The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-02-14
Minnesota Legislature
Proceedings at the Minnesota State Capitol for the
Past Week.
Past Week.


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Jim Hill railroads and the Steel Trust
have in these Sheets"
The motion was opposed by Mr.. Len.
non, Mr.. Bjornson and others. "The
members of the house." said Mr.. Born
son, "are surely not ready to confess
that they are such sapheads that they
will be influenced one way or the
other by advertisements in the Twin
City papers" While the motion had
majority it had not the necessary
two-thirds to suspend the rules and
was declared lost.
st. Paul, Feb. 8.-The Works resolu.
tion investigating the grain situation in
Minnesota with relation to grades and
terminal markets was adopted by the
senate yesterday. 1t passed after a
spirited fight, the vote being "a in sup.
port to Is against.
The senate inquiry is to be indie
pendent of that now being made by
the house and is to be broader in
scope Its special feature is an au-
thorized investigation of the Independ.
ent Grain company, which it is
charged is behind the house probe.
The authorized committee of five will
probably be named by Lieutenant Gov-
ernor Burnquist today.
House Continues Its Inquiry.
Despite the fact that the senate has
decided to have a grain investigation
of it's own the house committee has
gone on with it's work. Yesterday aft
ernoon, Elias Steenerson of Crookston.
brother of Congressman STEVENSON,
told of the failure of the Farmers Elk
change of which he was a director
James A. Manahan conducted the ex-
animation.
Mr.. STEVENSON recounted the events
leading up to the dissolution of the
exchange, intimating that the Mime
apolis Chamber of Commerce was at
fault. He said that the exchange had
been organized in 1904 and had asked
for membership in the Chamber of
Commerce, which had been refused.
A wide discrepancy in the number
of residents to reach district judge in
the different districts is shown in
table which Senator V. L. Johnson of
Center City has prepared, preliminary
to a movement for the drafting of
general judicial reapportionment bill.
The number of persons judge runs
all the way from 2S,404, in the First
district, composed of Dakota and Good
hue counties, where two judges serve
56,80S people, to 100, IT'S in the Seventh
district, covering a territory running
from st. Cloud and Princeton on the
east to Moorhead and Detroit on the
west, where two judges serve 27S,350
people.
st. Paul, Feb. 1.-THE initiative and
referendum bill introduced by the
committee on elections, which was a
special order for yesterday, passed the
hoSse by vote of 10 to Z. Those
who voted against it were Messrs.
Walter Anderson, of Roseau; R. c
Dunn, of Princeton; ]. P. Elmer of st.
Paul; P. H. McGarry, of Walker; J.
w. Capke, of Waseca; H. A. Saggau,
of Ceylon, and Isaac F. Walker, of
Isanti county.
Provisions of Bill.
Under the provisions of the bill ten
per cent of the voters are required to
initiate a constitutional amendment.
To pass it so per cent of the voters
must vote for it.
IS to oil
that are necessary to initiate law
Laws when submitted to a referendum
are passed on majority vote.
If bill proposed by popular initial
tive passes the legislature in it's orig,
inal form it becomes law. If it is not!
passed or is amended, on another 3!
per cent petition it must be submitted
to a referendum vote at the next gem
eral election or a special election may
be called to pass upon it,
A referendum vote may be demand
ed upon any act of the legislature on
a petition of six per cent of the voters.
In the meantime it does not become
law except it be declared by the legis-i
lature which passes it to be an "emer-i
gency measure"
Emergency Measures.
Emergency measures are laws pro?
viding for tax levies and appropriate
tons for current expenditures. These
cannot be subject to referendum.
Laws necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace,
health or safety may also be declared
to be emergency measures.
Initiative and referendum powers
are granted to the people of municipal
corporations.
Two months previous to the taking
of a referendum vote the secretary of,
state is required to distribute to leach,
elector" pamphlet containing the
full text of the measures submitted,
together with the argument for and!
against it.
Initiative petitions must contain the,
names and addresses of five electors
who are to be sponsors" for the bill
proposed.
All attempts to amend the bill were
resisted by it's supporters.