The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-03-05
DRY MEASURES ]
FLOOD HOUSE; -.
TONNAGE TAX
ACTION. near
Normal Appropriation Coming
+ Along Nicely; Prospects !,
.$ Much Better @>>,',.
LEGISLATURE SPEEDING
,. TO FINISH PROGRAM
Beltrami Representative Otter.
Consulted; Closely Watches
All Legislation
Y. BY w. r. Noonan.

:. IN Wi tWr1LCen IOr F1OuoeI.j y :
st, Paul, March 4.-Columbus dis,
covered America In 1892, and judg-
ing by the way the ''wets" down here
arc hollering they will be. perfectly
willing to let him have it back after
the frst OF July. Hardly day passes
that some cold water advocate doesn't
Introduce q bill calculated to evapor-
ate some more Of the Joy out OF the
lives, ;ofS the "wet" boys and they
have blisters on their ears listening
to the scrambled arguments put torth
by the drys. The latest bill, which
would eliminate shipments into dry
counties from the tournament, has
got the ''wets'' so hot that their
emotions are liable to set fire to their
hair. If it passes, 1t will make tue
prospects for the booze business dur
ing Its remaining few months OF lite
about as bright as the inside OF a
rubber boot on a rainy day.
In the meantime the st. Paul and
Minneapolis vendors are supposed to
close at II p. M, but lot OF sniping
occurs, with: the police looking the
other way. Young girls, some OF
them not more than eighteen, with
the ideas in their foolish heads that
the world is q dance floor and that
! Betsy Ross invented the lip stick,
are giving the cabaretss q strong
ayss.making highballs and wine dis
appear after the legal hours for the
sale Of the stuff : And yet the booze
dealers are wondering why the peo-
ple OF this country rose up and smote
them where they wear their collars.
.. Land DEVELOPMENT.
Il The legislature will gossip about
Northern Minnesota and land devel-
opment this week. Three bills are up
for consideration, and while two OF
them will likely land in the rag bag,
the third, whichever It may be, Will
nass and stake the northern part Of
the state to land development
policy that will be Of distinct value.
The three bills are the Bessette bal,
: allowing counties to clear land for
settlers: the Nord bill, proposing
giant Il colonization - scheme to DE
financed by the state and the NC
Garry bill, allowing the state to
spend more money on; improvement
Of farm lands. The northern mem
,bers are all ready to get up on their
rear ankles and put up q husky fight
for all three bills, but 1t is possible
that the best features iof all three
will be taken and welded into a bill.
Some of the southern members are
figuring on showing all three under
d blizzard of amendments, but 1t Is
certain that law will emerge that
will be of real benefit to the northern
empire.
Tonnage Tax Again.
The biennial scrap on the tonnage
tax will come Wednesday, and 1t
promises to be an annex to the big
riot which recently ended in Europe
with the Bearcat of Berlin beating It
for the woods. The tonnage tax feud
Ia four decades older than thepRocky
mountains, but each session the bat
tie wages, and this year it is ferscer
than ever. There are two bills, one
by Mr.. Bendixen and the other by
Townley's "yes'' men in the legisla-
ture. Needless to say the latter will
70 to the ash heap, but there Will he
a merry free-for-all onthe Bendixen
measure, with the odds slightly In
favor of it's. being left out IN the
cold.
Another Division Bill.
1t looks as If Beltrami county's
division bill is to have a twin broth
er, and while the bill hasn't been
born yet, rumor has it that Mike
Boylan can reach into his inside
pocket any time and produce 1t. II
it is introduced they will have to run
special trains from Duluth to ac-
comodate the Zenith City citizens
who will come down to fight 1t. and
there will be a sure enough hot time.
Would Build Feeders"
Dan DuLury of Walker, who, be-
sides being pretty handy with his
right as far as it goes, but he thinks
it doesn't go far enough. so ne ups
and introduces a bill providing for
feeders to the hard-surfaced system.
They would be paid for by county
and by the land benefited, and the
measure resembles the ditch law IN
good many respects.
60. Normal Looks Good. ;.
The Bemidji Normal appropriation
is coming along nicely, and while not
knitted into a law as yet, the pros
poets look a whole lot better than
they did ten days ago.
- We saw the finish Of the Duluth
Continued on Page -Four)