The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-02-25
THE LEGISLATURE, FEB. Fl
...Deiayed in Transmits sion...

hibition provision Of the constitution
to vote of the people, and generally
known as resubmission proposition.
1t seems that Mr.. Streeter has had the
bill prepared for several days, but had
withheld the same until he had made
a little investigation relative to the
manner in which it would be received
by the house. 1t is claimed by some
of the members who are favorable to
the matter that there are more than
thirty votes for it in that body. The
supporters of the measure do not ex-
pect it to pass at this time. but it will
be made the means of testing the SEN
timent Of the state on the matter.
House Routine.
The house met this morning after a
recess from the preceding day at 10
o'clock m. and at once proceeded to
business. The third reading of house
bills was taken up, and during the
morning hour number of these were
read and passed. The first one was
H. B. No. PA. introduced by Mr.. Moors,
and supposed to be of special interest
to Cass county. 1t provides that the
county commissioners may dispose of
any property belonging to the county
which has in any way been acquired
by it. Under the present law this can
not be done The old wing of the Cass
county court house, which was used
for court purposes and county Offices
during the time the new court house
was under construction, stands as
monument of desolation and the brick
can not be sold because of the defect
in the law. The bill was passed with
out opposition.
The bill providing for the payment
of stenographers of district courts was
passed with only one vote recorded in
the negative
The same fate was melted out to the
bill introduced by Representative
Chapman providing for the payment of
the salary of the county superintend-
ent and allowing such officer deputy
and affixing the salary of such subor-
dinate The bill was passed by vote
of SO to 2.
Representative Burdick again landed
good thing for his constituents when
he secured the passage of H. B. 271,
providing a lien upon the stock for
the pasturage or keep of the same,
which was passed by the house by a
vote Of Sc to 1.
But the same results did not follow
the attempt of Representative Putnam
OF Eddy county, who lost out with a
dull thud in an attempt to pass a con-
current resolution, officially known as
house bill 1863, permitting the pur-
chaser of school lands to pay the in
stallments due thereon ON or before
the fixed periods of five, ten, fifteen
and twenty years. So soon as the bill
came up the opposition developed.
Representative Stevens led off with
statement that the bill was in the in
terest of the rich man and the specd-
lator, rather than in the interest of
the man who desired to purchase land
for home. The bill, If passed, would
allow the spectators to procure title
to the property within a short time
after the sale and he would then be
in position to speculate on the same,
and that he could afford to pay more
for the land than could the man who
desired to make it his home. Speaker
Twichell called Mr.. Sorley Of Grand
Forks to the chair, and from the floor
made a strong and convincing talk
against the passage of the bill, agree
ing with Mr.. Stevens in many of the
points made by that gentleman; but he
took up the proposition from the bust
ness standpoint of the state, and
showed that the school lands were
granted to the state by the federal
government for the purpose of Great
ing permanent school fund for the
cause of education within the state.
The state now had on hand, he said,
large amount of money belonging to
that fund, which it was impossible to
invest because there were no borrow
ers. More than that, the rate of in
terest which the state was able to Sc
cure from these loans was considera-
bly, lower than that which could be
secured from the land contracts them
selves. In a word, the bill proposed
to fix 1t SO that the state would be
compelled to accept school land money
which under the present law draws
six per cent interest and loan It out
at three or at best four per cent there