The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-03-12
BILL TO ABOLISH
HANGING KILLED
Vote on the Measure in the
House Is Close.
ELOQUENT PLEA FOR THE BILL

sE-s.L
Made by Representative Mackenzie Of
Gaylord, Who Urged That the State
Should Abolish Its Barbaric Power
of Taking Human Life-Manager
Admits American Book Company
Was Held to Be a Trust in Texas.
st. Paul. March 10.-The house
killed Representative BendiXen's bill
for the adjustment of capital punish
ment The vote was close, however,
s. to 31-and the attendance was
light.
G. A. Mackenzie of Gaylord made an
eloquent plea for the bill. He urged
that the state should abolish it's bar
barrie power of taking human life. The
word whose sheddeth mans blood,
by man shall his blood be She'd were
written when only the faintest light of
moral civilization had illuminated the
intellect of man. He believed this
law was abrogated when the Nazarene
commanded men to love one another
F. T. White of Elk River reminded
the house of how the Younger broth
ers got out of prison and said that one
of them is now running VAUDEVILLE
show exploiting their crimes and how
Tracey broke out of prison and left a
trail of blood over the states of Ore
gon and Washington. Burdette Thayer
of Spring Valley said that if there is
no capital punishment. mobs would be
more likely to lynch criminals. Others
who spoke against the bill We're G..
II. Mattson of Roseau, c. J. Swend-
sen of ST. James and r. F. Grant of
Duluth
Recommended for Passage.
The house committee on express,
telegraph and electric lines recon-
mended for passage the Zelch and An
derson bill which will apportion the
gross earnings tax received from SUI
burban electric lines among the towns
through which the lines pass. In its
present form the proportion each
town, village or city gets will be
based on the value of the company's
property in that town. The recent de-
cision that suburban lines are COM
mon carriers would give the state the
whole tax unless this bill is passed
The bills relating to women suf-
frage were reported without recon-
mendation by the house committee on
elections One is the ]. n. Johnson
bill to submit to the men voters the
question of whether the women shall
vote and the other is A. X. Wares bill
to let the women vote on the question
of whether they want the right of suf-
frage.
By vote of "a to 90 the senate
committee of the whole adopted
an amendment proposed by Frank
Clague of Lamberton so amending the
Cass Lake normal school bill that the
state normal board is given authority
to locate the new normal school in the
northwestern part of the state. Hav-
ing suffered this defeat. the support
erS of CaSS Lake retrieved their loss
by excepting the report on s. F. No.
SO from the report of the committee
of the whole. This has the effect of
leaving the Cass Lake bill on the desk,
and motion will be necessary to re-
store it to general orders. 1t is, how
ever, the amended bill which is on the
desk, the non-acceptance of the report
on the bill from the committee of the
whole not having the effect of killing
the amendment.
Cigars by the Pound.
Arguing that If green cabbages are
sold by the pound, that cigars should
be also, Senator V. B. Seward of Mar
shall tried to carry motion to kill
the bill of Senator J. w. Pauly of Min
neapolis relating to the selling of
vegetables by weight. The fight was
sharp and will be renewed.