The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-04-25


record and evidence relative thereto
; and that it take such action thereon
as may be required of it by law.
I'VE further recommend that the
railroad and warehouse commission
be requested to investigate hay ex
changes in this state and the meth
DDS and practices of commission
merchants in handling hay and feed.
Resort Bill Adopted.
The house yesterday passed the
Wallace-Fosseen bill, known as the
disorderly house abatement law, by
a vote of SS to II. Not a single
amendment was adopted to the sen
ate measure, and 1t now awaits the
governors signature to become q
law
Friends, of the bill declare that il
lis an effective means. by which
every disorderly house in the state
! will be wiped out
Amendment after amendment was
offered TO the measure, by T. T. OFFS
thun, R, G.. Dunn and Ii. Fl. Dunn,
who declared that the measure as
passed by the senate was too dras-
tic. But the house organization had
decided to pass the bill, in its origi-
nal form, fearing that single
amendment would kill it for the SEES
sion. The steam roller was effective
| ly used and each amendment was
voted down.
The bill was copied from the Iowa
and Nebraska laws. 1t was suggest
ed by the Women's clubs in Min
neapolis and was introduced by Sen
ators Carl L. Wallace and Manley
Fosseen.
Provisions of Fill.
1t provides that any citizen may
make complaint against a disorderly
house, and that if the charges are
proved a court can issue an injunc-
ton declaring the building in which
the disorderly house is located a
nuisance and forever abating it. A
fine of $500 is provided on convic-
tion of either the owner of the prop
erty in which the disorderly house
is located or against the keeper. The
court may also order the place closed
lor a period of one year. But if
the property owner files a bond, Gov
ering the value of the property, guar
anteeing that it be Immediately abat-
ed, the court may cancel the order.
The measure provides for the con
fiscation of all the personal property
found in the place. and 70 its sale.
The proceeds shall go towards pay
ing the costs of the lease, except that
10 per cent shall be paid to the law
yer or the citizen filing the com
plant.
2 This provision was the principal
one objected to in the house, on
the ground that it could be misused.
But supporters of the bill declared
that the only way to make it effec
tive, was TO make it sufficiently
drastic, and stood by this provision.
Last Day of Session.
The legislature will wind up its
tlabors at twelve O'Clock tonight.
When the solons met this morning
there were 200 bills in each house
which yet await action. Today
there was the scramble by members
to advance their bills ahead of the
other fellows. Members began their
work last night to gain early con-
sideration of their own bill, each
promising to help the other in re-
turn for support for his own meas
ure. AT that it is estimated that
nearly 200 measures will die with
out action.
The house has been killing time
for several days, in the hope that
many radical measures will never
be reached to save the members the
embarrassment of going on record
Principal bills to which this objection
comes are the temperance measures
on the calendar in the house There
is the A. G.. Johnson BILL providing
that, beginning this year, there shall
be no more saloons than one for each
800 in any locality, in 1914 no more
than one for each 400 inhabitants
and in 1915 and thereafter no more
than one for each 500 people. Sew
eral efforts have been made to secure
a special order for this bilr but they
have failed. Other temperance meas
ures expected to go to the discard
are the Voxland state wide prohibi-
ton law, the Morken-Holmberg bill
requiring saloons to remove all cur
tains and screens, and the senate
bill prohibiting brewery ownership
Of saloons.