The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-03-31
THE LEGISLATURE.
Both Bodies Are IL Good Working
Order.
Gossipy Letters Giving In Detail the More
Important Work Of the Senate
and House of Repre-
0entatfve8.

not strong day in the senate for ac-
complishing results. Two bills were
passed of general interest-one allow
ing newspapers to charge for publish
ing the heading and foot of tax lists,
which heretofore have been printed
free, and one allowing the state board
of equalization to increase but forbid
ding them to decrease assessments.
Property owners who want their as
sessment reduced can no longer appeal
to the state board, if this bill goes
through the house and becomes a law,
but must abide by the decision of the
county officers. The bill providing for
a state highway commission with a
view of improving the roads elected a
long de bate, but no result was reached
Four bills were introduced, one of
which authorizes the use of automatic
be case. if. adopted, where the voter
will touch the button and the machine
will do the rest
Anyone who was in the house Satur-
day forenoon was made fully aware
that the bill imposing cent tonnage
tax on the output of iron mines was
not dead, nor even sleeping. A call Of
the house was ordered as soon as 1t
was called to order, and over an hour
was spent in bringing in absentees.
When all that could be found were
present, Mr.. Staples moved to recon-
slider the bill which had been lost the
day before, and the motion was carried
by So to 43. 1t requires IS to pass a
bill. but as some opponents of the
measure voted to reconsider, its friends
did not dare to put it on its passage. 1t
was made the special order for tomor-
row afternoon. Both friends and OPP
ponents are straining every nerve on
this measure and the closeness of the
fight intensifies the interest. On the
surface the leaders on both sides pro-
fess confidence of success but in reality
both are greatly alarmed. No one can
tell until the next roll call what will
happen. 1t is claimed that one vote
was wrongly recorded nay on Friday
when the man voted yea, and if this is
true it had 81 votes. only one less than
is necessary to pass it while seven
were absent, two of whom are sure
friends of the bill. II is the first real,
good entertaining fight Of the session.
The peculiarities Of legislation have
an illustration in the case of W. NJ.
Jones, who rendered legal services to
the state. Two years ago a bill passed
appropriating $1,000 to pay him but
through an error of the enrolling clerk
failed to become a law. This year a
bill was introduced in the house giving
him the same sum and was promptly
rejected. In the senate 1t was intro
duced and passed. Saturday the SEN
ate bill reached a vote in the house
and the bill was cut to $3.50, and passed.
So Jones must lose $3.50 because a clerk
made a mistake.
One of the bills introduced in the
house forbids any microscope or vero-
scope of prize fight in Minnesota If
this passes the ett-Fitzsimmons
debate will not be seen here. A long
list of bills were reported from COM
mittees and good many debated in
committee of the whole, but no bills
were passed by the house.
St Paul, March 23.-Yesterday was
another committee of the whole day,
either branch of the legislature. In
the senate the bill providing for pub
fishing notices of expiration of redemp-
ton in the newspapers was indefinitely
postponed. A long debate ensued over
the distribution of the $4,000 appro-
priated for county fairs, it being
claimed that Olmstead county, in OBJ
tanning 50. coo for a Southern Mime
sofa fair. got more than her share. The
bill was recommended to pass, in spite
Of strong opposition.
The longest debate in the house was
over the bill allowing ten men in a
jury of twelve to render verdict in
civil cases. It was finally recommend
ed to pass. The bill placing the grain
inspection department under civil SER
wee was again defeated. There seems
to be Ito the victors belong the
spoils" feeling regarding this bill. and
the farmers in the legislature don't
want to be tied down to any one set of
inspectors. A desire has cropped out
all through the session to hit the rail
road commissioners, and a measure
was proposed yesterday cutting their
salaries from So. 500 to 81, 900, and their
secretary from So, 500 to 81, 500.
ST. Paul, March 24.-Yesterday was
an eventful day in legislative circles.
In the senate the tax levy for the sup
port of the state university was
doubled the bill passing with only
four negative votes. There was quite
a protracted discussion over the bill
providing that treasurers in counties
having over $4,000 people should fur
nish bonds from some approved surety
company. Some of the country sena-
tors opposed it, but the city senators
won and the bill was recon mended to
pass
Politics cropped out in the house
when the bill organizing Nelson coun-
ty, out of a portion of Polk county,
came up. Mr.. Feig called upon the re-