The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-03-29
NEW BUSINESS.
Will Be Shut Off ia Legislature
on April LIST.
Primary Election Bill Will Probably be
Considered by Senate This Week.
Bill TO Allow Minnesota River
Bridged.

st. Paul, March 26. -Introduction of
bills is forbidden by the constitution.
duri ng the last twenty days of a
ninety-day session, and it will be pro-
portionally shortened for shorter ses-
sion. After April 1, no bills may be
brought in, except accompanied with a
special message from the governor.
There are bills enough now in the
hands of committees and on the gen
eral orders to furnish all needed enter
tainment and pr oft for the rest of the
session. The house has passed the 600
mark in new measures, while the SEN
ate has about threefourths as many.
The board of control bill is in con-
ference, with a number of senate
amendments to be the subject of COM
promise. There is no reason to expect
anything but the passage of this bill
when trimmed up.
The Dunn direct primary bill has
passed the house and is in the hands of
the senate committee on elections. In
its present form, ii does not apply to
the nomination of officers to be voted
for all over the state, nor village and
township officers, but an effort will
doubtless be made to include those al
so. As to the good faith in which
this amendment will be offered, there
is considerable doubt The enemies
of the bill in the senate can be expect
ed to load it down with this burden
if possible Sentiment in this city is
decidedly in favor of the bill, except
among machine politicians. Yet these
same machine operators claim that
the bill will strengthen their hands.
1t is, Of course, hard to reconcile that
belief with their covert opposition to
the bill
Representative Laybourn's bill to
distributes the gross earnings tax on
railroads among the various subdivi
sions of the state government, as men
toned in Saturdays Dispatch, allows
10 per cent of the total to the state
treasury. The remaining 60 per cent
is divided among the counties, accord
ing to the value of railroad property in
their limits. The share going to each
county is divided on the same basis,
10 per cent going to the county treas
ury and the remainder among the
cities, villages and organized town
ships. The railroad and warehouse
commission and the county boards
make the calculations
The uniform school text book bill,
intended to provide for the same books
in all common schools in the state, was
introduced in the senate by Senator
Reeves and in the house by Represen-
tative Berg. The bill provides for
state text book commission, to do the
supervising and other work required
aged prisoners the one chance for
liberty afforded by the bill.
If some of the city people do not like
the new game law, it is pointed out
that they have themselves to blame
for many of the most stringent fea-
lures. 1t is not only that the sale of
game in the markets has encouraged
the pot hunters to use all manner OF
traps and devices for the wholesale
slaughter of birds and animals, but in
some of the towns, wealthy people,
who like to have game on their tables,
but have not the energy TO go after it,
have established cold storage houses
and have hired men by the season to
hunt for them. Besides this, not a few
thrifty individuals have turned a
pretty penny by shipping game out of
the state for sale. 1t requires a strin-
gent law, RICHLY enforced, to reach
these people.
There was very little opposition to
placing the Younger bill on the calen-
dar in the senate Saturday afternoon.
Senator Stockton was opposed to it,
as-might have been expected, and he
said the amendment, keeping the
Youngers on parole, was the worst
feature of the measure. If they are
to be released at all, he wanted
them sent out of the state and kept
out. A large majority of those pre-
IL
Youngers their liberty
Senator Young's bill providing that
voter may vote for all the electors
on presidential ballot with one cross
mark, passed the house today. It
goes back to the senate with an i'm
material amendment. As this state
will have eleven electoral voters in the
next presidential election, the change
saves the average voter a deal of time
and trouble and obviates chances of
mistakes and saves time in counting
the vote. He merely makes a cross
after the name of his presidential can
didate and that carries all the electors.
The house passed Morris bill to
change the open season on trout and
bass The trout season is heightened
two weeks, beginning April Is, instead
Of May l. The bass season opens June
1, instead.
- Senator Benedict is the author of
a bill allowing private corporations to
erect toll bridges over the Minnesota
river. 1t is provided that all bridges
below st. Peter shall be provided with
draws
Those public institutions which
have asked the legislature to appropri-
ate money for new bridges and repairs
are doomed to disappointment in
many cases. Appropriation bills have
been introduced for new buildings
and repairs to the extent of 50, 900, 900,
while according to State Auditor
Dunn's report there is only $500, 900
available for extraordinary expenses.
1t will require a great deal of trim
ming to bring these different appropri-
ations into an omnibus bill within the
limit of The amOunt available