Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-02-09
Legislative Session Now on
Its Last Lap.
HOUSE may AMEND MEASURE
Anti-Pass Bill Gets Through Senate
as Reported From the Commit
tee on Railroads.

Bismarck, Feb. 6.-The legislative
session is on the last lap and the
members celebrated the closing of the
first half of it by taking an adjourn
ment for a few days to permit the
return to their homes to attend to
their private business matters. It was
q brief recess, extending only over
four days. Usually the assembly has
taken a recess for about a week at
this time, but a great deal of politics
has been played back and forth re.
garding adjournments. This started
at the opening of the session with the
Pierce resolution that the legislature
complete it's work and take it's final
adjournment at the close of the forty.
fifth day. This resolution was Cd.
posed by a number of the "progres.
sives' on the ground that it was i'm.
possible to forecast whether it would
be possible to do the work before the
legislature and adjourn by that time
and it was not desired to pledge an
adjournment in advance and then pos.
sibly fail to keep the pledge. Since
the defeat of that resolution there has
been a good deal of sparring on every
resolution for a recess, it being claimed
that economy and duty to the people
of the state demanded that the 1egis.
lature remain in continuous session.
The work that is actually before the
two houses is pretty we'll in hand now,
but the congestion of work is in the
various committees, which have a good
many bills not acted upon. Inasmuch
as the members Of the committees will
go home for the recess there will be
little work Of any kind done until the
assembly reconvenes.
:. :. so
One day will be taken out of the
working time after the legislature re.
%convenes for a memorial to Abraham
Lincoln. The address on this occa.
sion will be made by Hon. Smith
Stimmel of Casselton, who was a mem
Der of Lincoln's bodyguard during the
Civil war, who will speak largely from
his personal experience and acquaint.
ance with the martyred president.
This joint session will be held Feb. IS. |
= :. !.
A memorial for the late Senator M.
N. Johnson of Petersburg, who died
suddenly a year or so ago, was held
Feb. 1. Addresses were made by
Judge b. f. Spalding of the supreme
court and by Senator j. G. Gunderson
and Representative E. c.. DISCARD. Fit.
ting tributes were paid to the late
senator as a public man of an unusual
type and n who gained recognition
by sheer worth and force of character.
Following the joint session the assem-.
bly, adjourned as a mark of respect to
the deceased statesman.
!. !. !.
The anti-pass bill got through the
upper branch of the assembly in the
course of the week. There were only
two votes against it in the senate. An
attempt was made to amend the bill,
which conforms closely to the federal
law, but the amendment was defeated
and the bill went through as reported
by the senate committee on railroads..
There is no emergency clause on the
bill, which, if it passes the house in
it's present form, will take effect July
1. 1t is said a number of amendments
will be offered to the bill in the house.
AS it stands now persons engaged in
educational and agricultural college
and farmers institute work are shut
out from receiving passes. This pro-
vision may be inserted in the house
and an emergency clause may be add
ed. This would bring up the fight
again in the senate, as it is said that
the upper house is determined to
stand for the bill as originally passed.
i. j. !.
The finances of the state will be
helped out to some extent by bills
slightly increasing the charges to be
paid by counties for the keeping Of
patients in the state asylum at James,
town and the state institute for the
feeble minded. Both of these bills
have passed and they will relieve the
general fund of the state of the ne
cessity of providing appropriations for
these institutions, aside from those
for ley buildings. The appropriations
committees 10Y have all the bills be-
fore them and the total of requests is
far ahead of the probable revenues of
the state. Conservative members of
the committee are striving to cut
down the requests so that the appro-
priation bills will not exceed the prob.
able If the bills are passed
at anywhere near the figures asked
the governor will have the pruning to
do. and, as a member Of the commit
tee recently stated, 'the governor will
make the appropriations"
4 4. i.
The new druggists permit bill has
been reported by the senate temper
ance committee and puts the dispens.
Ing OF liquors with the physicians of
the state. The old system OF selling
by druggists for medicinal purposes
on tafidayt Ia done away with. Sena,