Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1897-03-25

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 morbi id sentimen.
tality bill has for several days been on
the senate general orders and will soon
be among the things that are not
Earlier in the session there might have
been a 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 tho 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 men,
beers hope to hear from their constitu.
ents before that in order to know bet.
tor how to vote on it. The bill 10 long
and elassifies al kinds of retail goods,
there being SO different lines Of goods,
with graduated license fee. from q q
year for the dealer handling one line,
90 for handling two lines and t25 for
three lines, up to $4,000 for those
handling moro than 30 lines of goods.
Many amendments have already been
prepared aud 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 tho state and this week will
bring opinions on it from all sections.
It was prepared by Senator Theden
after his department store investiga-
ton.
Killed Civil SsRvice Reform.
The house docs not seem to be
friendly to the cause Of civil service re.
form aud has q 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,
1.-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 a
quorum having voted on the bill.
+ In one respe ct the committees of. the
present house have been doing their
duty more thoroughly than their pre-
decessors. Often in the past q useless
or even q bad bill has been favorably
reported out Of courtesy to its author,
but this session 3 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
852 bills introduced in the house, and
Of the 1879 that have gone down to death
the larger number were killed in COM
mittee. The house 10 still nearly 100
bills ahead Of two years ago in the
number introduced, while the senators,
who brought in many bills two years
ago, have been satisfied to introduce
about 50 less than at the same stage of
that session. TX 2
Scarcely . 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 in the pro.
ceedings until finally disposed Of.
Votes on each Of these measures viii,