Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-02-06
LEGISLATIVE GOSSIP
Our Special Correspondent Tells of
the Solons' Doings.
The Senatorial Question Being Settled, the
members Are Rapidly Getting the
Wheels of Government
in Motion


members Are Rapidly Getting the
Wheels of Government
in Motion.
st. Paul. Jan. 25.-The senate ses-
sion yesterday was quite brief, onlv
two bill being offered. One allows the
city of Owatonna to accept a beouest
of $500 for kindergarten, the ex-
ecutors refusing to turn it over on the
ground that no one was legally au-
thorlxed to receive it. 1t was voted to
take up the nominations sent in by
Ex-Governor Lind next Thursday, after
which the nate adjourned to p. m.
Monday.
The house had a considerable num-
Der OF bills introduced and transacted
more business than the senate. One
OF the bills was anti-cigarette and for
bids the sale or giving away of cigar
cites or cigarette paper. Another bill
gives travelling libraries an appropria-
ton of $4,000.
There are two contested election
cases in the house, one being Blair
(i'ep.) against Mahood (dem.) from LIE
Sueur county. and Deering (dem.)
against Schurman (rep.) from Ramsey
county. The LIE Sueur county case
has been taken up actively by the
committee on elections and decision
will probably be reached the coming
week. The Ramsey county case has
not yet been reached, and may never
be very seriously considered.
After the usual routine work the
house adjourned to p. m. Monday.
st. Paul, Jan. 29.-Both houses of
the legislature held short sessions last
night. The members of the house
gathered in the hall at p. M, and
after Representative Umland had in
troduced a bill ordering the payment
of John c. Devereux's claim of $495
against the state, adjourned to meet
at 10 o'clock this morning.
| Devereaux's claim against the state
is for service rendered during the fall
of 1861, when, acting under the orders
OF the then adjutant general, he per-
formed the duties of drillmaster and
teacher at the Fort Smelling military
school.
| AA> o~onOOAo "C1C CdllCu W OIutI DIT
so'clock and listened to the reports of
the judiciary and educational commit
tees and adjourned.
st. Paul, Jan. 3O-The session of the
legislature on Tuesday appeared to be
preliminary to the taking up of actual
work, and the sessions were short.
In the house eighteen bills were in
trodu'ced and referred to committees.
One OF these was to abolish capital
punishment for murder in the first de-
gree, substituting life Imprisonment.
Another would make per cent the
highest rate of interest, forbidding
more. even by contract.
The constitutional amendment, de-
feated last fall, relating to the invest
ment of school funds, was again intro
duced.
In the senate two bills were passed
as amendments to the insane hospital
laws. The principal one provides that
| when patients are taken away by
friends, before discharge, the expense
of return shall not be paid bv the
state.
Senator Wilson introduced a bill re-
curing state and county officials to
furnish surety bonds, the cost to be
paid from public funds.
The tax commissions bill was some
what changed in committee Tuesday.
1t will be recommended that five men,
bers be appointed by the governor,
the chief justice and attorney general,
tn II.
year, the commission to report it's find
ings and recommendations not later
than July, 1909.
The bills introduced in the house
now number 49,
st. Paul, Jan. 31.-The daily sessions
OF the legislature are getting down to
the accustomed pace, which is hum
drum. In the senate, bill intro
duced forbiding unhealthy people
from marriage, was treated with some
levity. 1t is, however, a serious bill
and worthy of careful consideration,
as the hosts of defective children born
| into the world demonstrates. It is
| somewhat of travesty on legislation
that the first bill through both houses
is a semi-violation of the constitution.
The constitution was amended a few
years ago to forbid special legislation.
The West Publishing company. of St.
Paul, for many years published the
supreme court reports. Two years ago
another St. Paul firm got the contract,
and in it's publications has studiously
avoided referring to the previous pub.
LEGATION of the West company. The
proposed law compels the present pub.
Usher to allude to the reports of his
competitor. It has passed the senate
and was unanimously recommended by
the house. If this is not special,
what is?
The author of the anti-cigarette bill
has amended his new measure so that
cigarettes may be imported into the
state, though they cannot be made or
| sold in Minnesota. The law does not
make it an offense to smoke cigarettes,
so thas the dudes need not be alarmed.
They can buy the deadly pencil in
| Chicago and smoke themselves to death
with just as much freedom as ever. 1t
is a proposed law which scratches but
does not kill the snake.
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