The Ely miner., 1905-03-24

| it was no laughing matter, and the meas
ure was recommended for passage.
! Primary Election.
| ST Paul. March 20.-Both houses of the
] legislature are at sea regarding the ex-
! tension of the primary election system to
| cover the election of state officers and
although many joint meetings of the com
! which the various bills introduced have
| been thoroughly discussed, it has been
impossible to secure a favorable report
| This was plainly shown in the house
! Yesterday, when Chairman Adams of the
election committee, stated the existing
| Adams declared that It was only by tie
| vote that all the bills before the com
mttee had oeen n,S SAWED # from i indenite
| by Representative Lund, proposed an ex-
| tension of the system in direct fashion to
the election of state officers, and in order
to get test vote in the house he offered
| q motion to indefinitely postpone that bill
] This motion precipitated food of ora
tory and protests came came, in thick and fast
! another offered by Mr. Hugo, that the
bills be referred to a special committee
of ten. This was "a @ voted down as tending
| ali the bills should be made Special or
der for Thursday next, and that all, save
the selb n pc Pfffea bV fbs tbn the latter M b
upon with the others. While it is plain
that the sentiment of the members fav-
|
| is no indication that majority can be
| brought to favor any of the plans yet
| presented.
Reciprocal Demurraqe.
Probably no bill before the present ses-
sion of the legislature has provoked the
| expression OF more interest than the Mo-
Ian reciprocal demurrage bill. The meas
| ure was introduced early in the session
house railway committee. at which both
| shippers and railway attorneys appeared
to argue its merits and demerits. The
railroad committee finally decided that
| il should be killed and by a small ma
jority reported it for indefinite postpone
ment. This report was turned down by
/ order for last Wednesday,. After three
p! hours of heated debate it was passed by
| a vote of 10S to Z. The bill is backed
Vigorously pushed in the upper house.
| The house has passed the Anderson bill
requiring the insurance commissioner to
| his department This bill fixes the salary
| of the insurance commissioner at $500
| annually and was opposed by many who
thought twice that sum should be paid.
The Dale anti-cigarette bill, after be-
| ing amended to suit the author, was
voted down by the senate in committee
| attempt made later by Senator Wither-
| stine to have the vote recOnsidered failed
! Two bills of interest passed by the SEN
ate are the Laybourn measure, abolishing
| the grand jury. and the Gjertsen BILL es-
tablishing a chiropractic school. Both had
a comfortable working majority.
ceived the almost unanimous approval of
the house. 1t provides for a constitu-
| tional amendment establishing what is
known as wide open" tax legislation
I policy When the bill was reported to
the senate, that body. on motion of Sen
ator Lord. gave, it a forward shove by
and placed on general orders.
Public Expenditures,
| The house committee on public accounts
| and expenditures is busy investigating
the charges of the late public examiner.
s. T. Johnson, affecting the conduct Of
| the state auditors Office under R. C.
| Dunn and S. G. Iverson, and several
| spicy. sessions have resulted. Messrs.
| to go over the report and point out alleged
errors in the Johnson report and now the
| latter is appearing daily to prove the
correctness of his allegations. In cons
Quoting the work, the committee has be-
fore it for reference the voluminous rec
ords. from the auditors office and the
| services of several clerks are required to
| handle those documents
After suffering
| Wednesday afternoon without coming to
u direct vote. 1t was evident that senti-
ment was strongly against it.
committsee seeea of the s nds ifsef un
| able to agree and twToeports will doubt
| less De maze. One VIII recommend Ine
| creation of the Office Of state fire marshal
and the passage of an anti-compact bill,
alleging that the investigation has shown
that the existence I Of the Western tern Union 2n
| an increase of rates The other report
| will agree to the fire marshal bill, but
finds no fault with the association.
| The appointment of George w. Knox,
| Of Aitkin, as member of the state
| equalization board, which was held up for
weeks upon objection by Senator Maui
during the absence of the objecting SEN
| ator.
The selb bill to remove by constitution.
| al amendment the present limitation of
| the amount which can be recovered for
| death by accident and practically giving
the jury the right to assess the amount,
| has emerged triumphant from the house
| judiciary committee. The existing law
limits the amount which may be recovered
| to SIS 900.
By a vote of 81 to 26 the senate, in
committee of the whole, sustained the
| report of the majority of the banking
committee killing the Eberhart bill, which
provided that private banks should be
| placed under the laws applying to state
| banks
| The senate game and fish committee
! has recommended favorably the Cook bill
Pepin and the Mississippi rS river ' 1t iSr per.
mits the use of seines; under certain re.
| trictions. The bill prohibiting the use of
| magazine guns for bird shooting was
turned down. 1t was decided to make a
uniform open season for all small game.
beginning Sept. l, and the Hawkins bill
! will be redrafted along that line.
In joking spirit the senate passed the
| Laugen bill, which provides that boun-
| ty of 50 be paid by the state for each
| rattlesnake killed. 1t is expected that the
! bill will be killed in the house or that
the amount of the bounty will be ma
| terially reduced.
| Road Engines.
The house committee on labor has re-
| ported favorably bill requiring engi-
| neers of road engines to have had at least
| three years experience as practical engi-
| strongly by a lobby of the Brotherhood
| of Locomotive Firemen; also a bill
Strengthening the state board of barber
| examiners, which requires BARRIERS to re-
| new their license at least once in each
| two years. The committee was not salts
| which prohibits the employment of wom-
| en- in stores for more than eight hours
| daily, and the bill was laid over for fur
! ther consideration.
Once more the house has gone on rec
| ord as favoring an inheritance tax by
| passing the Ward Stone bill which. after
| exempting $4,000, provides the following
! ter of per cent; direct heirs. per cent;
| collateral heirs, per cent. Five times
! the Minnesota house has passed the same
| sort Of a bill, two OF which met the APP
| proval of the senate, but each time some
| defect was found which made the pro-
posed law imperative.
Important bills passed by the house in
| clude: By Mr.. Hugo. providing that the
Monday after a legal holiday falling on
| Sunday be a legal holiday. and including
| Good Fridays as legal holidays: by Mr.
Gandrud, providing that legislative sup