Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1914-1915, 1915-01-14


What! No REHABILITATION evi
dence of the new frame of mind of the
legislature is in the determined resist.
ance to the usual ten days Of recess,
which the members have always voted
to themselves after the e%xhaustine
labors of organizing have ended. It
was expected that this recess would
be taken on Jan. S, to end not earlier
than Jan. ~, and possibly tho 18th.
But the recess is not yet taken. In.
deed on the 9Th the senate was so
busy introducing bills and giving them
their second reading and reference,
that the ceremony of inaugurating the
new state officers and administering
them their oaths Of Office was delay.
ed several hours. The proposition OF
introducing bills and giving them
second reading on the second day OF
the session is rather an innovation
to put 1t mildly. Also keeping the
governor and other state officers wait,
ing until that was done is something
novel. But it has been impressed that
q change in tactics is due. The ten
days lost at the beginning of the sixty.
day session is sorely missed when the
final roundup and rush comes. No
complaint can be made against this
session for idleness and needless de.
lay, so far, and II 1t keeps its present
new-broom propensities it will have
it, work SO we'll In hand that the last
night 0an end aa II shOn1d.
+ + +
Fire Daneer-A good many mem
bers of the house have taken serious.
~ the report of the fire marshal on
the deplorable condition of the CAPT.
toll building, as regards the danger Of
fire. Some Of them have looked out
tho windows Of the house chamber
and calculated just what a jump to
the Ice and snow beneath would do to
them. There Is not a fire escape ear
them, and the wooden stairways in
the center Of the building do not seem
to afford any guarantee of safe con.
duct that way, In case of fire. The
roof over them, which wal supposed
to be copper, is merely a sort of com.
bination of rubber and tar paper. It
is aged and the hail stones of summer
have perforated it till it looks like a
photo Of Rheims cathedral. The
snow melts and runs in at the, corners
80 the ventilation has imroved over
other seasons. The result of it all
Is that there will be some fixing done
before the house members are will.
ing to risk their lives. But this did
not help the attendance ut the in.
augural ball and a large number Of
those who are aware of the condi.
lions stayed away. gu
i 4. i.
Reducing Interest Rate-Of the bills
introduced in the senate on the second
day Eve propose to amend and re
enact that section Of the code estab.
fishing the legal rate Of interest, SO
as to lower the rate, in most in.
stances, from IL to 10 per cent. This
is q part Of the platform Of the Re.
publican party. 1t was advocated in
the June campaign by U. L. Burdick,
1nsurgent candidate for the Republic.
an nomination, but vas not apparent
~ received with glad acclaim by Gov.
ernor Hanna at that time. Mr.. Hanna
Is himself a banker and insists that
a reduction of the interest rate simply
prevents money from being loaned.
Whatever the argument was that met
this the result was that the state plat
form Of the party called for the low.
ering Of the interest rate-and we
have the delivery of the goods, thus
promptly.
Selling the Street car-The state
rum q street car from the business
part Of Bismarck to the capitol. It
never has paid expenses. 1t was paid
for with money taken from the capitol
maintenance fund, which came from
the leasing of $4,000 acres of land set
apart by the federal government at
statehood. This use Of the money
was contrary to the terms of the en-
abling act. Some day we shall have
to put It back" In the meantime q
movement is on foot to benevolently
assimilate the car line-to take it
OF the states hands-by local CAPT.
talists. The streets have all been
graded at the expense of the luckless
lot owners, and it is hoped at this
session to complete the coup, with
benefit both to the state and the CAPT.
talists. There are some carpers who
are inclined to see a Senegambian un-
der the seats, and a raid upon the