The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-01-25
TAKES SECOND PLACE.
Legislation Drops Back Because
of Senatorial Contest.
Bill Providing That Divorced People Must
Remain Single Year Before Re-
marrying.

session In both houses yesterday was
unimportant, the senatorial contest
occupying too much attention for in
terest to be taken in legislative mat
ter. In the senate the number of
bills were increased from 80 to 80 and
in the house from 5S to &c.
Dairy and stock interests of the
state have long insisted that the
owners of all dairy cattle killed by or
der of of health after being condemned
on the tuberculin test should be COM
pensated for the loss of their property.
1t has frequently occurred that
whole dairy herd has been wiped out,
running the owner in his business 1t
is claimed that such course is unjust
in that the owner is entitled to have
his investment in dairy cattle as fully
protected as in any other kind of pro-
perty When land is condemned for
the benefit of the public there is no
debate whatever on the right of the
owner to recover. The question al
ways arouses a more or less fierce de-
bate when it is raised, and there will
probably be little storm in the SEN
ate over this same theme very soon.
Senator Schaller from Hastings
came to the rescue of the dairymen
this morning with a bill amending
the law for preventing the spread of
contagious and infectious diseases
among domestic animals, So as to
permit compensation to animals de-
stroyed by boards of health after be-
ing tested with tuberculin. The bill
provides that the city or town shall
pay one-ffth the value of animals thus
condemned and the state FOUR fths
The value of animals is to be deter
mined by kind of arbitration.
The tangle over the wrangle Of re-
apportioning the state into congrega-
tional and Legislative districts was
Strengthened out this morning When
Lieutenant Governor Smith named
reapportionment committee of seven
he included two Democrats. For
political reasons this was held to be a
mistake. 1t was the general sentiment
furthermore that if the house had
fourteen members on the joint COM
mittee, the senate should have an
equal number.
Senator Daugherty thought that
eleven members from the senate could
look after it's interests. But Senator
Somerville's resolution to increase the
original committee to fourteen struck
the senatorial heart in the right place
and it was carried with rush
Wisconsin wants to confer with Min
nesota with a visw of securing some
uniformity in vessel taxation and to
that end Assemblyman Lenroot has
introduced in the Wisconsin legisla-
ture bill calling for conference
commission of three members.
The commission is to report to the
legislature within thirty days, giving
the result of its action and substitute
ing draft of such bill as may be
agreed upon by the Wisconsin and
Minnesota legislature. Under the
present Wisconsin law vessels are
taxed as personal property on the ad-
valorem basis The idea is to tax them
on tonnage basis. Mr.. Lenroot sug
gests cents per gross ton as fair
rate.
Senator Daugherty of Duluth says
that there is no objection to con-
ference such as is suggested, but that
it can bring no returns for some time.
Vessel taxation as far as Minnesota
is concerned is provided for and also
limited by the state constitution.
Before any changes or revisions in
vessel taxation can be made, it will
be necessary to amend the constitu-
ton to permit it. To secure such an
amendment means a submission of
the question to the people with pro
longed work for some one. The de-
mand for reform in the matter of
taxing vessels has not been loud enough
to compel either of the Duluth MEM
bers to interest themselves in it.
The Miller resolution authorizing
the appointment of joint committee
to investigate the circumstances under
which the Miller bill of last session
taxing express companies was tam
pered with, was adopted by the house
this morning. AS the representatives
of the lower body the speaker APP
pointed Messrs. Roberts, Nichols and
Pennington, the last named a Demo
GRAFT.
There promises to be legislation this
winter which will give county COM
missioners about the same measure of
authority over drainage bitches that
they now possess over country roads.
Mr.. Gandrud, in bill he intro duced
in the house today, makes provision
for the construction of bitches upon a
petition from ee-fourths of the
owners of the property along the pro-
posed ditch line. The committee on
drainage, first created several sessions
ago, when the tide of immigration
had as yet hardly turned to the nor tn
has now become one of the most inn
portant in the house. Two years ago
there were but seven members to the
committee on the recommendation of
Chairman Dunn, of the committee
on rules, four more were added this
year.