The Ely miner., 1905-03-17

oncnrrad and Nv a vote of IL to it was
recommended to indefinite postponeInen..
substitute placing demurragte 1a;in,a1
and warehouse commission was recon-
mended for passage instead. EliuaS .niS S
report was submitted to tne nousS t &c anu tio
by the overwhelming vote OF % 10 20 the
report of the minority of the cominil.ee
was substituted for that OF the maJoIIty,
the motion carrying with II the ftnn fuelsoe my
postponement of the newly dra1ted sup
stitute Representative Rockne uleo 10
secure a reconsideration OF the Vote on
the ground that gag rule mao p[enenIeta re,lort
but his motion was defeated, yeas 4o'
nays 50. The failure of Mr.. Rocknes 8 mo
ton, therefore, settled Ior ,, an .le nH tiI hiii
carrying the same subject matter Un-
der the rules such bill can receive nc
consideration during the remaln9er OF, od 'fils
session The original Nolan bill Will be
taken up Wednesday, next and passeo
upon as special order and its friends
confidently predict its passage.
REVISED CODE.
The re-revised code has been passed by
the house in accordance with expecta-
tions of speedy action and Is now ready
for the consideration of the senate. very
few changes of Importance were mace py
the house in the report which was SUB
mitted bN its judiciary committee. Prop-
ably the most important action was the
restoration of the existing law as II ap-
plies to the right of eminent domain as
eXerted by street and electric railways
The code revision conferred the rlght
upon these companies, but an amend m no
plicable only in the country ana smal
towns. AS adopted by the house the
code will take effect Immediately upon
While the house is doing a great deal of
work which is commendable, the mem
bers have their off days, when it seems
as though the interests of the state are
entirely lost sight of and all for the graft
feation Of all interests or petty spite.
Ih1rsday K was vas such day 1t Is esti,
by the running expenses of the body.
was wasted in a contest over the ap-
pointment Of a clerk to assist the com
mittee on public accounts and eXpendi-
ture. The latter committee had offered
a resolution for the appointment of such
pointee was to have been man selected
by Chairman Bowling. The resolution in
its regular order, was. sent to the com
mittee on rules. The latter body, avow-
ey, decided to assign one of the clerks
already upon the pay roll. Over this
involved in wordy warfare which, as
above stated. consumed time to the value
of the full amount of a clerks salary for
the entire session at $5 per day.
Some time ago Senator Stephens intro
duced a bill exempting the property of
Grand Army posts from taxation. The
bill was withdrawn after it had been
pronounced unconstitutional by the ju-
dietary committee. Now Mr.. Stephens has
introduced a bill providing for a consti-
tutional amendment to effect the same
purpose, and to exempt the property of
all old soldiers to the extent of $1,000
each, as we'll
encompment which was held in st. Paul
this week, the veterans visited the capitol
In a body and before the two bodies of
the legislature urged the passage Of the
struction of a home for the wives. widows
and mothers Of civil war soldiers.
The house committee on taxes and tax
laws has passed favorably upon the meas
ure introduced by S. d. Peterson pro-
viding for the taxation of franchises and
the appointment of state tax commits
sioner. This bill passed the house two
Haugland bill The bill practicaffy re-
and provides that franchises of public
service corporations shall be assessed aft
ter ascertaining their value by adding the
market value of the company's stock and
funded debt and deducting therefrom the
valuation of real ard personal property
as returned for taxation. The tax COM
ernor for a term of four years at SAL
ary of $500 per annum. He is to have
general supervision of assessing officers
and has power to examine persons and
compel the production Of books and pa
perS in ascertaining the value of prop
erty subject to taxation.
The same committee has reported fav-
orably upon the Tanning bill increasing
the gross earnings tax paid by sleeping
car companies from 8 per cent to 4 per
cent. and Imposing the tax upon the Min
nesota proportion of interstate business.
Expenditures.
The house committee on public ac-
counts and expenditures is a very busy
body 1t is now especially engaged in
dealer. against n certain member of the
state board of control. 1t is alleged that
the latter had his winters supply of coal
furnished gratis by the corporation which
secured - tn Z ba
! state. The evidence thus far has failed
to substantiate the charge. The COM
mittee is also investigating the yolumin-
Gus. charges made by Former Public FIX
aminer Johnson against Former State
Auditor Dunn. These charges We're very
much in evidence during the late po-
fore the committee Thursday last and
explained many points. He claimed that
many settlements for trespass were made
because they were evidently best calcu-
lated to conserve the interest of the
state. although he admitted that not in
all cases was the law followed to the let
ter. State Auditor 1verSon also testified.
A bill introduced by Senator Somer-
vile provides for a constitutional amend
ment specifically authorizing the lesisla-
ture to levy registry tax on mortgages,
which shall be in lieu of all other taxes.
The senate grain and warehouse COM
mittee has reported favorably two bills
introduced by Senator Thorpe. One pro-
hibits warehouse managers from giving
due bills where the law demands ware
mousse receipt. The other empowers the
railway commission to cancel the licenses
of commission merchants found guilty of
defrauding patrons.
Senator Witherstine has introduced q
bill which is said to be copy of the Iowa
distance tariff law. II is a bulky docu-
! ment and covers nearly every phase of
railway regulation, prohibiting a greater.
charge for a short distance than is made
for longer distance. and declaring re-
bates and determinations of all kinds il
legal. The meat of the bill is included in
the long and short haul clause, which
reads as follows:
1T shall be unlawful for any common
carrier subject to the provisions of this
chapter to charge or receive any greater
compensation in the aggregate for the
transportation OF passengers or a like
kind of property for shorter than for a
longer distance over it's railroad all, or
any portion of the shorter haul being in
cluded within the longer. and shall charge
no more for transporting freight to or
from any point on its railroad than a
fair and just rate, compared with the
price 1T charges for the same kind of
freight transportation to or from any 9TH
er point
The bill provides that charges for
freight and passenger traffic shall he
Just and reasonable" and says that in
determining this point the railway and
warehouse commission shall take into
consideration what charges railways
make in other sections of the state or.
in any state in the union. The roads are
permitted to charge lower rate on car
load lots than on less than carload
lots. fine of from $1,000 to SIS 900
IS fixed for the first violation of the act
Subsequent offenSeS are punishable hv a
fine of from $4,000 to 200.