The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-02-19
SUMMARY
FOR THE WEEK
Bills Passed and Likely to
Pass
OVER AT HELENA
Bot Two Weeks More of the Session
Remain. Senate Away
Ahead.


of the legislative session remain and
the appointment of steering commit.
tees in the house and senate yester-
day markes the approach Of the close
OF the Seventh legislative assembly
The senate continues in every way
ahead in it's work and has. to all in.
tents and purposes. accomplished
three times as much as the house.
Forty-four of the four score and
ten bill introduced in the senate were
passed. The house has been the
source of 14O bills and II have been
passed by that body. The senate
has passed nine house bills and the
house has passed four senate bills.
The new road bill will be con-
sidered on general orders within a
few days and proposes an amendment
to the existing road laws Of the state
Among the most important mat
tiers discussed during the week was
the substitute gambling bill that was
saved from summary defeat after it
had been recommended for indefinite
postponement by the committee of
the whole, Thursday. The bill Is
now on general orders and will be
discussed in open senate on third
reading. The senate is pretty evenly
divided on the subject and it is quite
doubtful if the bill passes. The bill
makes gambling a misdemeanor. II
the bill does not pass there will
scarcely be any further gambling leg.
islation this year, which will leave
the present law, making the crime
a felony, just where it is.
The lawful money bill introduced
in the senate early in the week by
Senator Cullen, known as the com
pany store bill, also had a narrow es.
cape from defeat. 1t was only by
the vote of Lieutenant Governor Hig.
gins, who is by the constitution given
authority to vote in case of a tie,
that the bill survived. 1t was re.
ported back to the senate by the com
m1ttee on labor and capital, of which
Senator Jerry Connolly is chairman,
with the recommendation that it
pass, and the close vote was on the
adoption of the committees report
The bill will go on to general orders
and will be debated next week. The
bill takes the place of the Lannin
company store bill that was defeated
The friends of the bill are not conf.
dent OF Its passage.
Free country high schools are pro
vided for in the bill passed by the
senate during the week, and the
three senate bills changing the meth.
Cd OF procedure in criminal and civil
actions passed the house and were
signed by the governor during the
week. One of the three bills that
became law provides that judges
may deliver their charge to the Jury
upon matters of law in the case be-
fore the arguments of counsel. The
other two bills do not make radical
changes.
In the future country superintend
ents of schools will be allowed trav
cling expenses. In the past such
officials have been obliged to pay all
their own expenses. The bill pre-
scented by the school trustees, who
met in Helena during the fall to re
wise the school laws, was passed b,
the senate Thursday and is now be
fore the house committee on educa
ton.
The bill introduced by Representa-
tive Jensen, allowing school district
to levy special taxes and in certai,
cases to provide for a bond issue t.
pay the Indebtedness of the distric
was passed by the senate and will
doubtless be signed by the governo,
1t is understood that the passage q
this bill will materially relieve tn
trustees of the district embraced i,
the city of Great Falls.
Senator Meyers bill defining tn
liability of railroad corporations
printed in the Leader some tim
ago, was also passed. The bill fixe
the limit which a railroad employ
can receive for injuries sustained a
$4,000. The bill contains a fello,
servant clause which was objectio,
able to Senator Stanton. Senate
Stanton's fellow servant bill was hi
on the table, and the senator tie
a bit of crepe about it and it now r.
poses in one of Secretary Whipple
pigeonholes.
Thursday bill was passed reQui
ing justices of the peace to give
bond before entering upon the di
charge If their duties, and anotht
bin of minor Importance was that
fixing the conditions upo