Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-02-14
A LONG BEST
MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE
GO HOME FOR A WEEK.

Several Committees Appointed to
Visit State Institutions During the
Recess-Novel Primary Election Fill
Introduced in the Lower House.
Bismarck, Feb. 4.-Most of the mem
bers Of the legislature have gone to
their homes on a weeks vacation;
another question. The billiards. let
up long enough to permit the rail
roads to open up their branch lines
and this prompted the members to
take a vacation and visit theil CON
stitnents. AS soon as the members
got away from the capital the wo.e'
storm of the season broke and so~lo
legislators may not be able to get
back for several weeks. Three com
mittees We're appointed to visit the
several state institutions during the
recess and report conditions and
needs. Peake, Burgum, Blake, Stevens,
Jones of Ransom, Streeter, Putnam,
Chapman and Hannawalt were ap-
pointed such committeeman.
Just before adjournment the house
passed a resolution expressing appre-
citation of the work of the Minnesota
legislature in urging the prompt for
warding of cars.
house passed the bill making the term
of Office of county superintendent of
schools four years and killed the bill
emitting the number of terms of Office
to be held by county officers to two.
Novel Primary Election Bill.
Among the bills being given consid-
cradle thought here is the primary
election bill introduced in the house
by Representative White of Trail
county. This is a measure differing
from other primary bills that have
been presented in that it retains the
old convention system, but supple
ments it with a primary election upon
the two candidates receiving the
greatest number of votes in the con
vention. Where there is a convention
fight the candidate receiving the great
est number of votes and the candidate
receiving the next highest number go
before the people on the primary bal
lot to determine which m of them
shall receive the right to be placed
upon the ticket as the party nominee.
The author claims for the bill that it
avoids some of the Objectionable fea-
lures of a direct primary law without
any convention feature whatever;
that it gives every man a right to be
a candidate before a convention and
then enables the people to pass di-
rectly upon the work of the convention
before any party nomination is finally
made. The idea is new and it is be-
ginning to attract considerable atten-
tion in this and other states. Whether
the retention of any feature of the
convention system will not alarm the
advocates of the direct primary sys-
tenn remains to be
No Limitation of Office.
The first. bill to be defeated on the
floor of the house after debate was
that to limit the terms of county Off
GERS to two terms of two years each,
as is now the ase with sheriff and
treasurer. 1t went down with a vote
of SIS to 35. A number of the mem
bers told of alleged courthouse rings
which succeeded in keeping the Offices
within the trust by rotating them.
A bill has been introduced increas-
ing the salary of railroad commission
ers to $1,000 and the secretary to ST.
800 and requiring him to reside at the
stale capital and have regular Office
hours. 1t also provides $4,000 per
annum for the travelling expenses of
the commission. The bill gives the
commission general supervision of all
railroads, bridge corporations and
ferry companies, the property of which
is used or operated for railroad pur-
poses. and the officers, agents or en-
| ployes thereof. The only duties that
the bill explicitly p%rescribes for the
commissioners are to look after the
| safety and convenience of the public
and it provides that no useless junkets
shall be undertaken and no excursions
made on special trains for such pur-
pose.
Holds Bill Unconstitutional.
The attorney general has, in re-
Spouse to a request from the senate.
given his opinion on house bill No. 25
and senate bill No. 70, making it un-
lawful to solicit orders for intoXicat-
ing liquors in the state. The opinion
is in substance that the present laws
cover sales made wholly within the
state and that if the law was aimed
at sales made by statesmen for foreign
dealers the state would have no juris.
diction. AS a result of the attorney
generals opinion both bills were re-
ferred to the judiciary committee.
A resolution has been presented in
the senate, prepared by the committee
on education, to call a meeting of the
presidents of the state university, ag-
ricultural college, normal schools,
manual training school, academy of
science and school of forestry and the
senate committee on education for the
purpose of reaching some definite CON
c1usiOn relative IN cOnrSoS of Ctu,jv