Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-01-30

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Within the present week Governor
Hanna will probably appoint two mem
bers of the board of control for the
penal and charitable institutions and
when that board is organized the
members will be of some assistance
towards fixing the various %appropria-
tions somewhere within the resources
of the state.
With only forty days LETT Of the SEES
sion there has been but little action
taken regarding the passage of bills.
So far only one bill has passed both
branches, and that was senate bill No.
81, which became a law Saturday, and
dispenses with the written journals Of
both branches. This law provides that
a copy of the printed senate and house
be certified to the secretary OF state
as the permanent Legislative records.
Five house bills have passed the lower
branch and are now before the senate
for consideration. These bills, received
by the senate Saturday, were the first
house bills to reach the upper branch,
while the senate had introduced on
Saturday 142 measures and the house
169. Previous legislative sessions
have reached approximately 700 bills
introduced in both branches, with less
than half the number becoming laws,
HIT tho procar% cacci0n hoe h1or b,
far considerably slower than other ses-
sions in action taken on bills.
j. !. !.
The first attempt to have a provi-
sion for woman suffrage enacted
failed Saturday in the senate when
Senator Bronson's senate bill No. 8
was put on final passage. The bill
received 25 ayes and % nays, with
two absent and not voting, but as the
measure was a constitutional amend
ment it required a two-thirds vote to
pass. Senator Cashel introduced a
bill in Friday, which is now with the
committee OF elections, which, should
it pass, will give women the right of
franchise. Should this bill pass this
| session the proposition will be sub
mitted to the women to be voted on,
as to whether or not it shall be en-
acted, at the next general election.
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House bill No. 40, introduced by Mr..
| Sorlie, has passed the house and is
now in the senate. This measure
does away with the publication of the
! constitutional amendments. Hereto
fore these proposed amendments were
| published in full in one newspaper in
each county, and have meant consid-
cradle revenue to the publishers. Six
years ago it cost the state nearly ST.
900 to publish the amendments, while
those published last year amounted to
| about 5000. Governor Burke, in his
| retiring message to the legislature,
recommended that the law providing
| for publication be changed.
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There is one matter that is raising
| the ire of the members and that Is
! the fact that so many printed depart
ment reports are lacking for the con-
| sideration of the legislature. There is
a sentiment among the members of
the house to call the department and
institution heads on the carpet, at
least those who have been late In
turning over their reports to the
printer. This is a matter that Gov
ernor Burke evidently overlooked be-
fore he went out of Office. These re-
ports are to be submitted to the gov
ernor and he directs whether they
shall be printed or not and gives the
reports to the state printer for publ
cation in pamphlet form. Some of the
members suggest calling the officials
before a joint assembly for the sake
of administering a rebuke, or to as
! certain the real cause of the delay.
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During the coming week a joint SEES
sion will assemble in the house, when
memorial services will be held to com
memorate the name and services of
the late chief justice of the supreme
court, David E. Morgan, who died
while in California a year ago.. A
Joint committee is row preparing the
arrangements.
i \ \
The present week will be devoted
largely to committee work in the con
sideration of the great number of bills
that are now in the hands Of the com
mittees of both branches. Governor
Hanna is expected to send many ap-
pointments to the senate and chances
are that an adjournment of about
three days will be taken to allow the
members a chance for their nervous
systems to ~recuperate.
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A flow of oratory marked the de.
bate in the house over the considera,
ton of house bill No. 81, calling for
a constitutional amendment requiring
a unanimous vote OF the five judges
of the supreme court to declare o state
law unconstitutional.