The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-22

any other session of the Legislature
should happen to conflict with what
appears to be the interests of the Vari
Gus township officers. The new chattel
mortgage law which Judge LittletOn
attempted to have placed on the stat
ute books had hardly got a fair start
when it was discovered that some of
its provisions would lop off a certain
small revenue now coming to township
clerks for the filing and recording Of
chattel mortgages, and without delay
howl went up which surprised even the
judge, who may be expected to know
that all new legislation is eyed with
some misgiVings by the country men,
bers. 1t was agreed that the bill was
a good one. No one denied this fact,
but under it's provisions filing was done
at the county seat instead Of in the
townships, and this was made the
caSuS bell. The author, although he
did not like to change his bill, agreed
to cut out this feature when ordinarily
the bill should have been favorably rec
commended, but it was still opposed, one
member going as far as to intimate
that it would be struggled through to
the detriment of the people through the
state. 1t must be said to the credit Of
the house that this genius was sQuelch-
ed, although it is doubtful if he knows
it 1t will be but scant justice for the
house to acknowledge Judge Littletons
ability, integrity and dignity by pass
ing his bill when 1t comes up on gen.
eral orders this week.
Ross McMichaels, the clever little
house page, has been chosen head of
the organization which has been be-
gun and which will be perfected by the
house and senate pages this coming
week.
The members of the Ramsey delega-
ton will meet Tuesday evening at the
Commercial club to give an opportunity
to be heard to those who wish to speak
on any of the measures which are now
before the delegation.
The Foss tax on inheritance" bill
has been made a special order for
Wednesday at o'clock.
The matter of reapportionment is still
in statu quo, and, although there is
some indication that something definite
in the way of a beginning will be done
this coming week, it is no sure thing.
1t has been said that the members
from the southern part of the state
would not object to a house of 125 and
senate Of siXty-fve. They might as
we'll say outright that they do not OBJ
ject to a reapportiOnment on the pres
ent basis Of ia representatives and
ffty-fOur senators.
The Legislature may now decide on
which is the best course to pursue;
either to enlarge the two bodies to
the numbers of the limits named above
without any fight to speak Of, or to
make a determined effort, which may
result in defeat, to rearrange the
representation on the present basis.
The desperation Of the south is due
to its inevitable loss of representation,
which Is especially great in the First
congressional district. The ten coun-
ties constituting that district, with a
census population in 1895 Of 208, 140
have ten senators and nineteen repre-
sentatives. To keep them on that basis
would demand Legislature Of seventy
nVe senator's and 143 representatives
Houston, Steele and Dodge counties are
so r1d1culouSly short of the fair SEN
atorial apportionment, however, that it
Is probable the members from that cor
ner OF the state will probably not fight
very hard to prevent the consolidation
OF steele and Dodge in one district and
the attachment of Houston to one of
the adjoining counties, Fillmore prob
ably This would cut the senatorial
representation in the congressional dis
tr1ct down to eight, but even on this
basis, to give the northern portion of
the state its proportionate representa-
ton, the senate must consist Of at least
sixty. If the First can be induced to
yield three of it's representatives in tha
other branch, it will permit the state
to be redistricted fairly on a basis of
l20 members, or double the senatorial
representation suggested.
The matter will come up in the senate
on special order Wednesday after
noon at 2 o'clock