The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-17
NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATION.
Analysis of the Work of the Present
Session Up to Now.

Special to The Globe.
BISMARCK, N. D., Feb. Is. = The
present session of the legislature will
not go down into history as an i'm
portant one. Few changes have been
or will be made in the important laws
on the statute books. A large number
of minor amendments are in prospect,
but they are mainly technical. Prob
ably the most important action of the
legislature will lie in the steps taken
to enlarge the accommodations of the
various public institutions. The
growth of the state has been such in
the past few years that the institutions
have Outgrown their buildings. For
tunately, each institution has a large
endowment of land, that is now be-
coming valuable, and this can be pledg-
ed as security for funds with which to
build new buildings. The bonds au-
thOrized by the legislature will be sold
to the permanent school fund of the
state, in which there is a cash balance
Of nearly $50,000,000.
Up to the present time bonds have
been authorized for the completion of
the north wing of the state capitol in
the sum of 100000. The capitol build
ing has an endowment of $4,000 acres
of land, worth at the minimum value
$4,000. Under the terms Of the en-
abling act this fund can be used di-
rectly for the building of the admins
tratiOn structure and the other Incl
dental improvements. The work on the
completion of the capitol building will
be done under the direction Of the state
capitol commissioners, consisting Of
Gov. White, Secretary of State Porter
and State Auditor Holmes. The bonds
will be sold Immediately after the 1st
of July, and the wing will be complet-
ed the coming summer. The plan is to
build wing that shall provide a COM
modious house Of representatives hall,
as there are now a hundred members
in the house, and the capacity Of the
present hall is insufficient. Other
things contemplated in the capitol i'm
prOvements are a new heating plant,
an independent electric light plant, and
possibly trolley line from the North
ern Pacific depot to the capitol build
ing.
The state university is another in
stitutiOn that has been literally pro-
Vided for in the way of bonds. An is
sue of $150,000 Of bonds has been au-
thorized, with which the 100000 out
standing warrants for the construction
Of buildings will be taken up, and new
buildings added. The two normal
schools at Valley City and Mayville
have been authorized to issue 100000
each for construction purposes, and the
state reform school, state deaf school,
state agricultural college and state in
dustrial school are also on the list.
There will be more improvements and
additions made to state institutions the
coming summer than at any time be-
fore in the history of the state. The
feeling Of local jealousy with regard to
public institutions is dying away in the
state, and all of the institutions are on
a better footing than ever before.
Another important and interesting
change that will be made by the legis-
lature is in the law authorizing all
executions of capital sentences to be
held at the state penitentiary under
the direction Of the warden of that in
stitutiOn. For many years after state
hood there was not a hanging in the
state. Recently there has been an cpl
demic of murders, and at the present
time there are three men under SEN
tence Of death for murder. The OBJ
jections to local sensationalism led to
the introduction of the bill requiring
executions to be held at the peniten-
licity as possible. In the same con-
nection there is bill to substitute
electrocution for hanging in the carry
ing out of capital sentences.
Sportsmen will be interested in the
changes in the game laws, dividing
the state into two districts instead of
one, as heretofore, and providing for
the appointment of two state game
WardenS. Other laws have been passed
intended to give more force to the
game law. The senate has passed a.
bill making it q misdemeanor to drive
with gun and dog off any regular high
way before the opening of the hunting
season. Another bill has passed the
senate making the possession of any
game animals dead, before the opening
of the hunting season, a misdemeanor
These bills, If they get through both
houses, will assist in the more rigid
enforcement of the game law.
Little in the way of corporation leg
islation has been done or attempted
There are two trust bills some
where between the two houses. One
Of them is a stringent law giving state
courts authority in cases of trust OPP
preston, and the other is the National
Live Stock association bill aimed par
ttcularly at the beef trust. A bill has
passed the house prohibiting discrimi-
nation in charges by telegraph COM
panies, and the house has also passed
a stringent personal liability bill which
is being bitterly fought by the rail-
roads.
Insurance men will be interested in
the fate of the valued policy clause
bill which went into the senate on the
day of the recess. Aside from this.
one insurance bill has passed and be-
come law, prohibiting soliciting for
insurance by any person not having
certificate of authority from the COM
missioner of insurance This hill will