The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-05
North Dakota.
FIGHT ON APpDRTE|NNENT
INCREASE IN MEMBERSHIP OF LEG
ISLATURE OPPOSED FOR REA-
SONS OF ECONOMY
INTEREST IN MILITARY BILLS
Dispute Over the Esfray Lavv-Taxa-
ton of Grain In Elevators to
BE Secured by Constitu-
tiOnaI Amendment.


tiOnaI Amendment
BISMARCK, N. D., Jan. 4.-(Special)-
"A struggle is on at Bismarck between
the advocates of large legislative mem
berShip, and those of the opposite school.
The two ideas are represented by the
Sharpe and the Miner bills respectively,
these being the first to be introduced
The Sharpe bill provides for a joint mem
bership of 49, as against SO as at pres
ent. 1t has already been pointed out that
this Increase means an additional ex-
pense of $4,000 to $4,000 at every ses-
sion, which of itself is enough to con-
cemn it at this time, when the safe is
driven to such straits TO make its in
come meet its necessary expenditure
There is another reason why this bill
is bad one. The present membership in
house and senate is large enough to pro-
perly represent the state for years to
come, and it Is a foregone conclusion
that by increasing the membership we do
SO at the expense of the quality of the
members. The smaller the number, as
a rule, the higher in ability and intelli-
gence will they be, and our effort should
be to keep the membership down to the
smallest numbers possible, conss ,eEt
with a reasonably fair representation of
all sections. The Miner bill, or the Tufte
bill, which is based upon it. Should be
made the basis from which to work,
and Grand Forks county will expect of
her senators and representatives that
they work and vote for the defeat of any
plan of apportionment similar to that
proposed by Senator Sharpe.
The senate apportionment committee
has taken the Sharpe bill as a basis to
work out an apportionment scheme that
shall be fair and acceptable 1t is no
easy task when the fact is considered
that this apportionment is likely to stand
for the next ten years. The western
two-thirds of the state of North Dakota
contains about all that is left of the pub
lie domain in the whole United States
free to settlers. What developments
may be expected
The house finally made the penalty
for kidnapping from one to twenty years.
This was on account of the numerous
stealings by the police of criminals from
the other side Of the Red at Fargo and
Grand Forks and the members thought
, one year for such an offense would be
hard enough to suit the most particu-
lar.
"Oh, the rascal! He gave it out he
was single man, and has been having
fine time with the girls, and now his
wife and children are here. What will
the girls say now?" Such were the COM
ments around the Northwest recently
over the supposed awful duplfcity of the
handsome and debonair member from
Grand Forks of the strawberry type,
The excitement arose over the lady re-
quest to be shown to her husband
room, but the clerk was tangled up in
the names and got the wrong number
and J. Pts still single.
The Sharpe apportionment bill, which
the senate committee has practically
agreed to report with one OF two minor
changes to the senate for passage, pro-
vides for thirty-nine members of the
senate and ninety-eight members of the
house, a total membership of 1877, an IN
crease of forty-four over the present
membership
The committee has added one legis-
lative district to the bill, in Cavalier
county. making a total of forty senator's
There has been some opposition to the
division of Barnes county into districts,
but that has been settled, and the plan
for the division of the county was pre-"
scented by Senator Cox. Other reprssen-
tatives and senators that have expressed
opposition to the bill as a whole are and
viii be willing to vote for the increases
in their districts The bill aims to give
fair representation to all parts of the
state, and is popular for the reason that
il does no Topping off, although the gen
eraI objection is urged to it by some that
it makes too radical an increase in the
number of legislators.
There are thirty-one members of The
house committee on apportionment, and
some tall discussion may be looked for
if the bill goes through the senate and
gets into the house committee.
Some of the military bills are attract,
ing attention. One of them, Hale's BILL
for the repeal of the law creating the
state military board, has been reported
back in the form of a substitute WIN On
does not abolish the board, but which
places it at the appointive disposal OF
the governor, and gives him charge OF
the state encampment grounds at ROCK
Island. on the shores of Devils lake.
Formerly these grounds have been pfac-
tically in control of Col. H. M Creel, OF
Devils Lake, inspector general OF the
state guard, and resident member of the
state military board, by virtue of his
office.
The railroads may be expected to put
UP fight on Brisbin's personal injury
bill.
The dispute over the estray law has
resulted in a substitute for the bill TO re-
peal the law altogether. which was in
trodueed by Wolbert, of Cass county.
This substitute provides that counties
may vote on the adoption of the rroHi=-
ions of the law, and this puts it to the
residents of the counties Themselves TO
say whether they want law permitting
stock to run at large during certain sea-
sons.
The discussion of the taxation OF gain
in elevators has resulted in the intfoduc-
ton of a bill for a constitutional amend>
rent permitting the taxation of grain in
elevators at a fixed rate.
Gov. and Mrs White are popu arizilg
the executive mansion with legislators,
visitors ard residents of the city to an
extent heretofore unknown. Social func-
tons at the guhernatoriai residence are
numerous, and the tact of Gov. and Mrs.
White is making friends fer them.
No debates of more than passing in