The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-04-17
LAWMAKERS ON
THEIR FINAL LAP
Continued From First Page
reaches him, which will probably be
today.
Board of Control Loses

was author of the bill which finally
| passed both houses
| Senator G. B. Ward of Alexandria
failed in an effort early in the session
to get Dill through the senate di-
| vorcing the educational institutions
from the board of control His bill
meant absolute divorce, without ALI
mony or resumption of maiden name.
The board of control influence proved
too strong for 1t.
| Taking counsel by the defeat OF the
| senate measure, Mr.. Perley amended
his bill to give the board of control
| some authority over the construction
| of new buildings for the educational
| institutions and the purchase of coal
and placing OF insurance on the
| schools. With these notifications,
| there was less opposition, and the bill
went through both houses of the legis-
iature with surprising ease.
Following an investigation OF the
| accounts of the insurance commission
| ers off1ce, under former administra-
tons, by the public accounts commit
tee, the legislature passed a bill plac-
| ing the state insurance commissioners
office on a salary basis. The bill pro-
vides that all fees of the Office shall be
covered into the state treasury The
senate and house quarreled for some
time over the salary, but finally
agreed on $4,000 for the commissioner.
State Drainage Law
A bill for comprehensive system of
state drainage has been enacted, and Ii
Is expected that a drainage engineer
Will perfect plan by which the
states lands will in future be drained
upon system by which the money
expended will bring results. The old
county drainage bill, in which time
had shown many imperfections, has
a int L. I'll.
representatives of the counties where
drainage is an important problem de-
clare Will meet all contingencies for
years to come.
A variety of immigration bills were
poiied into one general bill the pro-
VISIONS OF which give the state audi
Tor an appropriation for compiling sta
tistics as to the resources of the state.
There is provision for issuing and cir
culatlng literature relating to the
states vacant lands which the friends
of the bill say will bring new settlers
INTO the now vacant lands of northern
Minnesota. Terms upon which state
lands may be sold have also been
changed to favor actual settlers over
the spectators. A number of good
roads bills resulted in one measure.
which creates state highway COM
mission. Coupled with a constitutional
amendment for change in the means
or raising revenue for road and bridge
purposes, the new law is hoped to be
productive of intelligent highway
state.
The fact that lands in many north
ern Minnesota counties are sold sub
Ject to mineral rights resulted in a
Dill being put through both houses to
tax these latent mineral rights inde-
pendent of the value of the property
for agricultural purposes.
A general game and fish bill passed
both houses. but awaits the governors
signature because of a technically in
Its passage in the senate.
The agitation for a state home for
INDECENT crippled children resulted in
the enactment of law creating a COM
mission to investigate sites in Ramsey
county for such a home to report to
the next legislature. A law for the
creation of juvenile courts in St Paul,
Minneapolis and Duluth, ii is believed
by Its sponsors, will assist in the re-
clamation of delinquent boys and girls
to society.
Home for Veterans Wives
The admission of wives, widows and
mothers of old soldiers to the state
soldiers home at Minnehaha is made
possible by the Wood bill. An appro-
priation Of $4,000 for the purpose of
erecting new buildings at the home
Is contained in the omnibus appropria-
ton bill.
Provision was made for the decen-
NAL census of 1906 by a bill carrying
$4,000 appropriation.
One of the important bills OF the
session Is the Gustav Erickson anti
bucket shop bill. 1t is intended to
drive bucket shops from the state by
making severe penalties for their
operation or for deals made through
them. Judges and lawyers have as
sured its author that the bill, If en-
forced. will have this result
Commissions of Legislature
The omissions of the legislature are
more striking than its commissions.
Coming to the legislature with an in
sistent demand behind them from Re-
publican leaders that the primary cleo
ton law be extended to apply to state
officers, the legislature will adjourn
without single primary election law
to its credit.
There were five different schemes of
applying the principle of the direct
primary before the house, with nearly
as many in the senate. The bills ranged
all the way from the simple proposition
to force candidates for state offices to
run on a primary election ballot to a
complicated scheme to nominate the
delegates to county conventions by
primary elections, and then have these
delegates elect other delegates to state
conventions. The house in one day
slaughtered every one of the bills.
A lone primary election bill survives
the session in the senate and ii is con-
ceded to have no chance of passage
today. With the primary election bills
went bills intended to separate the ju-
dietary from partisan politics.
Another bill, for which there seemed
to be wide demand, was the Lund
bill aboiishing private banks. 1t passed
the house, but was killed in the senate
only last week, following the Eberhart
bill. its senate prototype. The interest
over the banking bill brought scores
of country bankers to the legislature to
lobby for or against the Lund bill, and
as it finally reached the senate 1t con-
tanned many new features not in the
original draft. The Perley free text
book bin, requiring school district off,
GERS to install free text books as a
means to secure state aid to their
schools, attracted considerable atten-
ton early in the session. After re-
peated hearings on its merits, the
house killed the bill without a roll call.
Grand Jury Bill Poeketed
After passing the senate, the Lay
bourn bin to abolish grand juries has
not been considered in the house. 1t