The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-21


| Twelve bills of minor Importance
| were introduced.
seized the standard Of the opposition to
the tariff duties on lumber this morning
and announced an energetic crusade in
the Minnesota legislature. In a set of
vigorous resolutions introduced this morn
ing he demands that the, Minnesota dele
cation in congress shall initiate and la
Dor for such national legislation as will
place lumber on the free list and repeal
all duties relating to lumber.
The resolutions were laid over until to-
morrow morning, when they will be con-
sidered in connection with Senator Will
sons reciprocity resolution, which is held
to relate particularly to Canadian grain
and lumber. The prospects for an ami
mated, not to say exciting. debate to-
morrow are excellent. In Senator Nor
CAMS long preamble it is recited that the
/ PHILOSOPHY and policy Of protection were
4 violated when lumber was placed upon the
n protected listA and are being violated by
retaining 1t upon such list; that the ex-
| istence of a tariff on lumber is con-
slant menace to the existence of our for
ests and offers a premium for. their de-
struction. Constant diminution Of forests
is direct menace to existence of our
water supply. and by their destruction
the arid belt is constantly increasing. The
existence Of forests is essential to the per-
petuity of lakes and streams.
"The supply of standing timber will not
last to exceed ten years at the present
rate of destruction and there is no sign o.
abatement but on the contrary there is
an evident intention to completely, within
shortest possible period Of time, lay bare
our pine lands under the invitation anC
protection of the lumber tariff. ..
Lumber is not a product or industry
entitled to protection for the reason tina
the supply is not produced increased
by human agencies but is produced solel!
by taking from the public domain q prod
uct and wealth placed there by nature.
I'VE shall soon be completely at tn
mercy of the foreign producer of lum
Der and entirely dependent upon the for
eign product. The price Of lumber i
constantly increasing and the domestic
supply Is wholly inadequate to meet eN
! listing demands at reasonable prices TIL
existing tariff duties are largely respon
sible for present exorbitant and extor
tionate prices of lumber and practicall
shut out the foreign product and etfectu
ally stif1e competition"
The Minneapolis Commercial club sen
! in a petition requesting that the annua
J appropriation for the game and fish com
mission be increased to $4,000 So tina
z more effective work can be done by tn
commission in preserving the game in tn
81 state ana III pTOpOSdlIS. NdlieIleS VI iAS
4 which are now likely to be exterminatec
] The Tax Program. a.
Every feature of the tax legislatio,
a fight of the special session viii
! be- fought over again in the present SEES
! sion. Senator Samuel Lord of Kasso1
this morning introduced another bill pro
posing an amendment to sections l,
, 8 and 4 of article 9 of the constitution
4 which is the famous article on which tn
= s~ hos
g The qualified electors of the state are t
81 vote on the amendment at the genera
y election Of 1904. .
Senator Lords bill, while covering tn
: same ground as Senator Wilson's bill 6
F.. No. 81 is quite different from 1t. Tn
Lord bill is practically verbatim cop
X of the one proposed by the tax commits
d sion and rejected by the legislature. Sen
J. ator Wilson's bill is the one submitted b
l, the Legislature to the people. but defeate
d by the constitutional provision that vote
not cast on constitutional amendment
are to be counted in the negative. Tn
Lord bill is drawn along broader line
,e than the Wilson bill and particularly doe
a. it confer greater powers on the leg1sla
~ ture. 49,
as On motion of Senator Brewer the chair
10 man of the judiciary committee was AT
. thorized to purchase fifteen sets OF tn
annotated statutes of the state, eight II
= the use of the judiciary committee an
one each for seven other leading com
mittees. -l--...' 49, d.: ~ .. - 3.
To Amend Nonsupport Bill.
In order to strengthen the present Ia
= relating to the abandonment and non
= support of family, Senator Wilson intro
- duced bill covering certain points i
- the present law. It is made q misde
meanor, punishable by a fine not to e1
: coed 500 or Imprisonment not to excee
. ninety days to abandon family and
= the term extends over six months tn
n crime becomes felony. A most 1mpOl
: tant feature of the new law is the pre-
vision permitting a wife, to testify again:
her husband. 1t was impossible to er
= force the present law on account of tt
incompetency of the wife: to give ties
u timony. - ~s--' ~. z--'-~.., ..-
- Senator Wilson also sent up a bill Ell
> larging the duties Of the probation office
& This bill compels the board Of count
commissioners to provide suitable qua
tiers for probation officer and pay him
s. suitable salary and to provide him wit
r. such assistance as may be required.
Clearwater County Held Down.
In order to prevent the new county
u Clearwater. from acquiring a debt, Sen;
H tor Swedback has introduced a bill to pr
hibit counties and municipalities from il
"a curing any liabilities during legal pr
ceedings to test the validity of their c
XII ganization. By proclamation of Govern
Van SAINT, Clearwater county has be-
duly organized, but nevertheless, the va
idity Of this action has been taken in
81 the courts. In the meantime, the coun
is seeking to do business. Taxpayers
Beltrami county fear that in case t
proceedings should go against Clearwat
county, they will have some bills to pa
and in order to prevent this have pr
vailed upon Senator Swedbacl to take t
necessary steps
A duplicate of the bill introduced in t
I'D house by w. A. Nolan relating to. the e
- penditure of the tax on foreign insuran
companies was presented in the sena