The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-28
North Dakota.
WILL PRUNE Every ITEM
PLANS OF THE COMMITTEE IN RE
GARD TO THE APPRO-
PRIATION LIST
QUALIFICATION FOR VOTERS
Some Feeling stirred Up Over Sem
ator Lewis BilI-Talking of Sell
Ing Institution Lands to
Make improvements.

BISMARCK. Jan N-(special) 1.-THE
policy of the appropriation COM
standing appropriation list of the state
and cut down to the lowest possible fig
ure every allowance, wlping out all that
can be dispensed with Then every
source of revenue will be figured upon,
and the deficit of the state deducted.
The difference between these two sums
will be the amount that can be appropri-
ated for the state institutions. Tt is said
that a scheme of levying special taxes
for some Of the institutions may be con-
sidered, as means of relieving the gen-
eraI state tax levy which the conStitu-
ton limits to mills.
There are good many members of
the assembly who believe it would be
poor policy to cripple or close the state
institutions through, failure to provide
funds, and that is pretty nearly the pros
pect if the revenues of the state are not
materially increased. The total assessed
valuation of the state is admitted to
be ridfculously small-only Sill. 600, 600
Lands through the state selling for $25
to $30 an acre are assessed for So to 50
an acre. If these were raised to half
their value, there would be no question
about state funds. But here the inter-
eSts of the Red River valley come to the
'front.', and state boards of equalization
IN the past have not felt like making
material increase. Politics enter into. the
equalization, of course to the extent that
the members of the board are usually
candidates for reelection, and the repre-
sentatlves of the party that raise taxa
ton are not in favor with the people.
who are affected. by that increase, The
time is not far distant, however, when
the value of property for purposes Of tax
alton will have to be increased to a
point nearer its true value or the state
will have to go out of business.
There is some opposition developing to
Senator Lewis bill requiring an educa-
t1onal qualification for voters. The bill
provides that a h man who wishes to ex-
erc1se his franchise must be able to read
the state constitution, in English, "un-
derstandfngly." Some of the Scandinavia
ans assert that the qualification is too
strong, that many American born men OF
collegiate education are unable to more
than. sqnabb,e over the constitution. and
that the simple test of ability to read
English is sufficient. Some of the Scan
dlnaV1ans are a trifle sore because thew
imagine the bill is gotten up to SIDE
track the foreign element. The 5Scandi-
navfans will be less affected IN nropor-
ton to population than other foreigners
as they seem to seek DEVELOPMENT and
assimilation more The Russians and
Poles will be disfranchised in great num-
bers,
Senator Simpsons bill, No. &C. pro-
vldes for the repeal of the law making
IT a mlsdemeanor to obtain food or ac-
conmodat1ons from an innkeeper with
out intent to pay therefor. A reuueSt
for the repeal of this law also came from
Grand Forks. The law was intended to
protect hotel keepers from the deliberate
commission of fraud, but it Is said that
some hotel keepers have made use of it
to force the collection of civil debts, en-
failing needless expense on counties. and
wrongfully harrassing debtors who en-
tertained no criminal intent.
There is a strong sentiment here in
favor of the sale of institution lands for
permanent improvement purposes. From
many of the institutions comes the de-
mand for the privilege of bonding the
lands for this purpose, and the state is
asked, In each case, to guarantee the
payment of interest on these bonds. A
very popular argument is 'let the true
tees sell the land outright to raise funds
for necessary improvements of a perma-
nent nature, and thus avoid the PAYMENT
OF interest, and relieve the state of an an
nOylng burden.
There is considerable speculation as to
the motive underlying the salary bill in
troduced by Senator Cox. The bill raises
the governors salary from S., 900 to SO. $50
and the salaries of the other officials
named-with the exception of commits
sloners of railroads-from $4,000 TO $3.50
each, reducing the clerk hire in each
case about $500 or $1,000. Coupled with
this IS provision that the principal Of
GERS shall reside in the city of BISMARCK,
The general Interpretation placed on the
Dill is that it is intended to make the
elected officials attend to a considerable
proportion of the work themselves. and
entrust less to deputies.
The tax commissioner BILL introduced
by request Of Mr.. Leech, provides that
the official shall take an cath of Office
in which he swears, among other things
that he will devote at least five hours
each day to the work of digging up taxes
He must also be a tax expert, and have
spent some five or six years in this spe-
cial class Of work 1t IS understood that
the only man in the state who can fl
the peculiar requirements of this bill is
Attorney Robinson, of Fargo. who is re-
ported to have drawn the bill.
There will probably be opposition from
a number of counties to the bill present
ed putting the. expense of extradition of
criminals upon the counties that desire
the extradition, as the state has always
paid the expense heretofore.
In the first seventeen days of the SEES
sion there were 100 bills introduced in
BE two houses. OF these final action
Tas taken on only a few, and the ma
1or1ty OF them have not yet been con-
sidered by committees. 1t was proposed
early in the session to adjourn in thirty
f1ve days, and members are now wonder
ing where they would have been If the
early adjournment resolution had been
seriously considered.