The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-07
/ WORK OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE /
HOUSE GETS BUSY
WITH REVISED CODE
Yesterdays Pace Promises
Conclusion Within Five
Days

The house took up the revised code
and its amendments yesterday, and in
two sessions made speedy work of their
consideration. In less than three hours
time the house had passed 297 pages of
the code and 80 pages of amendments
The first fourteen chapters of the code
were covered by the work of the house.
which made the code a special order
at II o'clock. There are Ill chapters
in the big book, which comprises 1,0S4
pages. The pamphlet containing the
amendments is one of 1872 pages.
At this rate the code will be disposed
of within five days, and it is possible
that it will be out of the way by
Thursday The big fight is expected
on the enacting clause, which now sets
the date when the work of the revi-
sion commission shall be effective at
Dec. /, 1905. 1t is more than probable
that the house will put the date along
to Jan. / or Feb. /, 1907, when an
other legislature will be in session.
Gen. M. d. Flower stated before the
Ramsey county delegation yesterday
that he was confident that the code
could not be passed in the house unless
its friends are willing 10 make this
concession. Other house leaders are
equally confident that the date must
be put far ahead if the code is to be
passed.
Cling to Original Plan
The house took up the consideration
of the code on the plan agreed to in
the judiciary committee, but not until
w. d. Washburn Jr. had made strong
but Intellectual attempt to change the
plan of procedure. He asked that the
house group the sections and consider
some ten or twelve each day. the total
time to be not over eight days, and
that the judiciary committee be re-
quired to explain the new matter re-
ported by the committee in the form
of amendments. In speaking to his
motion Mr.. Washburn declared that he
had every reason to believe that the
chapters relating to pure food, corpo-
rations, drainage, military laws. in
surance and game. and fish were all
practically new laws. He did not think
1t right that the committee should at
tempt to force this new matter on the
house without proper explanation.
w. B. Anderson, chairman of the
committee, warned Mr.. Washburn that
his plan would take more time than
he thought. He said the committee
had no disposition to railroad the bill
through the legislature. He told of
the history of the code, declaring that
it had cost the state a great deal of
money and saying that its passage
should not now be jeopardized. Other
judiciary committeeman spoke for the
committees plan and said that time
was the important consideration. Mr..
Washburn replied that nothing could
be more important than consideration
: of the fundamental law of the state.
j. II. Dorsey intimated that the ju-
dietary committee had taken a domi-
neering position. A general debate
followed, but the Washburn motion
was buried beneath an avalanche of
negative votes.
Slight Changes Made
The first eight chapters of the code
were considered, along with the
amendments to the chapters, during
the morning session, and the only
change made was to substitute state
law library for state library"
Six chapters and their amendments
were disposed of at two hours ses-
sion in the afternoon. Minor changes
were made in the chapter relating to
school laws. James r. Hickey sue
ceeded in changing the law relating to
taxes on earnings of express compa-
MES to conform to the laws of 1903,
making the earnings apply to points
within the state, that the law might
not be unconstitutional A fight oc-
Cured over the amendment relating to.
giving the state preference in not re-
curing it to give notice of expiration
or redemption in tax matters. Asher
Murray of Wadena offered four
amendments to the section. The ju-
dietary committee showed it's first d.
vision on the consideration of the
question of giving the state the pref
erence. The debate grew interesting,
and for an hour members grew elo-
quent. Burdette Thayer favored the
Murray amendments, and declared
that If the present law is not right he
would vote to change it as mat
ter of conscience. He would not vote
for section just to pass the code. A.
L-Cole said that new matter injected
into the code would result in its de-
feat, and M. j. O'Laughlin got no an
SWer TO his question asking if the re-
vision commission had not put new
matter into their report. The Murray
amendments were all successfully de-
1eated, and the committee was sus-
tanned.
Mr.. Hickey gave notice that he
would offer amendments to sections /
10 b, inclusive, of the military code.
He said he would substitute the pres
ent. military law for the committees
work.
The section relating to school laws
was amended to permit school boards
to exclude children under 6 years of
age, while the school age was made
TO 81, as in the old law.
AT o'clock the house adjourned for
the day by a vote of 80 to 81. w. p.
Roberts, who opposed adjournment.
opened the walls of his wrath on the
members who voted to adjourn. He
said they were '1azy whelps." Mr.
Roberts later said he did not mean TO
employ the term literally.