The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-04-07
.I.EGISI. TT 90 G ()SSIP
Our Special Correspondents Tells Of
the Solons' Doings.
The Members are Busily Engaged, as the
Session Draws Towards Close, In the
Discussion and Passage Of Va
rfOus Measures.


Of bills, cleaning up the entire calendar
of So bills. Five bills were killed. two laid
over and the rest passed. One of the bills
passed allows a district judge to modify
the sentence of municipal judge send
ing minor to the training school until
he or she reaches the age of q years.
Another. as passed, reduces the legal rate
of interest from seven to six per cent.
The bill proposed by the recent state
hardware convention asking authority to
establish a hardware fire insurance COM
pany was also among those passed.
The senate did not meet until p. m.,
and then devoted the afternoon to con-
sidering bills in committee Of the whole.
Most Of them were recommended to pass,
but the bill making eight hours days
work in all public employment was in
definitely postponed.
st. Paul, March 29.-The eight-hour bill
rose from its ashes in the senate yester-
day. 1t makes eight hours a days work
on all public works. The committee of
the whole Tuesday recommended its in
definite postponement, but when the
committee rose Senator MCGOWAN got it
excepted. and sent to the calendar. After
stubborn fight yesterday the senate
passed it by "a to %. The chief point of
interest in the senate yesterday was the
bill which passed the house increasing
the tax on railroads from 3 to per, cent
on their gross earnings. The senate ju-
dietary committee reported in favor of
indefinite postponement of the bill, and
the question was on the adoption or re-
lection of this report. Senator Halvorsen
opened the fight against the report and
had letter from Gov. Lind read arguing
that the present gross earnings tax of
per cent was not a contract between the
state and the railroads. Senator Young,
chairman of the judiciary committee re-
piled at length. The debate was con-
tinued until after 5 p. M, when a vote
was reached and the report to indefinitely
postpone was adopted by the close vote
of 81 to 30. Senator Greer, who favored
the report, in pursuance of the usual
parliamentary tactics, moved to recon-
slider the vote with the view of having
the motion voted. down and thus clinch-
ing the death of the bill. Senator Nc
Gowan, who favored the bill, moved to
lay the motion to reconsider on the table,
The opponents of the bill voted for Nc
Gowan's motion with broad smiles,
claiming that he had unwittingly accom-
plished the same result which Senator
Greer was aiming at. The motion to lay,
on the table prevailed unanimously. At
ter adjournment the opponents of the
bill did not feel quite so sure that Sen
ator McGowan's motion ended it after
ALL and the bill may be heard from later.
The senate committee on labor has re-
ported in favor of the indefinite post
ponement of the ant-boycott bill.
The first notable event in the house
was the attempt to pass the Fosness bill
equalizing taxation. The author of the
bill illustrated his point by saying that
at present, if merchant had a stock of
goods worth $4,000 on which he owed
$4,000, he was obliged to pay taxes on
5000, but If another merchant had the
same amount of goods, all paid for, but
owed some one else $4,000, he could de-
duct that and only pay taxes on s., 5000.
The bill was designed to equalize such
ma tiers, but it was lost by so yeas to 60
nays.
A large portion of the day was devoted
to discussing in committee of the whole
the Roberts bill granting bounty of one
cent per pound on sugar made in the
state from sugar beets. The bill is only
effective to 1901 and limits the expendi-
ture any one year to $4,000. After
| long debate the bill was amended limit
| ing the annual expenditure to SAC, 900 and
| to 100000 in any one congressional district
1t also provided that the recipients of the
| bounty must show that they had paid not
| less than 81 per ton for the beets. In
| this shape it was recommended to pass.
The next bill before the committee was
| one from the senate repeating the exist
| ing bounty. An effort was made to in
definitely postpone this bill, but rather
| strangely, that effort failed and the re-
peal bill is left for future consideration
| st. Paul, March 3O.-As the legislature
| went to saltwater at l:30 a. m. yester-
| day, the session. of both branches was
| brief. In the senate there was a little
| scrimmage over the county option bill.
A resolution was pending calling the bill
out of the hands Of the temperance COM
| mittee. One member of that committee
is sick and there is deadlock in the re-
| mainder of the committee. In view of
| this condition of affairs, the resolution
| was laid on the table; so county option
is still in the air.
| The four per cent railroad gross earn
ings bill did not come up for reconsidera-
bring it up Thursday.
! But little was done in the house save
! receive reports Of committees, and those
were chiefly adverse to the bills reported
upon. Among those reported against
was the one allowing 30 days racing with
pool selling at the State Fair grounds.
The bill distributing the taxes paid by
| railroads to the counties in proportion
n a rfVy{ IN In fSryn
was sent to the committee of the whole
st. Paul, March Sit was the country
against the city yesterday in the senate
and the country won. The bill was
licensing peddlers-the intent being to
prevent the peddlers from loading up
with wares in the cities, and going out
into the country to compete with the
country merchant. It received 90 votes
which was the exact number necessary
to pass it and no more. The passage
was illustrative of on what a slender
thing legislation sometimes hangs. When
the roll call was over the bill lacked
one vote of passing. Two friends of the
bill changed their votes to no in order
to move a reconsideration and one
actually did move a reconsideration be-
fore the vote was announced which was
out of order. At this moment Senator
schaller came in and voted aye. This
carried the bill and the two who had
changed to no heartily changed to aye
and the bill was passed. Senator Schaller
had been called to the telephone in the
corridor and while there was told of
senator who had already voted against
the bill, of what was pending and he
(schaller) rushed in and saved the day.
Ths bill increasing the gross earnings