The Dickinson press., 1911-03-18
Legislature Passed Nearly Three.
Hundred and Fifty Bills.
THE APPROPRIATIONS N DETAIL
Total Amount Authorized Aggregates
More Than One and one.Quarter
Million Dollars.

NAVA~A As"A 1Ct4CW VI
the work Of the Twelfth legislative as.
sembly in the space of a few columns
Is not easy, except to give in a gen.
eral way the legislation that has been
touched upon. In some ways the as
sembly was different from any that
has gathered to legislate for the state
of North Dakota. Factionally speak
ing, it was an 'insurgent," or "progres.
sive" body, that faction of the Repub.
lican party controlling both house and
senate organizations. It is too soon
yet to weigh up the result. as it may
benefit the state. There were nearly
$50 new laws passed, the greater part
OF them in the last two or three days
Of the session. It is safe to say that
not seven the members of the two
houses know yet the exact nature of
the legislation that has been put on
the statute books, in a great many
particulars. So many bills were re-
ported and passed within the last two
or three days that it was a matter of
impossibility for each member to IA
miliarize himself with all the provi-
sions of all the bills. It was neces.
sary for him to accept the report of
the various committees, and even the
committee work was done in a neces.
sarily hurried manner in the last few
days.
Great Interest in cowan Case.
In the matter of state interest and
excitement the Cowan impeachment
resolution, which was first killed and
afterward passed by the house of rep
resentatives and reported to the sen.
ate for trial, overtopped anything that
was presented to the legislative as.
sembly for action. The senate has
set March % for the trial of the Cowan
case and the members Of the upper
house will return at that time for the
trial. The whole state took an inter
est in the proceedings, both for and
against the accused Judge. The house
first accepted the. report of the COM.
mittee named to investigate the
charges and afterward reconsidered it's
action in Diminishing the case and
passed impeachment resolutions. Sen
timent in the Second judicial district,
which. is the home of Judge Cowan,
has been wrought up to an abnormally
high pitch, which will doubtless con-
tinue through the trial. This is the
first impeachment case every present
ed by the house of representatives to
the senate in this state. Under the
constitution and laws of the state two
thirds Of the members of the senate
must vote the defendant guilty. The
trial of the case will be a cause celebre
in the state. The board of managers
has engaged George A. Bangs of Grand
Forks to prosecute and it is stated
Tracy R. Bangs of the same city will
defend Judge Cowan. Both are emf.
nent lawyers in the state.
Appropriations.
The matter Of appropriations is of
first interest always in the session of
the legislature. The total of specific
appropriations made was something
like $~1,300.000. It may be that some.
of this will have to be cut down to
bring the total within the revenue of
the state. The Minot normal school,
the institution established at Minot by
a. recent constitutional amendment,
was given $4,000, with an additional
$4,000 to be available in 1913. The
people in that section of the state are
jubilant over the result to them and
are making preparations for the es.
Enlistment of the new school. The
state hospital for the insane, the state
institute for the feeble minded at
Grafton, the state p%enitentiary, the
university, agricultural college and
other institutions got fairly liberal ap-
preparations for maintenance and new
buildings. An appropriation of $685..
600 was made for experiments with
Ignite coal briquetting at the sub.ex.
pertinent station at Hebron. Another
100000 was appropriated to a for
the killing Of glandered horses. An
Increase was made for the carrying on
of the state demonstration farms. An
appropriation of $4,000 was made for
state aid to rural schools. An appro.
priation Of $37,500 was made for the
state tuberculosis sanitarium. Mandan
got $4,000 for the aid Of their agricul.
tural fair. The following table shows
approximately the sums finally grant.
ed by the legislature:
Charitable and Penal Institutions.
Pe%nitentiaw $127,s 800
Insane hospital ........... 100000
Feeble minded institution. -. 104, $50
Reform school ............ $3.50
Educational Institutions.
State University .....:.......$174,20 200 !
Hebron sub-station .......... $4,000
Public health laboratories -. 10000 |
Agricultural college ......... 10000
Demonstration farm. increase. 10000
Dickinson sub-station ....... 5000
Langdon sub.station $500