Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-02-02
WILL ABOLISH
the FREE LIST
Anti-PasS Bill Reported by Sen.
ate Committee:
may DECIDE ON new CAPITOL
Present Building Not in Keeping With
the Wealth and Dignity of
the State.

Bismarck, Jan. 30.-Real anti-pass
legislation is in sight. After consider.
ing half a dozen bills providing fol
the ending of the pass privilege the
senate committee on railroads has re.
ported a drastic measure, cutting prac.
tically every one off the free list. Now
that it is proposed to make the repeal
of the pass privilege sweeping there
are plenty of applicants who want tc
be placed on the list of exceptions.
The agricultural college and univer.
sity staffs and the persons engaged in
farmers institute work want to be
exempted from the operation of the
proposed law and a good many petit.
lions are coming in to the legislature
to make these exceptions. 1t seems
to be the sentiment of a good many
members of the legislature that if one
class of persons is prohibited from
receiving passes all classes ought to
be. prohibited and the bill up for con.
sideration just now cuts out practical
ly everybody. The measure will be up
for consideration the first of the week.
Senator Trimble wants the law framed
so that state officials, members of
state boards and similar officials shall
be carried free while engaged on bust
ness for the state. He says this
would be a practical measure and
would a V the state a good many
thousand dollars annually.
Senator Trimble has another bill in
which is bringing a big insurance lob
by to the legislature and that is the
measure providing hat life insurance
companies shall invest so per cent of
their premium receipts in counties
in the state where their annual re-
ceipts are $4,000 or over and 65 per
cent of their total premium receipts
in the state. Senator Trimble says
this would give the people of the state
the loan benefit of the money they pay
out in premiums and he says the real
estate of this state is now a substan-
tial basis for investment. The big in
surance companies are fighting the
bill hard and will make every effort
to defeat ii. They say that such a bill,
if passed, would drive many of the big
companies out of the state.
= i. J.
A committee of the two houses has
been looking over the state capitol
building with a view to reporting
what repairs ought to be made and it
is possible that out of this commit.
tees deliberations will come a bill for
a new capitol building. Whether it
will pass or not will depend a good
deal upon the way the measure is
framed, as there are a good many
things to be considered. The Repub-
llcans of the state object in some cases
to handing yer the building of a new
capitol to a Democratic administra-
ton, but these objections may be over
come in the drafting of a bill. The
present capitol building is a patch
work affair, built in three wings at
three separate times. The main wing
was erected in 1883, another in 1894
and a third about five years ago. The
state has an endowment of some g.
600 acres of land, which may be sold
to supply funds for a new building. A
building to cost from a million to two
million dollars would be in keeping
with the growing wealth and dignity
of the state and would supply the ac-
commodations for various state de-
partments nov sadly lacking. The
supreme court of the state has no
place for it's public hearings, making
use of n of the legislative chambers
when that body is not in session. 9th
er departments are cramped for room.
The legislative body has no commit
tee rooms suitable. The old senate
chamber is not at all sufficient. A
new capitol is sadly needed and will
be more SO by the time a new build
ing could be erected.
< i. \
The various investigating commit
tees have gone to work, but no reports
will be made for some time yet. Some
of the work Of investigation involves
much research and no reports will be
made before the latter part of the SEES
sion. The resolution for the investi-
eating of the methods of the state
auditing board, which passes upon
the various claims against the state.
has passed both houses and a COM
mittee has been named. There is a
good deal of interest in the reports
that will be made by these various
committees and it will have a DO
htical significance as we'll, as it may
or may not reflect upon the business
methods of the state administration of
the past two or three years.
l. i. i.
Senator Simpson has presented a
pauy orpnracuinna ,ccru~~s-.-- II