New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-01-20

II ii fl'lT1ftg INV !,
After the appointment Of committees
Thursday afternoon the House Of Re
representatives. adjourned until /, Monday
at eight o'clock in the evening. The
real work will no doubt begin in full
blast Tuesday morning. {, \
Railroad Liability Bill.
The purpose Of the railroad employ
ers' liability bill introduced in the house
Monday evening by Representatives
Tom J. McGrath Of ST. Paul is to pre-
vent the railroads from finding a twi-
light zone in which they can find refuge
gainst personal injury suits through
the old common law defenses.s
The railroads are now: deprived of
these defenses by the Federal compensa-
ton law, and therefore railroad employees
were not covered by the workingmen's
compensation law Of 1918. However,
the Supreme Court Of the United States
has held that where railroad man, when
hurt is working on intrastate business
for instance, on cars running between
two points in the same state the FEEDER
al law does not apply. The McGrath
bill is intended to cover this loophole.
Statewide Prohibition.
Statewide prohibition by statutory
enactment without constitutional amend
ment, and therefore without vote of
the people, is proposed in a bill offered
by Senator E. E. Lobeck of Alexandria,
Prohibitionist candidate for governor
in 1912. Because recent prohibition
measures in this state have proposed con-
stitutional amendments, it has been as
sumed that prohibition was impossible
without it. Senator Lobeck AYERS not,
however, and declares that prohibition
by statute is entirely legal.
The bill absolutely prohibits the manu-
facture, sale, gift or transportation of
alcoholic drinks for beverage purposes,
and rigidly regulates their. sale for medi-
cinal purposes. It also prohibits the
leasing or use of buildings for saloon
purposes.
House Rules Adopted.
The house agreed to it's rules without
fight, the representatives Of the Gordon
and Flowers factions having met and
agreed upon every detail. One amend
ment requires a majority of the whole
house instead Of a majority of those
present to suspend proceedings under
a call of the house; another restores the
privilege of excepting defeated bill
from the report of the committee of
the whole and getting recorded vote
upon it; third provides for record
vote in committee meetings on demand
of any committee member.
Representative Spooner Of Morris
introduced in the house resolution
providing for a special committee OF
fifteen to handle the report Of the eff
cheney and economy committee, no
standing committee having been pro-
vided for, by agreement. The special
committee will have power to compel tes-
timony. Mr.. Spooner said he had
hoped to have joint committee repre-
senting both houses, but the senate
having acted without reference to that
plan he would drop his resolution intro
duced last week calling for joint COM
mittee.
Taxation of Mortgages.
Representative Boyd of Crookston
introduced bill repeating the entire
mortgage registry tax system, and putting
the taxation of mortgages back on the
old ad valorem system of taxation.
Representative G. w. Burrows of
Breckenridge offered a bill providing
for state insurance of county and NUM-
cipal property against fire. The state
now insures it's own property, and this
measure would extend that privilege
to counties and municipalities. Re
representatives. Wilson and Swanson in
PRODUCED similar bill.
Representative Syverson of Ironton
introduced bill providing that primary
elections and presidential preference
primaries shall be held on Monday in
stead of Tuesday to give travelling men