The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-01-28
ELECTION LAWS
Will BE REVISED
SENATOR RUSTAD HAS A BILL
PROVIDING FOR PARTY
CONVENTIONS.
EFFICIENCY MAY BE DELAYED
CORRUPT PRACTICE ACT is A
FAILURE.-HOG CHOLERA.
LEGISLATIVE NOTES.
Especial to Sank Centre Herald.)

(Opecldl 10 Sduk Tenure 1efdlQ.)
St. Paul, Jan. 27.-The most impor-
tant piece of proposed legislation to
be introduced last week at the pres
ent session was Senator Edward Rus
tad's bill providing for party conven-
tons to be held under certain condi-
tions.
The bill in reality provides that if
the people cannot concentrate on any
one candidate and give him major
ity of the votes at the primary a
county convention may meet to select
candidate for the office sought. The
county convention delegates would,
under this bill, be elected in each pre-
cinct at the direct primaries. The
particular party convention would not
meet unless one of their candidates at
the primaries failed to obtain ma
jority of the vote.
This feature of the law automatic
ally takes the members of the legis-
lature from under the non-partisan
flag and places them under respective
party colors. In addition to picking
the county nominees the county con-
vention would be empowered under
the Rustad bill to elect delegates to
legislative, congressional or state
conventions to in turn pick a candi-
date for any of these offices provided
that no one has received majority Of
the votes at the direct primary.
A case of great interest to every
person in the state was argued before
the Supreme Court last Tuesday
(January 26) by John G. Nethway,
assistant attorney general in present.
ing the Virgens murder case to that
court.
The feature of the case that is of
most interest to the general public
is the argument made by Mr.. Meth
away for the court to pass upon
question of whether in this state the
law will continue to allow husband
to attack the character of his wife
and then use statutory perogative to
prevent her from giving her side of
the story. The law now provides that
either party spouse may object to the
testimony of the other. -.
eve do not anticipate that this
court is about to adopt a stringent
rule" said Mr.. Nethaway, "that after
husband has deliberately testified to
condition Of facts that not only
furnish him some excuse for crime,
but blackens, besmirches and impug-
mes the character of her whom he
should protect, and when called upon
to permit her to testify he may arbi-
trarily and under the shield of the
statute withhold his consent and that
when an effort is made to obtain his
consent and afford her an opportunity
to defend herself, he objects"
The case is being watched with in
terest all over the state,
Representative Frank E. Minette
of Sank Centre, went on record last
week as opposed to the state paying
contest expenses for members squab-
bling over seats.
eff the members wish to fight it
out for places in the Legislature, let
them pay for it," is in effect what his
resolution introduced in the House
said. Seven members of the House
would be effected by the resolution.
There is a quiet movement afoot
this early in the session to get rid of
the Efficiency and Economy bill pre-
pared by the "thirty.".
Plans are being kept under cover
as to details. But underground mes
sages revealed last week that sal
aried commission to study the scheme
is what is wanted by group of house
members and similar group in the
senate. 49,.
The commission would probably be
comprised of five members appointed
by the governor. Of course good sal
aries would need to be paid to attract.
competent men to the commission.
But in the end there is little doubt:
but what the money would be we'll
expended.
What is needed at the Capitol is d
body of men that would have the
means and power to go into the var
ious departments and determine just
what is needed therein in the way Of
efficiency and economy. In many de-
partments, no doubt conditions would
be found as good as in most business
places of similar size. Other depart
ments might not be run as efficiently.
Most of the talk about waste in the