Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1899 — The State Legislature. [ARTICLE]

The State Legislature.

Friday the House knocked ont the bill for teaching agriculture in public schools. Mr. Knotts, from Lake and Jasper succeeded in having a anti-Roby bill killed. But his amendment to the prison labor bill, was in turn knocked out. Mr. Knotts proposed to have the conviots manufacture the books for the sohools of the state. The bill taking Benton county from this, the 31st circuit and attaching it to the 21st, was pushed ahead one notoh. There wigfa minority and a majority report from the committee. Mr. Eichhorn spoke for the minority and wanted the bill killed. He thought the situation in Benton Co. demanded a remedy, but favored impeaching the judge rather than changing the circuit. The minority report was laid on the table, however, and the majority report, in favor of the bill, was adopted. A bill was introduced • in the house yesterday to provide for the erection of a governor’s mansion. It provides that not more tban SIOO,OOO shall be expended in the purchase of a site and the erection of the building. The bill providing that the appointment of court bailiffs shall be vested in the circuit judge and not in the sheriff, was reported upon fayorably by the judiciary committee of the house. Also a bill providing for the granting of divorce in of insanity. As the law now stands a divorce cannot be secured from insane husband or wife. A bill also passed changing the time for paying the second installment of county and state taxes from the first Monday in November to the first Monday in December. The legislative committee on agriculture is going to make a favorable report on Representative Furness’ bill, which gives a bonus of one cent per pound for all the beet sugar made in the state. It is thought the measure will become a law. Senator Nussbaum is preparing a bill to regulate the prices to be charged by the telegraph com panies. It will provide that the oharge for the first ten words of a telegram shall be 15 cents, instead of 25 cents, and for each additional word one-half a cent. The tolls of newspapers are to be 10 cents for the first ten words and onesixth of a cent for the additional words.