The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-02-25
SESSION HALF OVER
IN EIGHT WEEKS MORE LEGISLATORS
WILL LEAVE THE CAPITAL.

IN Es67t WEEKS MAKE LEGloIAIOHd
WILL LEAVE THE CAPITAL.
The Work Il Well Along Reapportion.
ment Topic Of General Interest.
EARLY ADJOURNMENT Resolution Tabled.
Travelling Library Bill-Labor Bureau
Investigation-The State University.
Some Modern improvements.
ST. PAUL, Feb. 22.-Special. Seven
Of the fifteen weeks Of the session have
now been completed. In the house
there have been introduced 800 bills,
while the senate has received $50 pro-
posed new laws. A score or more
minor measures have gone through
both houses and become laws. OF the
bills introduced q laggeproportion have
called for appropriations for roads and
bridges, bnt Saturday was the last day
for such bills in the house, - Of that
class coming II on that day. Reap.
portienment b we'll started. tax law
amendment = well under way, tho
banking laws are already under pro.
cess Of revision and the various investi@
cations continue their overhauling Of
tho various branohes Of tho ssate gov.
srnment AL things considered the
stage Of Legislative business ID high and
the continuance Of similar energetic
methods viii bring results, whose benz
Gifts can only be learned from actual
later experience.
Reapportionment IL one Of the topics
Of most general interest and this has
been made a. general order for Wednes-
day afternoon in the senate. It must
not be supposed, however, that the
actual reapportionment bill will then
be considered, for an expression of
opinion is all that is sought at this
time. Having heard from both house
and senate the committee having the
matter in charge will know how to
formulate it's bill. In the house Mr..
Staples introduced resolution favor
ing not to exceed 70 senators and la
representatives. He did this to draw
out opinions and he got them, ranging
from 80 to rs for the senate and from
80 to $50 for the house, the resolution
finally favoring Is and 100 as the maxi
mum size for the two houses. This
came before the senate, where the
esnendment to decrease the senate and
fn.rease the house by five was made,
bat before vote was ts.ken the whole
subject was made special order for
Wednesday afternoon. The chief
trouble is the feeling that a larger
senate is necessary in order to get that
branch to agree to any reapportion-
ment, although there is general feel.
ing that the senate hereafter should
not exceed the present figures 81,
and if possible should go
much below that If the senate
agrees to the house resolution, IS and
1870 will be the membership in the sem
ate and house respectively. However,
any amendments that may be adopted
by the senate favorlng smaller bodies
will be promptly agreed to in the house,
where the sentiment is strongest in
favor of reapportionment. The only
reason for a larger legislature is that
most Southern Minnesota members do
not want to reduce their present rep
resentation but are willing to enlarge
the aggregate membership in order to
increase the representation from the
newer sections of the state.
The travelling library bill, which
would give to the country districts the
benefits of the best literature, such as
are now enjoyed by patrons of the big
public libraries in the cities, has been
killed, temporarily at least. 1t got
through the senate, but was defeated
by the country members, for whose
constituents it's benefits were intended,
when taken up in the house. Later
Mr.. Staples, in charge Of the
house bill, secured reconsideration
and the senate bill will be discussed
once more by the house. The bill
called for an appropriation of $4,000,
but Mr. Donnelly cried out against this
as the entering wedge to great extrav-
agance and that word settled the mat
ter. 1t is thought probable that by re-
ducing the appropriation the bill may
be passed finally, although some good
friends of the measure are SO confident
of its merits that they assert the coun-
| try districts will soon be heard from in
SO pronounced manner as to make the
passage of the present bill certain.
Semi-annual payment of taxes is
now assured, the senate having favor.
ably acted on its bill, whose duplicate
in the house is already in high favor
there There was much discussion
about it in the senate and some show
OF opposition. but no one voted against
it at the end of the debate.
The usual resolution for an early
final adjournment was presented in the
! senate the other day by Senator Knat-
void with the usual adverse result,
and the legislature will continue at
work until April 81, that being the
statutory limitation. This is a subject
of much interest with varied and vary
ing opinions. Some members advo-
cate much shorter session, maintain
ing that the work could all be done in
sixty days and insisting that bad laws
are impossible when the legislature is
not in session. Mr.. Donnelly goes to
tne other extreme and asserts his belief
in continuous sessions of the law
Il