The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-20
BIER OF PROPOSED ENACTMENTS
ALONG THAT LINE.
THREE OF THEM BY DONNELLY.
HOUSE TOOK THEM UP AND RECON-
MENDED TWO OF THEM FOR
PASSAGE.
ALTHOUGH LOST IN COMMITTEE.
MIR. McDOnaId's Bill on the Same
General Subject Referred to
Special Committee.

Representative Henry Johns presided
over the committee of the whole which
let H. +. 105, by Mr.. Schmidt, of Du-
luth, providing for repositories for the
state treasurer, down to a gentle easy
death, only later to resuscitate 1t. Mr..
Schmidt opened the discussion with
resume of the banking situation in
this state for the past few years. and
repeated the assertion touched on be-
fore that the bOndsmen of the state
treasurer were, as rule, bankers, who
dictated where the state coin should
be deposited. Under existing condi-
tions, he said, no man could be found
who would be willing to resume the
duties and responsibilities of the state
treasurer to be held accountable for
moneys lost in banks in which he
might have felt compelled to deposit
funds. Mr.. Jacobson put in a vigorous
objection to part of the bills provisions
and his amendment removing the Sec
ton eXcusing the treasurer's liability
was adopted.
Mr.. Donnelly thought the bill, even
as amended, a perilous law, which
would leave the treasurer a mere fig
urehead, and which would in no sense
prevent any two members of the COM
mission from taking the very action
the bill sought to make impossible.
Mr.. Schmidt's motion for passage was
lost, and Mr.. Feig clinched it by a
motion for indefinite postponement,
which, though carried, was reconsid-
cred and the bill still has life on gen.
eral orders.
SLAUGHTER OF DUCKS.
For perhaps twenty minutes the COM
mittee was lifted from the dull routine
by the consideration of one of the
unique bills introduced by Mr.. Sever
ance. The measure is H. F. 149, de-
signed to prevent the slaughter of
ducks and other water fowl by the
use of sneak boats" etc. When the
bill had been reported, Judge Hicks
wanted to know what 'Sneak boats"
were and called on the author for an
explanation. Mr.. Severance did not
Immediately respond, and Speaker
Jones. a sportsman himself, explained
that. although he had been shooting
ducks for twenty years, he was not
sure that his definition of a "sneak
OOdl "OuIu U6 very cI0dT.
In the absence of any satisfactory
elucidation, Mr.. Scott moved to in
definitely postpone, Mr.. McGill adding
that it was hard enough to shoot ducks
now without any assistance to the
feathered game from the legislature.
Mr.. JONES' however, came to the res
cue Of the author with the suggestion
that there had been a confusion OF
terms and that probably Mr.. Sever
ance aimed to prevent the use of sunk
boats" or batteries" or prairie
blinds" devices which concealed hunt
erS. and the use of which real sports
men deprecated. Mr.. Severance smiled
gratefully when progress was reported
until he could make needed changes
in the measure
The house adjourned until 2:So
o'clock
Thanks to the expedition Of Mr.. Feig
as chairman, the house broke all pre-
V1ouS records this session in the mat
ter of getting through the big grist of
measures on general orders. At the
opening Of the afternoon session. the
speaker completed the little courtesy
to Mr.. Severance on his duck shooting
bill, by substituting the words float
in battery" or sunk boat" for the
term sneak boat which was not
clearly understood. The bill as thus
amended, was recommended for pas
sage.
The inheritance tax bill providing for
graduated impost on requests, lega-
cies, cts, introduced by Representa-
tive Foss was made a special order for
Wednesday at p. m.
BANKING BILLS REVIVED.
nf
bills, turned down by the committee,
but resuscitated by the house, came up
yesterday one after the other, and
after a brief talk by the author, two
were recommended to pass, while pro-
gress was reported for the third.
Speaking Of the first two, the author
said: This banking business is
question which, for some time has
interested the people to a degree 1t
is their desire, l take it, to take such
steps as will obviate the continuance
of such calamities in the future We
have seen the downfall Of a large
number Of banks, carrying with them
the fortunes of the people In some
cases the methods followed by the Off
Gals have been peculiar not to say dis
honorable. Men posted on finance say
we may see further calamities in the
future. 1t is the duty of this house
to dc all 1t can to prevent this One
way to accomplish this is by requiring
to be posted an account Of the preced-
ing days business. This can further be
accomplished by requiring the banks
to also post conspicuously a list of it's
officers, stockholders and the amount
of stock held by each. We cannot face
our constituents unless we do here
what we can to prevent in the future
state Of affairs which might have
been STAYED off by proper action here
two years ago." After a large number
of the bills had been acted upon the
MCDONALD BANKING BILL
was taken up.
The bill seeks to make the banks Of
the state more secure for the deposit