Willmar tribune., 1913-03-12
AN IMPORTANT ROVIsION.5z

AN IMPORTANT PROVISION
IN order to promote settlement ag IT
cultural lands In the vicinity OF settle
ments are to be surveyed first and these
in CONT iguous tracts, the idea being. to
keep settlements together as much as
possible. Then follows this provision,
which If adopted will commit the state
to an entirely new policy, namely. that
Of so Improving its own lands as to
make them marketable, and SO far as
Northern Minnesota development is con-
scerned it is regarded as the most im-
portant part Of the bill: $ ,s$
"If in such survey it is found that
certain tracts would be rendered more
beneficial to the public health or. more
secure from destructive fires, more de-
sirable for settlement or more readily
or advantageously sold by clearing or
draining parts thereof, or by making
ways (roads) through or along the
same, the commissioner is authorized
and empowered to make such ways
drains and c1earings as he may deem
necessary and the cost thereof shall be
included in the selling price Of such
lands."" ~ >:z S5 i ..*
This is nothing more than an enter
prising owner Of large tracts Of land
would do If he wanted to sell them. That
it would be good investment for the
state there can be little question:. The
original outlay would not only result in
giving the land added value and then
increasing the school fund, but every
additional settler who cultivates a farm
anywhere in Minnesota adds to the gem
eral prosperity. +.
The final consideration Of this bill is
set for Tuesday March 1S. .s. Hz -
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.e "
Sentiment is quite evenly divided in
the house on the subject Of capital pun
ishment. 1t is quite possible that if
there had been full mouse when the
vote was taken on the Pless bill restor-
ing capital punishment it would have
carried. With 106 members present the
| vote on it was 56 for it to SO against.
The bill left it to the jury to decide in
| case of a conviction for murder in the
| first degree whether the culprit should
| be hanged or imprisoned for life. While
| the house defeated this measure there
/ is every indication that it will pass the
| BILL already adopted in the senate, which
provides for inf1icting the death penalty
on person imprisoned for life for mur-
der who commits a grievous assault in
an attempt to escape.
| THE DRINKING CUP TABOOED..
The common drinking cup is now ta-
booed in Minnesota as in the neighbor-
ing states. Senator Marden's bill ban
ishing it was passed by a vote of 81 to
81 The measure is designed to prevent
| Of inf
pecially tuberculosis, although it is
| probably difficult to prove that contag-
ion ever spread from this cause. There
| was time when such law would prob
ably have worked hardship especially in
| the large cities, but most places where
| people resort these days are provided
with fountains where one puts ones lips
| to a bulb and the water pressure does
| the rest. Some people, however are
quite unable to see how, in the matter
| of health, this device has any advan-
| tage over the common drinking cup.
SITTING DOWN ON DUNN. 90.
Ex-Speaker Dunn has learned that
something more is necessary to secure
| the passage of a bill than to appeal to
| a prejudice that is supposed to be pre-
| valent among the people of other parts
of the state against the denizens of
| these two cities, which indeed seems
sometimes to be not altogether without
reason. Relying apparently on this Mr..
| Dunn earlier in the session introduced
bill the design of which was to turn all
| the taxes from street railroads into the
| state treasury instead eff allowing the
| bulk of these taxes as now to go into
| the treasury of the municipalities where
these street railways operate. The COM
mittee on taxes and tax laws were un-
animously against the proposition, and
| recommended that the bill be returned
| to it's author. Mr.. Dunn, dissatisfied
with this disposition of a bill which he
no doubt thought would appeal to the
prejudices of country members, was in
discreet enough to bring the matter to
| the attention of the house on motion
| that it's consideration be deferred. The
| house soon let him know where it was
at. One after another prominent men,
bers from the country got up and be-
gan pounding out of the bill what little
life there was left in it. 1t was unfair,
they said. The cities might not always
use them we'll, but they did not want
| to rob them It developed in the course
| of the debate that street railways con-
tribute to the state revenues in the same
proportion as other property. They pay
the university tax the school tax and
so on and after this will pay the one
mill road tax. ...