The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-04-22

te was required to report at the next
session of the legislature. Notice of
debate having been given, the resolu-
tion went over and was not again
brought up until Friday morning,
when it's consideration occupied the
entire forenoon. A vote taken on it
just before recess resulted in its de-
feat by 40 to %.
The bill itself came up for final dis
position Friday afternoon at 3o'clock.
Itwas attacked by Senators Laybourn,
Sullivan, Hall and Alderman, and de-
Tended by Senators Clague, Peterson
and Putnam. This consumed the
time up to about $50, when the oppo-
nents of the bill commenced submit
ting amendments toit. Senator Hall
had one and Senator Gum had one,
Senator Sullivan was loaded down
with them. From that until half
past eight it was nothing but roll call
after roll call on these amendments,
until everyone was completely tired
out. Finally the last of them having
been voted down, the bill was put up
on it's passage, with the result as
above stated.
The last effort to amend the pri-
mary election law has been defeated.
This was made through bill present.
ed by Representative Holten. The
principal feature of the bill was that
no candidate could get his name on
the ballot at the general election ex-
cept by petition if his party did not
cast at the primary election 30 percent
of the vote cast at the last preceding
election in the districts for state Off
GERS. The supposition was that this
provision would keep members of each
party busy in nominating their own
candidates and thus prevent them
from taking part in the primaries of
the opposite party. The house, how
ever, when the bill came up for final
cons Iteration picked lot of holes in
it and finally knocked it out alto
gether. .-
Mr.. Robertson's peddler's license
bill was somewhat maltreated in the
senate, where it was SO amended as
not to apply to the larger cities which
already require peddlers to pay a sub
stantial license. possibly in the
amended form it will serve Mr..
Robertson's purpose quite as well. 1t
was the country merchants the bill
was designed to protect and it still
does that. The bill is very unpopular
in certain sections of the twin cities,
Mr.. Robertson tells me he. has more
than once been the subject of denun-
citation from the rostrum in the syno-
gogues. The senate amendment
doubtless does away with the more
formidable objections to the bill.
The matter of the new state prison
has had another airing in the house.
1t all came about through an inspec-
tion of the architects plans, which
are very ambitious. Among objection
able items were $4,000 for a prison
dining hall, $9l, 900 for a chapel, S26,
600 for a greenhouse, $4,000 for
warden's residence and S25,OOO for a
deputy warden's residence, which was
crowding the mourners. A new bill
was introduced, with the consent of
the governor, cutting the whole appro-
priation down from 81, 2,25O, 900 to 81, IT
5000. 1t is, however, doubtful if with
the opposition to it, sucha bill can be
passed in the few days of the session
that remain. Failing that, depend
ence must be placed on the good sense
of the board of control, who, under
the law, have a very free hand in the
matter, not to indulge in needless ex-
travagance.
Even the St. Paul members of the
legislature object to the extravagant
methods of the commission which the
last legislature authorized to purchase
some additional land for capitol ap-
proaches. 1t appears that last year
they paid one Thomas J. McDermott
some $500 for examining the alb
stracts of one or two lots. The servi1
ces of the supporters of the admins
tration come high.
Except the bill to accept from the
United States the agricultural sc hool
at Morris and use it for a state agri-
cultural school, the only measure look
ing to the popularization of agricultu-
raj education likely to be passed at
the present session is the bill by Sena-
tor Putnam, which proposes to extend
state aid to such state high, graded
and rural consolidated schools as will
establish departments of agriculture,
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