection department under civil ser
vice rules was lost, will be reconsidered
and it is safe to assume that the bill
viii be this time faYOrably acted upon
so that after having passed the senate
the measure can go to Gov. Clough for
his signature. 1t is stated that when
the measure came up before, the vote
was unfaVorable, owing to an imper-
feet understanding of the provisions
Of the bill on the part of the members
The matter was thoroughly canvassed,
and the bill is now on the table wait
ing to be taken up at any time.
The Snyder bill to increase the tax
levy for the support of the state uniVer-
house after a somewhat checkered ca
reer.
The request preferred by certain in
forests to be heard in opposition to the
county option bill, has again deferred
the action of the temperance committee
of the house on that measure. Up to
this time, Chairman HOlmen and his
committee have listened to the argu-
ments Of the friends of the bill and
have yet to hear the other side of the
question. Notwithstanding this, how
ever, it is IN open secret that hut two
members of the committee, one of whom
introduced the measure. are in favor
Of it's passage. Beyond any doubt then,
Hr lO Il. I
definite postpOnement, but just what
the house will do with it is one Of those
things no fellow can find out.
It is curious to note the widely diff
felent actions taken in the past few
days on two measures, both presented
by Ramsey county members, one to
regulate the practice of barbering and
the other to regulate the practice of
hCrseshoeing. Both bills contemplate
what the members agree is an innOva-
ton; namely the licensing of tOnsorial
artists and farriers. The first was
passed and the other killed The bar
bcrs followed their bill closely, explain
ed it's provisions to the members of the
committee, sent petitions to the house
and labored with all interested. When
it was passed on Wednesday, it had
but two votes to spare. Two days later
the hOrseshOers' bill about which
conn aratively little has been heard,
was taken up on the calendar, and, as
If ny tacit underst anding, was quiet
~ smothered, receiving but forty-two
affirmative votes. This all goes to show
that when you have what you think is
a good thing, you should push it along.
The Greer travelling library bill, which
was introduced in the house by Repre-
sentative Staples and defeated, will be
reconsidered this week, when it will
probably be passed.
The bill providing that certain coun-
ty officers shall be elected for three in
stead of one year, as at present, which
has been introduced biennially as far
back as the oldest member can recall
got as far as the calendar this session.
only to be again given its quietus
In the senate the week was devoted
largely to the industrious disposition
Of routine. The Hastings-Anoka fight
precipitated a couple of sensations
one Senator Whitney's motion to in
vestigate the alleged bribery in con-
nection with the deal, which will no
doubt be renewed this afternoon, and
the other only mOmentary when Sen
ator Wyman announced that the Has
tings bill had been stolen from his desk
It's prompt discovery prevented what
might have been a serious interruption
of the usually tranquil week.
Some important bills passed the
"hOuse of lords" during the week, how
ever. among them Senator Hodges bill
providing for the collection of the rail-
road land tax imposed by the people
under the new constitutional amend
ment, the French libel law repeal. and
the Ozmun civil service bill for cities
A comparison Of the work Of the
two sessions shows that while the house
this time is prolific of bills, the senate
is running behind the figures of 1885
Two years ago the upper" house had
received 500 bills; this session it has
only seen 479 of its own make and CT
these it has slaughtered So with scant
ceremony. 1t has passed 10S, of which
the house has Endorsed 80 and chopped
off 4. Gov. ClOugh cut off another
The house two years ago today had
667 bills; it now has sos, or at least has
had although the yeoman service done
on the chopping block by some of the
committees, notably that on judiciary,
has sent to the moat of oblivion no less
than l64 pet measures on which the
ambitious Legislators spent the pro-
found thought of the long evenings in
the early winter. While this is only q
trlt1e over 20 per cent of the bills in
troduced, the figures are more signiti :
cant when compared with the fact that
the house has only passed n of it's own
bills. None of these have been deemed
ripe for slaughter by the senate, al
though, as yet, only twenty-five of them
have finally passed that body Gov.
Clough, impartial in his disposition of
VetoeS, cut off one house BILL too The
net result of all the legislative work
so far this session, therefore, is the
addition of fifty-three new laws to the
to he Nrlnd In