The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-02-15
courts. Referred to the committee on
judiciary.
Senate Bills Passed,

judiciary.
Senate Bills Passed.
S. B. Nos. %, 81 and 81 were read
third time and passed. Not so the
bill passed by the senate making labor
day a legal holiday in the state. Some
opposition was developed to the bill
and it was chanlpioned by Representa-.
tive Streeter who contended that IT
was only just and fair recognition
of the labor unions of the state to
make the day which is especially ded-
icated to the principles which these
unions represent, legal holiday. Rep
resentative Peake of Valley City op-
posed the measure as being against
the interests OF the farmers and OH
the final passage of the bill there
were IS ayes. 80 nays and is absen,
and not voting, thus defeating the
bill. Streeter took an inside turn by
voting with the majority SO that under
the rules he could move to reconsider
the vote and so soon as 1t was an
nounced by the speaker he gave notice
that he would do so tomorrow.
Primary Bill Passed.
A considerable portion of the after
noon session was devoted to the con.
sideration and final passing of the
primary election bill which had been
reported at the morning session from
the committee on privileges and cleo
tons. The bill bore the name of Rep
resentative Sorley, but the pruning
it had received at the hands of the
committee hardly left it in such shape
that it could be recognized by its au-
thor. One of the sections upon which
Mr. .Sorley had laid especial stress
and required any voter at the primary
election to call for and vote the ballot
of the political party with which he
had voted at the regular election next
preceding the primary election unless
such voter within thirty days next
prior to such primary election filed
with the proper Official declaration
of his intention to change his politi-
cal faith. was cut out by the COM
mittee. The committee also cut out
the provision requiring all signers OF
nominating petitions to agree to sup
port the candidate whose petition was
signed.
When the bill came up for consid-
in which it had been made a special
order, Chairman Shirley of the COM
mite on privileges and elections took
charge OF the bill. He moved that
the amendments proposed by his conf
mittee be concurred in and that the
reading OF the bill be dispensed with
He was blocked in this move by Rep
resentative Pugh who argued that the
report of the committee had just
been made that morning and that the
members had not had time to make
the corrections in the printed bill
which the report called for, and they
could therefore be voting on amend
ments OF which they know nothing.
a substitute motion that the bill be
read and considered by section was
carried by a large majority and the
work settled down to the digestion OF
the bill. 1t could be said that one
need of the hurry was something of
parliamentary one. The senate at
the time the Sorley bill was being
considered in the house, was consider
ing the Sharp bill. and the courtesy
| is for the first bill sent to the other
| house to be given consideration. The
senate wanted to get its bill into the
house before the house bill was sent
to the senate. 1t succeeded, for while
the discussion was on, the committee
of the whole suspended while mes
sage was received from the senate
by its chief clerk, ]. w. Foley. an
ncuncins the passage by that body OF
the Sharp bill and this message was
received by the house, Speaker witch
ell assuming the gavel. This gives a
technical advantage to the latter bill
and it in all probability will be the
one which will finally become a law.
There was little serious discussion o.
the features OF the bill except that In
reference to the payment of filing fees.
Mr.. Stevens sought to amend the bill
by excepting from its provisions can
didates for the supreme court, but
the amendment was lost He also
sought to amend by leaving out dis
trict judges and argued that the in
surgent wing of the republican party
these are not his words. but liberal
translation of them-and the demo-
Gratis had contended that there should
be no politics in the judiciary, but that
this bill required a man to declare
his political faith before he could
become candidate, and that he did
not see how an Office could be re-
mover. from politics by requiring {.
man to declare his politics before he
was eligible for election under the
provisions of the bill. Senator witch
ell answered that having political be-
lief did not prevent man from being
a good judge, and in reply to a ques.
ton from Mr.. Stevens state that the
man who did not have sufficient in
terest in public matters to have po-
litical opinions was not good mar,
for position on the bench, in this
sustaining the contention of the Even
ing Times that merely the facs that
a man had sufficient nnh1ic SnivIt m