Willmar tribune., 1899-02-01
LEGISLATIVE GOSSIP:
Our Special Correspondent Tells of
the Solons' Doings.
"A Bill in the House Proposes an Increase in
the Capacity of the Binding Twine
Plant in the Penitcntiary.

st. Paul, Jan. 21.-National affairs were
prominent in the Senate yesterday. 1t
did not take a great while for that body
to vote down Senator Stockwelrs anti
| expansion resolutions, but when it came
to passing the joint resolution sent in
from the House urging the United States
Senate to promptly ratify the peace
treaty there was a good deal Of Republi-
can opposition manifested. Not that they
| were opposed to the treaty. but they were
| opposed to thrusting national affairs into
the legislature and giving their advice to
| the United States Senate. The resolu-
t1ons passed IS to 16, but a good many
| who voted for them did so with the ex-
| PLANTATION that they did not want to be
| understood as against the treaty and
simply supported them to avoid being put
| in a false position.
| A bill was offered Great ting one more
| office, that Of custodian of documents in
| the Secretary of States office, with a
| salary attachment Of 1,200 This really
| Is not bad idea, for as at present after
| the first call for new document is over
| the surplus copies are shunted into a
| dark corner in the basement and it is
scarcely possible to find them again when
! wanted. It would be we'll to either print
| fewer documents or else have some one
| take care of them.
| There were a couple of interesting bills
| presented in the House one by Mr..
Wheaton making the value of human life
$4,000, instead of $1,000, as at present. AS
| 1t stands now, it is cheaper for a railroad
or other corporation to kill man out
| right than 1t is to MAIN him, for if he is
| dead only five thousand dollars can be
| collected, but If he has his leg cut off
he may get a much larger sum.
| The other bill was also aimed at rail-
| roads, as it forbids black listing of en-
| ployes, the minimum penalty for doing
so being fine of five hundred dollars.
Two years ago an effort was made to
abolish the Office of state fire warden and
according to bill offered yesterday the
attempt is to be renewed this year. If
| the majority of the legislature lives in a
prairie country the bill may pass, but
those who inhabit woods are pretty likely
| to oppose it.
A large portion of the House wanted to
adjourn until Monday or Tuesday, but
Jacobson said no and the noes carried,
| so there will be session today.
House was the only branch Of the legis-
| lature in session Saturday, a good deal
| of business was done. AS rule when
one branch has adjourned over Saturday
the other branch does not feel like work.
ing much, but this time was an excep-
tion "A rarge portion of the time was
occupied in discussing bills in committee
of the whole. The bill reimbursing the
1;%
| make the state exhibit at Omaha elected
a good deal of opposition, but was finally
| recommended to pass. Minnesota would
| have had poor representative at the
Worlds Fair, as we'll as at Omaha, If
| the matter had been left entirely to the
legislature. The necessary money was
| first pledged by citizens for the World s
Fair and then the Legislature shouldered
| the burden.
The bill reducing the rate of interest
| on school lands purchased of the state
! from to per cent and extending the
| time of payment to fifty years, had an
other airing and was made the special
order for Wednesday. The argument for
| the bill was that if the interest was re-
duced people would not hurry to pay the
principal and if the state received per
cent from the deferred payments it would
! be more than it would obtain if the prin-
cipal was paid in and reinvested by the
state. The argument against the bill was
that purchasers would not pay any faster
to relieve themselves of per cent in
terest than of per cent, and that the
| state would merely lose one per cent in
terest by passing the bill.
| The committee reported in favor of in
definitely postponing the bill forbidding
state officers from receiving railroad
| passes. There will be a fight on this
bill a little later. but it is not likely to
pass, as it would set precedent which
would prevent members of the legislature
from having passes. They are very con-
venient in going home to consult their
constituents.
The anti-black listing bill was held up
for amendment, one member jokingly
saying that they ought to delay passing
it until they. had received all their own
| railroad transportation.
The usual bills taxing the express COM
| panies have received an early start, and
three of them are under consideration in
the House. The plea of the express COM
| panies against the proposed taxation, is
! that they pay large rentals to the rail-
road companies and that the tax paid
| by railroads on their earnings largely
| covers the express business as we'll.
A public hearing on these bills was set
| for next Friday night
If pending bill passes, country mer-
| chants who ship produce to the commits
sion houses of the Twin Cities for sale,
! will have some protection. It provides
that all commission men must secure a
license from the grain and warehouse
commission and give bond, in proper
tion to the amount Of business they do.
guaranteeing settlement with their GUS
toners.
St. Paul. Minn., Jan. M.-The attempt
OF the House to be Industrious has not
amounted to much just because the. SEN
ate adjourned from Saturday till Tuesday.
Neither Saturday nor yesterday was any
thing especial accomplished.
Only two bills were offered yesterday
| and one of them proposed to increase the
capacity Of the binding twine plant in the
penitentiary. The committee has not be-
gun its Investigation yet, as to the man.
agement of the present binding twine
| plant, so that this bill will probably rest
in the hands of the committee until some
| thing official is known as to what hap
pened last year. :
The greater portion of the session was