Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1897-03-16
THE LEGISLATURE.
Both Bodies Are in Good WORKING
Order.
Cosby Letters Giving In Detail tho Moro
Important Work Of the Senate
and House of Repre-
sentatives.

IN either branch OF the legislature yes
terday. There were quorums present,
but as is common after a Saturday adj
journment, not enough to make it safe
to attempt to pass bills, as no measure
can become law unless it receives
the vote of the majority of all the
members of each branch. Consequent
", while a majority can do general
business, when the attendance is light
two or three negative votes can defeat
a measure.
The senate did not assemble until
afternoon and spent its time chiefly in
discussing bills. The bill reducing the
reward for capturing horse thieves
from 5000 to 800 was recommended to
pass, after long debate. There has
been determined effort to cut off the
reward entirely, and the reduction is
in the nature of a compromise. The
bill providing for the semi-annual col
lection of taxes, which has already
passed the house, was also recon-
mended to pass.
Seven bills were introduced in the
senate, the only one of Importance
being one creating the Office of COM
missioner of immigration at salary
of SO, 500. A similar bill is pending in
the house.
The bill appropriating SIS, 900 to buy
the insane asylum site at Hastings,
which passed the house Friday, was
sent to the senate, but took its regular
course by being referred to the COM
mittee on finance. The attempt to
rush it through seems to have been
abandoned, though its ultimate passage
seems certain.
The house spent both forenoon and
afternoon in committee of the whole,
discussing bills, without anything re-
markable occurring. The bill taxing
the iron mines was considered in part,
the temper manifested being in favor
of a very decided increase over the tax
alton which has been in force. It was
decided that hereafter a majority of
all the votes cast at an election would
be required to pass constitutional
amendment. AS it has been. the ma
jority of the votes on that subject have
been sufficient to adopt an amend
ment The consequence is, the con-
stitution has been amended by less
than half the votes cast for the officers
chosen, SO many neglectlng the amend
ments altogether. Six bills were in
PRODUCED, but none of Importance.
st. Paul, March 1O.-The echo of the
Anoka- insane asylum fight
was heard in the senate yesterday
Mr.. Caswell, editor of the Anoka Her
aid, made some statements which were
published in Minneapolis paper, init
mating that bribery was resorted to by
Hastings to secure the asylum. Sena-
tor Whitney offered a resolution call
ing for an investigation, and instruct
ing the joint committee to reassemble
and examine Caswell. The resolution
went over one day under notice of de-
bate. Senator Miller offered another
resolution calling for a committee to
ascertain the number of patients in the
existing asylums and to also report
whether it will not be cheaper to en-
large the present institutions instead
of building a fourth one. This also
went over one day. Perhaps out of
all the middle there will be no new
asylum erected. A resolution was
passed calling upon the railroad COM
mission to furnish the senate with in
formation as to the earnings of express
and sleeping car companies. The bill
repeating the law allowing newspapers
to avoid libel suits by retracting was
recommended to pass.
The only notable bill, of the eight in
troduced in the senate, was one estab-
fishing woman's reformatory. 1tpro-
vides that it shall be located not less
than so nor more than IS miles from
the Twin Cities. This provision was
evidently for the purpose of shutting
out both Anoka and Hastings. The
site is to consist of from 100 to 100
acres. Fifteen hundred dollars is ap-
propriated to pay the expenses of the
commission, and $4,000 for the pur-
chase of the site, erection of the build
ing and maintenance for two years.
In the house Mr.. Donnelly grew
quite indignant yesterday, because the
judiciary committee reported against
another of his bills. This bill provided
for jury trials where the title to real
estate is involved. This was only one
of several bills of Mr.. Donnelly's which
have been similarly treated. Mem
bers of the judiciary committee fred
up under Mr.. Donnelly's criticism. and
for a time the debate was lively. Mr..
Donnelly did not, however, save his
bill. Another bill of his, exempting
newspapers from paying Incorporation
fees, shared a similar fate. The iu-
dietary committee also endeavored to
kill bill allowing five-sixths of jury
to return a verdict in civil cases, but
this was rescued and placed on the cal
endar for passage. The attendance
was light and no attempt was made to
pass any bills in the house.
The governor has approved the bill
repeating the one cent per ton tax on
iron ore.
st. Paul, March 1.-THE senate, yes
terday, passed the house bill providing
for the semi-annual collection of taxes,
and it now only awaits the governors
signature to become law. The gen.
eral civil service bill was due to be
voted on yesterday, but Senator Ozmun
who has it in charge did not like to
risk it, and SO action was postponed.
One of the bills that did pass makes