Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-02-16

committee OF the whole some days ago
and was recommended to pass with
only three or four adverse votes. On
the final passage Of the bill the vote
/ stood ~ to q and the measure was
lost, although notice was given of a
motion to reconsider The objection
to the measure is that in large counties
the treasurer receives liberal salary
and should bear the expense of his
own bond. The measure will be
amended to provide that in counties
where the salary of the treasurer is
$4,000 or more he shall pay the expense
Of his own bond, and when so amended
the bill will probably pass.
The house passed four bills:
Providing that collections of penalty
and interest on taxes shall be covered
into the general fund of counties; au-
thorizing county commissioners to offer
rewards for the apprehension of wheat
| thieves; providing for the apportion-
ment by county superintendent of a
poll tax of 81 to be levied on electors
for the support OF district schools; eX-
empting certain persons from the pen
alties against unlicensed practice of
veterinary surgery.
Bills introduced in the house:
Ferris, providing for the removal of
weeds along all highways and streets
prior to August of each year: Steven
son, requiring all owners of animals
dying from contagious diseases to bury
them beyond danger of contagion;
Laughlin, regulating the taking up Of
estrays and disposition and collection
of fees; Herbrandson, making the sec
ond Tuesday in March the date for
township meetings; Culack, fixing So
a day as the salary of district assess
ors and providing Il maximum of $3.50
as payment for assessment in any one
district; providing duties of sheep in
spectors; Hale. providing that all ,lom-
nations in contests Oh state officers
shall be made by secret ballot.
The bill to establish the Irvine and
cordage plant at the state peniten :.lry
was introduced in the house by the
special committee that inspected the
Saltwater plant. The bill provides that
the board of trustees of the state peni-
Tertiary shall, as early date as pos
sible, construct the necessary building
and purchase the necessary machinery
at an aggregate cost of $4,000. The
operation of the plant is to begin as
soon as the preliminaries have been
arranged, and the balance of the pro-
posed appropriation of $4,000 is to be
used therein. The expenditures OF the
institution are to be paid in cash by
the state auditor on the warrant of the
board OF trustees. The trustees are to
fix the price at which the product is
to be sold during the. season at their
regular meeting in April of each year.
Car load lots are to be sold at half Il
| cent pound less than small orders.
The product is to be sold only in the
state. The trustees may change the
season price if conditions make it adj
visable. The bill has an emergency
clause making it effective at once after
its passage, and it is favorably consil-
cred by the assembly.
Bismarck, Feb. S.-The house recon-
sidered the Laughlin bill providing that
all county treasurers in the state shall
give bonds in a fidelity insurance COM
pany. After the bill had been amend
ed to provide that in all counties where
the salary of the treasurer exceeds
$1,sO0 a year he should pay the ex.
pense of securing the bond individual.
ly, the bill passed with slight oppos-
ing vote. The object Of the measure is
to guarantee the insurance Of county
funds against loss and it will in all
likelihood pass the senate The senate
passed the appropriation bill to reim-
burse Governors Briggs and Devine for
moneys advanced in the prosecution of
the maximum rate case.
Senator La Moure chara cteriZcl the
creation of the special expenses and
some of the purposes to which the
money was put as a burlesque on COM
mon sense, although he said he should
vote for the appropriation bill because
the American people like to be hum
plugged and he was one of the people.
La Moure stated that the creation Of
these expenses without warrant of the
legislative assembly was a dangerous
precedent. He quoted from the report
of expenditures citing the payment of
$75 a month to Frank H. Irons of Far
go, and stated that it was generally re-
ported that the former secretary Of the
railroad commission had, upon his own
authority, engaged Irons to write Sc
ries of letters for the Fargo Forum
over the signature "XX," and that it
was moderately safe to put down that
the state had been paying Irons the
SIS a month for the writing Of these
letters, and he doubted whether the
benefit received by the state had been
worth the price. H. A. Edwards. a
brother of Maj. Edwards, of the For
UNI, he stated, had been paid for ex-
pert testimony when he had made only
one or two trips over the roads in the
state and then had gone before the
court and given testimony as to how
much it would cost to rebuild them.
La Moure. however, voted for the APP
preparation to pay for the expenses.
Both houses passed a number of
minor bills providing for technical
amendments of the code. Bills intro
| duced in the senate:
Little (by requesD. providing for an
appropriation of $1,000 for clerk hire
in the office of the commissioner of ag-
riculture and labor; Mobiles, providing
dates for terms Of court in the Second
judicial district: Twitchell. providing
that in cases Of insolvency debts OF the
sthate should be preferred
The house passed the bill reducing
the maximum cOntract-rate of interest
| frnr, tn IN MOI, cont 4 rTharo yyn,o