The Mankato free press., 1901-03-08
referred
TO CITIES.
Bill Giving Telephone Co.'S. Road:
Held Up for Amendment.
A Bill in Favor of Torrens Land System
.--Opticians to be Icensed.--.
Other Matters.

private persons the right to use the |
public highways for telephone and |
telegraph lines. The engagement was
indecisive but each senator retired |
with the honors of war, the bill being |
referred to the delegations from Min |
neapolis, st. Paul and Duluth, so that |
thev might frame an amendment ex- |
empting them from the provisions OF |
the bill.
The unaminity with which the sena-
tors hold aloof from discussing the bill
is not only remarkable but amusing.
They are content to let Senator'S |
Thompson and Baldwin do all the
tai king.
The Duluth senator went at the bill
with all the weapons at his command
this morning, when another attempt
was made to force its passage. The
burden of his argument was that
municipalities would be absolutely de-
prived of exercising any authority In
granting franchises or regulating the
construction of telephone or telegraph
lines if the bill became a law. The
companies or any one else could build
lines wherever they listed and valuable
franchises now in the control OF the
people would be wasted.
Senator Thompson replied: Il am
willing now, as l have always been, to
accept any amendment which will not
arouse antagonism to my bill. 1t an
amendment something like this: 1t
is not intended hereby to repeal any
charter right now possessed by any
municipality is offered, or anything
of a simila nature, all will be well.
81 do not want to repeal law
which has been in force for over forty
years, for the amendments offered by
the senator from the zenith city GER
tainly repeals the telegraph law which
has been in force for forty-one years,
and the general telephone law which
was adopted twenty years ago. Come
with a reasonable amendment and l
will favor it.
Senator Daugherty moved that the
question of preparing an amendment to
suit the cities be referred to a COM
mittee consisting of Senators Wilson,
Minneapolis; Baldwin, Duluth, and
Thompson. Senator J. D. Jones sug-
gested that the entire delegations from
Minneapolis, st. Paul and Duluth
should consider an amendment of such
Importance. Several members wanted
Senator Thompson added, but the tall
man from Fillmore county baked at
| this.
A substitute bill was suggested by
! Senator Young. If Senator Thomspon
was simply interested in farmers and
other private individuals and had no
! intention of curtailing the rights or
powers of cities, then he would prob
ably consent TO measure which would
apply only to highways and roads out
side of cities and villages. There was
general objection to opening long
| line of talk on substitute measure
and Senator Young was invited to send
his ideas to the committee. The whole
matter was thereupon sent to joint
committee consisting of the delegations
from Minneapolis, st. Paul and Du-
luth, with instructions to report with
| in a reasonable time. The bill does
not lose it's place on the calendar.
Only one bill was passed by the SEN
ate. 1t was Fl. F. 1853 by Hunt, amend
ina. fhant4rH 1AG l4Ws ~afs 1890 1fo4o "A hing
wolves and to punish all persons who
! shall fraudulently claim or obtain such
reward. I" The bill was on yesterdays s
| calendar and had been tinkered over
night by Senators Underleak and
| Schaller to remove some grammatical
errors. The stenographer, while on the
paragraph fixing the bounty for killing
"a female wolf left out the word
wolf with startling results. The
| omission was discovered in time to
| prevent the senate from placing pre-
MUM on murder. The bill increases
the bounty on female wolves during
January, February, March and April,
the breeding season. to $15. Otherwise
the bounty remains at S..
A bill for the Torrens system of
transferring land titles was introduced
by Senator Snyder. This system pro-
vides for the transfer of land by means
of certificates. Such certificates are is
sued to the owner by the register of
deeds and may be transferred from one
party to another like bonds or any
other security, the owner of the certi-
tcate being accepted as the owner of
land. This plan abolishes the present
abstract system, which all those inter
ested in real estate consider as not only
expensive but very unsatisfactory
The use of a torch or other artificial
light for spearing fish is prohibited in
a bill introduced by Senator Nc
Govern. A fine of from $40 to 800
may be imposed. Senator McGovern
also has bill increasing the annual
appropriation for the state library
from 50, 500 to So, 500.
Senator Gausewitz has introduced a
bill appropriating $4, 500 for building
fol. college of pharmacy at the state
university.
The fitting of spectacles is to be
made licensed profession, if bill
offered by Senator Stockton goes
through. Those engaged in examining
the eye, prescribing, adjusting or fit
tlng spectacles or lenses, must first OBJ
tain licenses from the state board of
medical examiners and file their GER
tlfcates with the clerk of the district
court. Jewellers and other dealers
may, however, sell spectacles. Any per-
son attempting to examine, prescribe |
or adjust, without first having obtain |
ed license, is liable to fine of from
$5o to 500, or imprisonment from ten |
to thirty days.
A thorough overhauling of the state
militia is proposed in bill introduced |
Dy Senator Shell. The national guard |
Is limited to the COMMUNICATIVE chief |
and staff, an adjutant general as chic |
OF stan, brigade medical corps and |
brigade consisting Of brigade
general and staff, three regiments of |
infantry, one battalion of artillery.
consisting of two batteries, and one
company of engineers. The new bill
makes no provision whatever for the
retention of the present Fourth regi-
ment.
The national guardsmen of the state.
especially those interested in the
Fourth will probably have a strong
lobby to defeat the bill. The main
feature of the new measure is to make
the national guard as like the regular