The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-02-03
Senator Dick McNamee Has
One Up His Sleeve.
John E. King Is Confirmed as
the State Librarian.
Code and Municipal Courts
Legislative Doings.
Especial to The Free Press.l

Especial to The Free Press.1
st. Paul, Jan. Ex-senator McNamee
has been requested to submit bill legal
izing the whipping post as a method
of punishment for wife beaters and
highwaymen. The author of the bill
says that such crimes are all to fire.
quent and that experience shows the
only way to check them is through the
| lash.
Under the bill, such offenders, when
convicted, would receive from 10 to so
flashes on the bare back, the same to be
administered at intervals during the
term of sentence. The work of castiga-
ton would be done by an officer of the
workhouse or states prison and in the
presence of the superintendent of the
workhouse or warden, with physician, to
see that no undue severity was exer-
cised.
Senator McNamee has the proposition
under consideration. Personally he be-
lieves that some drastic remedy should
be applied, in order to successfully
squelch the brutality of wife beating.
| The senate yesterday confirmed the
appointment of John Z. King, of Red
Lake Falls, for state librarian. 1t was
done very grudgingly on viva voce
vote, and many senators signifed their
dissent.
Senator Laybourn, who occupied the
chair, in the absence of President Jones,
desided IN favor of the ayes, and the
incident closed.
The question was called up by Senator
NIcNamee, of st. Paul, who moved the
confirmation.
The author of the opposition, Sena-
tor Hawkins, said that his objection to
Mr.. King was because of unjust criti-
cisms made by him against public
official, Lieut.. Gov. Ray Jones, of Min
neapolis, gentleman esteemed by ev-
erybody in the senate, republicans and
democrats alike" Continuing, Senator
Hawkins said:
Il have investigated this matter, and
have had copies made of Objectionable
articles in Mr.. Kings paper, articles
which 1 consider malicious and unjust.
Under the circumstances, l don't think
Mr.. King is fit man to hold the office
to which he has been named, and 1
should never vote for him. However,
have been requested by the president
of the senate to withdraw my objec
lions, and 1 do So"
Senator McNamee moved the conir
nation, and the motion was declared
carried by the president pro tenn.
Speaker Clague is i'll at his hotel and
Representative Hugo is acting as speak
er pro tenn.
| A petition was received by the house
from the Mankato Board of Trade ask
ing for the placing of all telegraph and
telephone companies under the supervis-
ion of the railroad and warehouse COM
mission. The complaint was that the
present system engenders charges out of
proportion to the service given, and an
inability to obtain connections where
independent and trust companies are in
competition.
Judge Finehout, of the ST. Paul NUM-
cipal court, hobnobbed today with the
members of the legislature with refer
ence to some provisions of the new code
which radically change existing laws.
"The new code practically puts our
court out of business. The attempt to
! enact uniform legislation for all munich
| pal courts has worked for detriment of
the st. Paul court. Legislation which
would fit the smaller towns would not
do at all for larger cities. Our special
laws are wiped out by the code.
"Under the code the civil branch of the
municipal court is placed on the same
| footing as district courts. In other
words the fees have been largely increas-
ed. As things now are, litigant may
begin an action in the municipal court
and press it to judgment for fees
amounting in the aggregate to about So.
Under the code these fees will amount
to about Sl2.
"Another section of the code provides
that of the fees $500 shall go to the
bar association. Where the commission
discovered this feature l cannot for the
life of me see. 1t is an absurd provis-
ion"