The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-04-05
PUSHING BUSINESS
The Close of Legislative Session
Becoming Apparent.
Many Minor Amendments to the Pri
mary Election Bill, But Those
Intended to Load it Down
Are Killed.

st. Paul, April 4.-The primary
election bill passed the senate yester-
day as announced in the Free Press
| last evening by vote of 40 to 10.
There was no debate as to the merits
or dement's of the measure, but about
| two hours were spent in offering and
passing upon amendments.
Senator Snyder succeeded in adding
to section five, the clause of the gen
eral election law, providing penalties
for fraudulent registration. He also
added to section clause providing
for a canvassing board at primary
elections, organized similarity to that
for general election.
Senator Collier succeeded In putting
through an amendment to section y,
shutting Independent candidates OH
the ticket altogether. After a number
of regular candidates had been to the
trouble of securing nominations at the
hands of the people themselves, it was
unfair to compel them to meet the
competition of a lot of irregular candl-
dates when it came to the final cleo
ton. He would confine the ticket to
| those who had secured the nomination
of their Sc veral parties. This at first
met the approval of the senate.
Later Senator Thompson moved a
reconsideration of the vote by which
this amendment had been adopted. He
did not want to be bound down to vote
for a certain crowd, simply because il
had been nominated. He did not
believe the rights of the voter should
be foreclosed in this manner.
Senator Collier, retorted that since
the nominating power under the bill
was up to the people themselves, theil
choice should be final, and there
should be no way for defeated candi
date to go back of their verdict an6
possibly deleat their choice.
Senator Lord offered compromise
am endment providing that no candi
date who had been defeated at the pri
maries should be allwed to place his
name on the ticket as an independent
ca ndidate.
Senator Collier agreed to this, and il
was adopted
This leaves the field open to indepen
dent candidates who do not go before
the primaries, but closes the doors
to boilers.
Senator Everett introduced the Greer
amendment of yesterday in another
from. He made it apply to cities OF
| 10, 900 and over, and it was defeated
by vote of 81 to 6. The only sena,
tors who voted for it were Collier, Du
Toit, Everett, Greer, McGovern and
Shellbach, all of whom were opposed
to the bill.
Senator Everett made the only speech
of the morning against the bill as q
whole. He said he considered it q
bad measure-one that would seriously
interfere with the operation of the
A australian ballot.
Senator Greer went back to section
| 1, with an amendment providing that
elections in the country should be hello
the third Tuesday in June, and pro
viding that the country people and
residents of villages and towns should
vote at different times. This wal
voted down, 81 to 80.
A later amendment by Greer, making
the act take effect Sept. l next in
stead of at once, was adopted.
Senator E. E. Smith also secured
the adoption of an amendment per-
uniting the use of voting machines at
primary elections when they were
adopted for use at the general cleo
tions.
The approaching end of the session
was indicated in the senate today by a
general rush to advance bills in
which members were especially inter
ested.
Under suspension of the rules, Sena-
tor Sweningsen secured the passage of
his optomery bill. The measure has
been so amended as to allow dealers
to fit glasses without first obtaining a
license from the. state board.
Senator Myron's memorial to con-
gress asking for federal aid in drain
ing the Red river valley was passed
without opposition.
The house appropriation committee
slaughtered a number of bills today,
among which were the bills to pur-
chase 500 copies of the book, ''Men of
Minnesota - for widening Kandiyohi
ditch; to purchase Schroeder s
museum of birds; raising salary of adj
jutant general; to purchase painting
of G. K. Davis; to establish state
sanitarium for consumptives
Hurd's bill, appropriating $40, 600
for the national guard, was favorably
reported.
The farmers institute appropriation
was cut from $40, 900 to $50, 600.
The appropriation of $50, 900 for the
codifcation of state laws, was ap-
proved, with an amendment requiring
a report on Feb. 1. 1908.