The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-02-08
TOO MUCH POWER
Why Jacobson Opposed Levy for
Normal School.
Said 1t Would Place Beyond Control of
legislature. Raise Age
of Consent.

session. In the senate the session was
brief, but in the house considerable
business was transacted. Ten bills
were introduced in the senate and
eighteen in the house.
For the better protection of womanly
virtue the raising of the "age of con-
sent and the imposition of severe
punishment on those who take ad-
vantage of woman's weakness or
child innocence, Senator Halvorson
introduced two bills The cage of
consent is raised to Is years, at
which age, under the laws, a female
| person ceases to be in infant. This is
La provision for which the social purity
league and other organizations have
labored for years, but with small sue
cess in Minnesota, at least. In one of
Senator Halvorson' bills the carnal
abuse of female child under 10 is
made punishable by Imprisonment for
life and there is no alternative. The
crime against girls between 10 and IA
may be punished by imprisonment for
from seven to thirty years, and be-
tween IA and Is years the penalty is
from one to seven years.
The crime of rape is Complementary
defined 1t is made to include physi-
cal force or intimidation by threats of
personal violence, also like treatment of
woman of unsound mind, temporarily
insane so as to be incapable of giving
consent, in stupor caused by intoxi-
cants, narcotics or anasthetic agents,
or when unconscious of the nature of
the act. The penalty may be from five
to thirty years.
Senator Thompson has introduced
a bill providing for the general codi-
fication of the fire, life and surety in
surance laws, and embodying the ideas
of insurance commissioners present
and past, as we'll as of others versed in
the insurance business. The bill will
not affect mutual assessment COM
panies.
| Another insurance measure of inn
portance is bill by Senator Somerville
to regulate arbitration of disputes over
losses under fire insurance policies.
Referees are to be appointed by district
court instead of by the parties inter
ested Either side may make de-
mand for the appointment of referees
after giving due notice. The referees
must file report in writing with the
clerk of the district court. Appeal to
the district court is provided for.
Compensation at So per day is allowed
the referees, but on agreement be-
tween the parties this court may fix a
higher compensation.
The evil Senator Somerville at
tempts to correct was brought to pub
lie attention in the suit of Miss Chris
tianson of Minneapolis against ten
insurance companies to recover $22, 600
fire losses.
/ Senator DAILY presented the first anti
trust bill of the session. 1t vests the
district courts of the state with power
to restrain any copartnership, corpor-
alton or individual from combining
with another to limit competition in
| trade. 1t is made the duty of the at
| torney general and the several county
attorneys to prosecute for violations of
this act. Courts are granted power to
restrain the operation of alleged pools
or combinations pending the he airing
of complaint, and to summons any
person, whether an alleged member of
| the combine or not, to give evidence.
! Any person whose business is injured
| by such combination or pool may re-
cover three-fold damages in a civil ac-
tion.
| 1t is specifically declared that the
| act is not intended to repeal any pro-
vision of the present antitrust law,
unless it be irreconcilably in conflict
with the provisions of this act.
Unless renewed in the senate, the at
tempt this session to provide for the
state normal schools directly by a
specified tax levy must be given over.
The Laybourn bill, adding 80 mills to
the state levy, was adversely reported
in the house this morning, and the
report so made sustained, notwith-
standing the author energetic protest.
The debate emphasized the objection
always urged against standing appro-
priations, namely that institutions so
favored are removed from the field Of
legislative scrutiny.
When Chairman Wallace of the COM
mittee on tax laws moved the indef
mite postponement of the bill, Mr.. Lay
bourn moved substitute for the print
ing of the bill and its advancement to
general orders.
Mr.. jacobson declared that such a
law would place in the hands of the
normal school board 5000, 900 to do with
as it saw fit ; nor would it be necess
airy to give any account of the expen
diture of the money under the present
plan. Trustees, he said, finally came
to think that their particular institu
tion deserves more consideration than
others These men, he added, were
paid handsome salaries and yet COM
planned of the hardship to which they
were subjected in seeking appropria-
tions from the legislature. 1t had
never been the states rule to exhibit
parsimony or partiality in dealing
with these institutions. Under the
bill the functions of the legislature
would be usurped and all authority
placed with the normal school board
Said Mr.. Jacobson
every standing appropriation ought
to be wiped out every state institu-
ton should be compelled to come be-
fore the legislature, explain it's neces-
stiles and give an account Of, the
moneys allotted to it. -
He went on to cite the case of some
institutions supported in part by tax
levy, in part by government aid, in
mart nv STANDING annrOnri atoms and