The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-03-29
HIGHWAY COMMITS.
Sion ELIMINATED
CHANGES IN STATE ROAD LAWS
WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE
AT ONCE
Legislature IS PATRIOTIC
STATE LAWMAKERS REFUSE TO
MODEST PRESENT PRIMARY
ELECTION LAWS

MOLESI PRESENT PRlMAR1
ELECTION LAWS
This week the house and senate will
take up as special orders nearly fifty
bills, the product of the children's well
fare commission named by Governor
Burnquist. The bills cover every phase
of child life and control, and while a
majority of them will undoubtedly be
relegated to the junk heap the COM
mission hopes that enough will get by
to make their labors worth while. The
commission has been working on the
proposed juvenile legislation for sew
eral months.
If the house concurs the further
killing of cartridges in the state will
be prohibited until 1920. The senate
has given its approval to the bill by
Senator Fred B. Vibert of Clouquet
prohibiting the further slaughter of
this particular game bird until Oct. 20,
1920. The house will have field day
for all fish and game measures short
ly and the Vibert bill will be among
those considered.
Representative o. A. Swanson of
Nicollet county, acting with Senator
Roclne Of the upper legislative body,
have succeeded in putting through
both houses law permitting the leas-
ing of known ore deposits in lake and
river beds of the state. This will al
low the state to add heavily to its
revenues and at the same time cause
the working of known valuable depos-
it's of ore. The lease rate, under the
terms of the bill, is made so cents a
ton, an increase of rs cents per ton
over the old rate.
The R. C. Dunn road act, which in
effect puts out of commission the
present state highway commission and
substitutes a one-man department, IS
now law, Governor Burnquist having
affixed his signature to the measure.
This means new job to be filled by
his excellency. The senate bill fixed
the minimum allotment of the road
fund at the present rate, but the house
refused to concur and finally succeed
ed in bringing the senate around to its
way of thinking. Under the new law
the minimum allotment will be 1 per
cent of the 1-mill tax for any county.
Bills designed to strengthen the
patriotic feeling in the state and to in
culcate in the young idea a profound
respect for and knowledge of things
American are not wanting in either
legislative body. Senator Westlake of
Minneapolis would prohibit the use of
the national anthem or any other
known patriotic music or song as
part of the meley. Senator Alley has
secured the passage in both houses
law providing for the teaching of
patriotic subjects in the schools of the
state and Senator Callahan of Mime
apolis is backing up a measure COM
polling the reading of the declaration
of independence in the schools of the
state at least once every month. There
are other bills designed to bring about
respect for the flag and to compel rec
ognition of the federal uniform
wherever worn. R. C. Dunn, too, would
make it a misdemeanor to discrimi-
nate against anyone wearing the uni
form.
Ernest Lundeen and Thomas Schall
Hennepin county congressman, sent
kilograms to every member of the SEN
ate and house deploring contemplated
changes in the state primary laws and
a return to the convention system.
Several sent return messages suggest
ing that the two congressman stick
to their jobs in Washington and let
the Minnesota legislature attend to it:
business.
Any possibility of partial return
to the old convention system went
glimmering when the house, by de-
cisive vote, relegated to the discard
the j. M. Harrison and the M. w. Cd
land bills legalizing conventions for
the purpose of nominating state Off
GERS. Both bills were a combination
of the present primary and the con-
ventlon and designed to do away with
many of the alleged evils credited to
the present system of selecting candi-
dates for office, but the house men,
bers could not be brought around to
the authors way of thinking. Similar
measures are being fathered in the
senate by Senator Rustad of Traverse
county, but they will avail little. The
bill repeating the presidential primary
law has been approved by the house.
A convention for the selection of
candidates for justices of the supreme
court is the chief feature of bill ap-
proved by the senate, but its reception
in the lower body is largely in doubt,
since the defeat of the Odland and
Harrison acts. The bill, with Sena-
tors ]. D. Sullivan and Putnam be-
hind it, got by with little opposition.
After being sent over to the house
Senator Ward of Martin county trie,
to secure its recall, but met with over
y al, lofo L. LII