The Worthington advance., 1901-03-15
LEGISLATIVE GOSSIP SIP
Our Special Correspondent Tells a
the Solons' Doings.

the Solons' Doings.
Bills arc Being Rapidly introduced and
Sent ON Their Way by the Commit
r. tee Of the whole. hut Few +.
Have Become Laws.
st. Paul. Minn., March 5.-The con-
gressional reapportionment bill,
agreed upon by the committee, was
introduced in both houses and made
the special order in each house for Fri
day morning. A combination has been
formed which may prove strong
enough to carry it through without
change, as reported by the committee,
though there will be some strong op-
position.
Senator Miller renewed his effort to
tax the express companies with a bill
providing for per cent tax on their
met earnings.
The house was even dullcr than the
senate. The most important bill Of
fered was one making it a misde-
meanor to run q theater on Sunday.
The same kind of q bill was offered
two years ago, but after the legisla-
ture was supplied with tickets to 70
and see for themselves, the bill was
not heard Of any more. Possibly his
tory will repeat itself.
A bill was passed requiring six
months school to be kept in country
districts where the property valuation
amounts to SIS,
The effort to cut off twenty days
from the session will culminate in q
caucus. The movement comes from
the senate and is based upon the de-
sire OF the senators to act upon the
report of the tax commission at an ex-
ira session next winter. If there is
no extra session next winter a new
senate will have been elected before
the tax question comes up, and many
OF the present members may fail to
come again. The house seems to be
more desirous of securing full term
now, as that is more ephemeral body
and to them q bird in the hand is
worth two in the bush. If l was to
guess prediction 1 would guess that
there would be no fraction of time
that is paid for being cut off from the
present session. Agood test would be
to offer resolution pledging the
members to serve this session through
for full pay and agreeing to come to
an extra session next winter to revise
the tax laws without compensation.
When this is done the millennium will
begin doing business at the same time.
st. Paul, March GA portion of the
legislature visited Owatonna yester-
day to inspect the school for depend
ent children, and another crowd went
to Saltwater to inspect the state
prison, so that while there was a seem
ing air of industry in the legislature
nothing was settled concerning which
there is any controversy. The senate
bill providing for public meetings in
school districts to discuss political
questions was killed. Senator Knat-
void offered q bill extending the pri.
mary election law all over the state.
"A bill to amend the Grindeland law
was introduced, requiring all shippers
of produce or grain to make complaints
within sixty days or be forever barred
from doing so.
The senate committee on illuminat-
ing oils voted to report the bill for the
relief of the Standard Oil company
without recommendation, and the f.
nance committee reported a recon-
mendation for its passage. The bill
cuts off the fees for inspecting oil.
The house passed all the bills on the
calendar, because they happened to be
OF minor Importance and uncontested.
The bill to increase the pay of jury
men from ST. to S1.50 was indefinitely
postponed.
The action of the republican caucus
was in favor of cutting down the ses-
sion twenty days and adjourning on
April S. It does not follow from this,
however, that anything of the kind
will occur. The unexpected sometimes
happens, but oftener it don't.
st. Paul, March 1.-THE senate de-
voted yesterday to visiting the state
university, and only 6s members of
the house put in an appearance, the
remainder being absent visiting vari-
Gus public institutions in the state.
Consequently the legislative business
was substantially nothing. The house
passed one bill and discussed quite q
number of others of minor import
ance.
The committee on appropriations in
troduced a substitute for the Pan
American bill, appropriating $40, 900
instead Of $4,000 for the exposition.
II provides for five commissioners in
stead of seven, who are to serve with
out compensation, but they are given
$500 for railroad fare and hotel bills.
The officers of the various public in.
stitutions are making combined at
tack on the committees to defeat the
proposed board of control bill. If that
should pass there would be a new deal
in every public institution in the state.
The senate having passed the reso-
luton to adjourn on April S. the house
Is talking of holding it up until the
senate passes some of the pending
house bills, which might be lost for
lack of time If the session should be
shortened.
st. Paul, March S.-A bill was Of
fered in the senate for the relief of di-
vorced wives. If alimony has been
awarded the wife which is insufficient
to support herself and children, the
court may allow her additional ALI
mony, not exceeding one-third of the
personal property and real estate of
her husband. This does not apply if
the woman has been found guilty of