The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-01-07
Speed, Will Be
LEGISL ATURE'S
AIM; NO DELAY
CONIEN|P ted
w /. Nolan Is Choice for
Speaker Of House; Agreed
Upon Appointment
STATE HIGHWAY BIG
LEGISLATIVE PROBLEM
Primary Law Will Also Come
In for Attention; Message
On Wednesday

st. Paul, Jan.S7 A new record iof
speed in organizing and getting down
to work is expected Of the legislature,
which opens Its frst session today.
Leaders OF both the senate ana
house plan to announce their COM
mittee appointments Thursday, al
though in former years its has usn-
ally required the first ten days or
two weeks of the session to accom-
plish that much.
Every effort will be made to finish
the work Of the session with the least
nossible delay. Senators have already
met with Lieutenant Governor Thos.
Frankson and arranged plans TO ex-
pedite the business Of the session and
eliminate political Wrangling.
Nolan Forms Committees.
The selection Of w. 1 Nolan TWO
months ago as speaker OF the mouse
has enabled him to form his commit
4 tees and finish nearly all preliminary
work before the first, session.
Hopes for an early adjournment ol
the legislature this year as result
Of the completion Of preliminary bus
iness before opening are expressed
's OF ii the measures to Is come before
this session, the Babcock good roads
plan is considered by many members
to be the most important.
Practically all members are IN
favor OF the project, and the chle1
question to be decided is the manner
OF raising the necessary money
Commissioner Babcock has pro-
.nosed bond issue. This Is an
proved by many of the legislators,
but numerous other plans probably
will be presented. * ,
Tax Changes Planned.
Several, proposals to change exist
Y ing tax laws will be considered
There will be proposals to levy q tax
to supply state aid for public schools
and to create a fund to provide fire
protection for settlers in timber
lands. ~. .74-s
Reduction of taxes on farm build
ings and improvements as an encour-
agement to settlers to cultivate idle
land will be discussed. It will also
be proposed to increase the tax on
gross earnings of telephone COM
panies.
determined fight to amend the
state primary law is forecast. At
tempt will be made to change the
statutes so that upstart polical
organizations cannot nominate can
didates ON the ticket of an estab-
lished party, as the Nonpartlsan
league attempted to do this year.
There is talk of return to the
convention system, in combination
with lne primary, the convention
delegates to be elected at wide open
primaries There also may be an at
tempt to return to the partisan elec-
tion of Legislators.
Tonnage Bill to Come Back.
The old familiar bill for tonnage
tax on iron ore is expected to appear
again, and it will be favored by the
Nonpartisan league members, ii no
others.
The league members are said to
have been told by their constituents
that they were expected to get some
legislation for the farmers rather
than to make political capital for the
and they are inclined to obey instruc-
tions are far as possible. f..
To this end they will act as inde.
pendents rather than as league mem
bers, unless sufficient pressure is
brought to bear from headquarters to
induce them to maintain an organ1-
cation in the house and senate.
They see nothing to be gained by
maintaining seperate organization,
it is said, because they number less
than one-fourth of the entire mem
bership.
The two houses will meet at noon
today to organize, and appoint a
joint committee to wait upon the
governor and inform him that they
are ready to receive his message.
The governor will be inaugurated
and deliver his message at noon on
Wednesday, according to the present
plan.
w. I. Nolan of Minneapolis will be
elected speaker.
mar, FYn1SyHYrs rr0aFr