The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-03-15
MUCH BUSINESS.
MANY Measures Considered by
Both Houses.
Bill to Tax Express Companies Recon-
mended to Pass by the House,
Board of Control Bill Up
Today.

ported TO pass Dy Jue COLuLnlUIeo VI IhS
whole in the house yesterday. Mr.
Laybourn almost succeeded in persuad
ingssssthesssmaiorityss..to-- exempt~certain
forms "of property, real. estate, build
ings, etc, from the, tax. Failing il
this, he besought the house to increase
the percent. of. taxation to six. 1sss Mr.
Jacobsonss.also took up the cudgels in
behalf of the increase pointing out
that.this tax was raised on state and
not on interstate business. He said
The gross earnings tax on railroads
is computed on all business handled
within the state, no matter where 1t
NAV originate. In the case of express
companies, the tax is based upon the
states business, strictly speaking. An
increase toss6 per cent will impose nc
heavier burdensupon the express COM
panies than the railroads now bear.
Mr.. Laybourn had been present at
the meeting of the committee on taxes
and tax laws at which the bill had
been acted upon, and Mr.. Rich, there
fore, impugned his good faith in seek
ing to amend the bill at this time Mr..
Laybourn responded that he was not
present when the vote was taken In
the committee. Mr.. Sageng, replying
to the statement that the senate could
never endorse an increase in the tax,
contended that members of the house
were not supposed to govern them
selves by such considerations. 1t was
their duty to consult the interests of
the state; not to speculate upon any
action which might be taken by the
upper body. Notwithstanding the
showing made, the second Laybourn
amendment was also rejected.
There was an echo of Monday S
struggle over the primary election bill
in a motion made by Mr.. Hillmond,
author of II. F. Is, extending primary
election to the state. Mr.. Hillmond
had the vote reconsidered by which
his bill was indefinitely postponed, and
the bill then laid upon the table. This
gives the house the whip hand over the
senate in case any Ill tate befalls the
Dunn bill.
The Deming bill, abolishing days of
grace, was indefinitely postponed. 1t
was conceded that bank rarely made
a note without striking out that con-
dition which allows three days beyond
the stated time of the note. When the
committee rose, Mr.. Deming had his
bill excepted from the report and laid
upon the table.
Before the Collier bill, regulating the
discipline of attorneys, was allowed to
pass an amendment was inserted re-
ducing the payment of prosecutors
from SO oEsss$10..""aday. This is the
rate at which members of the board of
bar-examiners are compensed, and
that fact being disclosed, the amend
ment was received without objection.
Before the house adjourned, Mr..
Ward, chairman of the committee on
temperance, obtained permission for
the use of the hall of representatives
Thursday evening for hearing OF the
house and senate committees on tenn
perance on the county option bill.
The board of control bill has been
made a special order in both houses
1t will be taken up in the house this
afternoon and in the senate Thursday
at 2 p. IN.
Farmers who have isolated tracts of
land not on public highways and no
way of reaching them except over the
lands of other people, may secure a
valuable privilege from bill offered
today by Senator Young. His plan
directs town supervisors to open
road to such tracts on the petition of
the owners.
A substitute bill relating to state
high school board was offered by the
senate committee on education. 1t
makes county superintendent and high
school principals eligible to appoint
ment on the board and authorizes an
elective course in English or Business
studies in graded schools.
Winona's plan to secure it's own
electric lighting plant was nipped by
a killing frost. Senator Fitzpatrick
bill, authorizing the city council in
cities of from 10, 600 to 80, 600 inhabi
tants to issue bonds for such plants,
was killed by vote of % to 26. An
effort had been made to refer the
measure to a special committee con-
sisting of Senators Fitzpatrick,
Hospes, Bower and Benedict, for
Saltwater, st. Cloud and Mankato
have as much interest in the bill as
Winona. But Fitzpatrick insisted on
a vote at once, and he got it.
Representative Anderson was much
interested in this bill, and was disap-
pointed when he heard the news OF
it's defeat. Several of the Minneapo-
lis senators voted against the measure
Just enough of them to kill it-and
it is a shrewd guess that they were
squaring things with Mr.. Anderson
for his kindness toward Hennepin
county in the reapportionment fight.
Some stir was created by the report
of the senate committee on public
health recommending that the Bush
renovated butter bill be indefinitely
postponed. The senators from the
rural districts objected strongly to dis
posing of the bill in this manner, and
when Senator Knatvold moved that