The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-11
LICENSE TO VAC" ANYBODY.
WHICH WAS IRIDICULED TO
DEATH.
MARINs TRACK SCALES BILL FAILS
The House Refuses to Have 1,
Placed on General Orders and
1t Is Postponed. ---.

house. The lower branch of the leg
islature had resolved itself into COM
inittee Of the whole with Mr. Dahl, of
Hennepin, in the chair, when one of
the humorous interludes worthy of
Charley Hoyt came up in the consider
alton of H. F.. 40, introduced by Mr..
Thomas Blythe Scott, the st. Paul
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., who wanted an act
passed to extend the scope of the vag-
rancy law so that policemen may pick
up professional crooks with less cere-
mony than is at present necessary.
Mr.. Johns opened the fight on the bill
against his colleague. He said he had
killed a similar bill introduced by Mr.,
Mcdonald, and he grew indignant that
another bill almost Identical in form
should be introduced. 'I'll give the
house the inside of this matter" said
Mr.. Johns. We've got a chief of police
in this city who has an idea he can pass
a measure. through this house to en-
able him to arrest g, man whom he
thinks is a pickDOcket or something
else of that kind A bill of this kind
strikes at the very foundation of the
liberty Of the individual. 1t gives to
the policeman the power to arrest a
man who he thinks is a suspicious
character, but against whom he can
prove nothing Now, whatever they
may say against lawyers. no lawyer on
the floor Of this house Twill get up and
defend such a measure
Mr.. Johns launched into a defense of
the legal fraternity as the defenders of
the liberty of the people.
Mr.. Feig introduced an amendment
which read this, act1shall not apply
to bankers" which was loudly applaud
ed by the members on the floor and by
the crowd which filled the gallery. The
house was in excellent humor. Mr.
Donnelly then spoke,@ "It is true" he
said, that I made one of my sons (or
rather he made of HIMSELF a member
of the legal professions and / have an
other son Of whom | made physician,
and l may say l am sorry that l did
not have third son to made an under
taker of him. for if l had 1 would at
tach him to the judiciary committee.
Oaughter) That committee certainly
has need Of an undertaken to dispose
Of the bills which it has killed" Then
Mr.. Donnelly took up his file Of printed
bills and discussed the Scott measure
upon its merits, and ridiculed the bill
to death. Reading from the bill, MAX
ing occasional omissions for brevity, he
pronounced in the soberest tones, +" a
person having no visible means of
support when found - shall be deemed
a vagabOnd and shall be punished by
Imprisonment in the workhouse for not
less than four. nor more than twelve
months
Now I submit this is 9. pretty severe
proposition. but 1 notice the bill is
specific upon one point. 1t speaks about
a person proving about'-think of the
keen perception OF policeman who
would have to discriminate between
being found about a place and found
rrowling' about any steamboat land
ing, railroad depot, banking institution,
brokers' office Ga particularly dangerous
place, 1 should say, place of amuse-
ment, auction room, store, yes, and
someone suggests churches, shop,
crowded thoroughfare-a, poor man out
of work will have to take to the back
streets. He could not even occupy a
place in the gallery (waving his hand
in the direction Of the house gallery
from which came vigorous applause,
and if these gold standard times are
kept up the poor devil will be forced
to go up in a balloon. s. You observe -
he proceeded, that this applies to
persons who have no Visible means of
support, and l SUGGEST that after we
adjourn there may be some one Of us
in this same category" The house then
laughed the bill into Indefinite post
ponement, and its author never made
the slightest attempt to save it.
The house spent a great deal OF time
upon Mr.. Laybourn's, bill relating to
taxes and redemptionsrHF. (which
provides that property shall be redeem
able from tax sale by paying the taxes
and penalties of the year and three
years past. Representative Schmidt
fought the bill, as did Mr.. Jacobson,
who said the law was not necessary.
1t was advocated by Mr. Laybourn,
Mr. Staples, Mr.. DonnelIy, and was
finally referred to special committee
of four, Messrs. Laybourn, Staples,
Douglas and jacobson.
On general orders the other bills dis
posed Of were as follows:
H. F. 81 (Wilkinson)- Providing that per-
sons under q years of age shall not be per-
mitted at places Of amusements where liquors
are sold. (The present law makes the limit
under 16 years.. Recommended to pass.
H. F. 40 (Scott)-To define vagrancy In
definitely postponed.
= H F. g. (Lloyd)-To regulate and license
horseshoers and horseshoing. Recommended
TO pass.
H. F. 5o4 (Staples)-Providing for normal in
struction in high schools. Recommended to
pass.
H. F. 372 Manipulating to reports OF
treasurer's of common school districts. To
pass.
H. F. 245 Froslee)-Regulatin public parks
and boulevards. To pass.
SCALE BILL FAILS.
discussion Of the Marin track scales
bill, which seeks tosEreduire railroads
to maintain track scales at all points
where 100000 or more bushels of wheat
is shipped annually The committee
tad fought over the imposition last
night and 1t was unanimously agreed
that 1t was impracticable. Mr.. Love-
joy and Mr.. Littleton explained the
measure from that standpoint. Mr..
Donnelly asked that the bill go on gen
era1 orders that it might be amended
and made practical. He, said if track
scales could not be provided, then plat
form scales should be substituted.
Patrick Rahilly one Of the big farmers
of Wabasha county, sat by Mr.. Don
nelly's side, and prompted him in the
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