Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-02-16
THE LEGISLATURE
Proceedings of North Dakota's Law
Mill.

Mill.
Bismarck, N. D., Feb. Ga concur
rent resolution for a constitutional
amendment was introduced by Senator
Porter at Saturdays session of the SEN
ate, looking to the assessment and tax
alton of grain grown. in the state. The
amendment provides that the legisla-
tive assembly may tax wheat, flax,
oats and barley grown in the state and
stored in elevators or kept for seed, ut
a rate of Tot to exceed half cent
bushel on wheat, the same on fax. q
third of a cent on barley and quarter
of a cent on oats. At present the
grains grown in the state pay practi-
cally no taxes. The millions of bush
els Of wheat grown in the state are
sessments. The rate of quarter to
half a cent a bnshel, If applied to the
millions of bushels of grain grown in
ceeding S25O,GOO
Senator McCarten also introduced
proposed constitutional amendment for
the initiative and referendum in the
state. The proposed amendment pro-
vides that per cent of the voters may
call for a vote on any law passed by
the legislature, 5 per cent may propose
law and have it voted on at a special
election, and Is per cent may propose
a constitutional amendment. The
amendment is not likely to be adopted
by the assembly, as many Of the mem
bers prefer to see how the referendum
system operates in states that have
adopted it, before experimenting. Sen
ator Little proposed two measures for
which there has been a call. One of
them provides that counties shall pay
the expenses of transportation of con-
victs to the state peniteDtiary and pa
tients to the insane asylum. instead of
the state, as at present: This law, it
passed, would transfer an annual ex-
pense of $4,000 to $4,000 from the
state to the counties. The other bill
provides n mandatory tax of not to eX-
coed mills in counties for the purpose
of creating and maintaining fire breaks
and the appointment of fire wardens.
The object of the bill is to prevent the
immense annual losses. particularly in
the stock districts. by prairie fires.
which destroy ranges and even ami
mails in some instances. The senate
passed the Hanna bill making an ap-
preparation for travelling educational
libraries, and amending the law with
relation to teachers institutes and
training schools, as requested by the
state educa tional association.
The house reconsidered the Allen bill,
granting individual property rights to
husband and wife, and referred it back
to the committee OH judiciary for fur
ther consideration.
A number of bills were reported on
which no definite action was takon and
they We're booked for discussion in
committee Of the whole.
A resolution was passed unanimous
ly requesting the states representa-
tives at Washington to secure recogni-
ton in the way of Il position from the
government for Gen. Harrison Allen Of
Fargo, one of the old Republicans of
the state, in consideration of his long
sand faithful service to the party.
The house recommended for passage
the bill making 10 per cent the maxi
mum contract rate for interest, with
an amendment providing for the for
fixture of claim for recovery as a pen
atty for accepting higher interest.
Bills introduced in the house were:
Kennedy, to prohibit the use of repeat
ing shotguns in the state; Winton, pri-
mary election law, and Sanford, to pro-
vide for physical culture and calisthen-
ics in the high schools of the state.
The senate committee on appropria-
lions decided to recommend for pass
age the Twitchell resolution for the is
suance of $15O.O00 Of certificates of
Indebtedness for the establishment Of
a Irvine plant at the state penitentiary.
The committee will also recommend
favorably the bill for an appropriation
to reimburse Gov. Devinc and the wild
ow of Gov. Briggs for funds advanced
in the payment Of expenses of the pros
ecution of the maximum rate case.
Bismarck, N. D.. Feb. 7.--1f Il bill in
PRODUCED by Senator La Moure, father
of the divorce bill that has just been
passed and been approved, becomes a
law there will be twO months more in
which residents of other states may
come to North Dakota for the purpose
of establishing residence to take ad-
vantage of the old divorce law. The
bill provides that the provisi ons of the
new divorce law shall not apply to any
case in which the complaint is filed
with the clerk of the district court
prior to July /. AS complaints may
be filed after residence of three
months has been established, prospect
i've divorces who take up their resi-
dence in the state before April will
come under the provisions of the pro-
posed law, as their complaint may be
fled before July 1. Senator La Moure
stated that there was a legal question
as to whether a divorce proceeding be-
gun in the state before July could be
thrown out because the plaintiff had
not been resident of the state for
twelve months, as provided by the new
law to go into effect OH that date. In
order to avoid litigation he said the
proposed law was introduced to ex-
empt from the twelve-month require
ment all cases in which the complaint
was filed by July /.
A favorable report was made by the
appropriations committee on the pro-
posed issuance of $4,000 certificates
of Indebtedness for the establishment
of Irvine plant and for the payment
of $4,000 extraordinary expenses in the
prosecution of the maximum rate case.
4 n Aso,, -