The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-23
FIVE-SlxTHS OF THE JURY
MAY RETURN A VERDICT IN CIVIL
ACTIONS UNDER DUNN'S
BILL,
WHICH is REPORTED TO PAS.
Mcdonald Banking Bill Is Discussed
at Some Length without Final
Action.

10 put the gram Inspection department
of the state on civil service basis,
the house yesterday engaged in a long
but not final discussion of the Nc
Donald banking bill. which has been Oh
the docket since the opening days of
the session, and Representative Dunn's
bill to provide that five-sixths Of a jury
might return a verdict in civil actions
thus preventing miscarriage Of JUS
tice through the corruption of one or
two members of such a jury.
The defeat of the Thorpe bill was
accomplished in committee of the
whole with Mr.. Jacobson in the chair,
Speaker Jones motion to indefinitely
/ postpone being carried by a vote of 81
to IS.
After the bill had been reported, Mr.
Belden moved an amendment to pro-
vide that no person should be per-
mitted to hold office for period longer
than four years. Mr.. Belden argued
that this idea was borrowed from d
bill which had been introduced in con-
gress. Mr.. Meyers and Mr.. Feig point
ed out that this would nullify the bill
and instead Of adopting such al
amendment they advised that the bill
be killed Oughtright. The amendment
was not adopted, but another one. pro-
viding for a penalty for violation of
the law, was adopted. Mr.. Feig moved
for the favorable report upon the bill
and made a speech for its passage. He
pointed out that while some other de-
partments might not properly come
under the civil service, the grain de-
partment was peculiar in that it was
one Of the best grain bureaus in the
country and it would be well to keep
ur its presert / .gh degree of efficiency.
Mr. DonnelIy spoke against the bill
and also against the idea of civil ser
vice reform. Speaker Jones moved that
the bill be Indefinitely postponed. Mr.
Hartshorn said he did not believe in
the policy of the civil service. Mr..
Laing spoke for the bill MI Jones
said he did not believe in life tenures in
office; in fact he was an advocate OF
the doctrine Ito the victors belong
the spolis" He said that he did not be-
lieve that the men in any Office had
monopoly upon ability, and that if the
/ present officers of the state, including
the legislature should all die there was
very little doubt that new set could
be promptly secured, equal in ability to
care Tor the public interest.
Mr. Donnelly again resumed his
argument against the civil service. He
said it was a temporary fad, imported
from the East. which had already con
tributed SO much that was bad in the
affairs of the country. He suggested
that perhaps two years hence Mr.. Feig
or Mr.. Jones might be governor and
there was a possibility that some Pop
uhst might be in the gubernatorial Of
flee and in that case he wanted the
governor TO have the power to reward
his friends. He suggested that in his
opinion all the political parties were
in a state of fusion, about to break up
and this was consequently a bad time
to begin to establish an official class. |
The bill was recommended for indefi-
mite pOstpOnement, and when the COM
mittee rose, upon motion Of Mr.. Doug
las, it was excepted from the report
and laid on the table.
The entire afternoon session YVES
spent upon general orders, principally
upon the bills previously mentioned
The Mcdonald bill, H F. 8, a very far
reaching and drastic measure to cor
rect the evils which have been made
manifest in connection with the bank
: ing laws OF Tie SIdle. MS DllI I1tS
been argued and reargued, sent into
limbo once or twice and resuscitated
until it became a bette nOir to over half
the members of the house, most of |
whom We're anxious for 2 chance TO
kill it, so as to have it out of the way.
Representative BasfOrd made a hu-
morous talk in opposition to the bill, in
mhich he said the more he studied the
/ bill, the more he was satisfied that ii
should never have been introduced. /
He did not attempt to point out its
/ defects, because, he said, there were
too many and he wound up with, Down
it, gentlemen, down it.
But the house did not follow Mr.
Basford's wishes. 1t listened an hour
more or less, to Mr. McDonald's de-
Tense of his Legislative progeny, and
/ upon the assurance of Mr.. Staples and
Mr. Underleak that with all its bad
features the bill had some good points,
four sections were cut out, being sec
tons 9, II. Is and 18 which the COM
mittee attempted to beat into shape,
but found the work impracticable. So
the bill was referred to a special COM
mittee consisting Of Representative
Laing, Staples and Mcdonald, and
when they get ready to report, the bill
is to be regarded as special order
and be discussed to a finish.
The other measure, Mr. Dunn'S bill
Oh F. 476), providing that in civil
! cases five-sixths of a jury should be
7 competent to render a verdict. The
bill was recommended to pass although (
the prep0nderance of speech-making
was against the bill Mr.. Dunn, the
author explained that it was intended
to apply only TO civil actions, and
that, while it might not be needed in
the country, in the cities there had
\ grown uD lobby of jury brfbers, who
/ made it a practice to buy up one or
two members of any jury that The
Z large corporations are interested in AMI
thus prevent a verdict, in spite Of the
plain merits of the case.
Mr. jacobson spoke against the bill
He said it was not wanted in the c0un-
try, and If in the cities there was a
gang Of jury bribers they should be
gotten after by some other legislation.
Mr.. Foss spoke in favor OF the bill,
although he confessed that in the
country the old jury system was quite
satisfactory. Mr.. jacobson made the
point that the bill was asked for. prin-
cipally. by the damage suit lawyers.
Mr. COe came TO the defense Of the
lawyers. He also spoke in favor OF
the bill, saying that the great corpora
tons had a corps of jury bribers, who
kept track of every juryman-
Mr. FoSnes said the fve-siXths jury
system had been tried in Minnesota
and had been abandoned. Mr. Harris
horn said he was in favor of the twice
honored jury system, which came down
for 400 years Mr.. Dahl hade a telling
argument for the BILL citing his ex-
l peTience as a court reporter in Mime
/ apolis. Mr. Cray was against the bill
/ as a dangerous innovation. MIR. Bel