The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-04-16
CAPIIOL GOSSlP.
Minimize Thinks Alliance
Men and Democrats are
Not Incorruptible.
The Currier Bill Defeated
by the Lavish Use of
Doodle.
The Prices Ranged All the
Way from $500 to
$4,000.
Alliance Men Oppose a Bill
FORGETTING Railroad
Grants.
Bill Campbell's Prophesy
Hardly Varified by
the Records.
Union Special Correspondence.

..I ST. PAUL, April IA, 1891.
The twenty-seventh session of the
Minnesota legislature entered upon the
last week of it's existence yesterday and
under the provisions of the constitution
limiting the length of the session to 80
legislative days, adjournment must be
had at high noon next Monday, April
Goth. The past week has not been con-
spicious for any great achievements in
respect to important legislation but no
week perhaps has been more produc-
tive Of good material for a Republican
historian of the deeds Of the present
legislature. The Democratic Alliance
combination started out with the
avowed intention of turning the world
upside down and the public declaration
that. there was to be no more corrup-
tion, no more 'jobs," and that the pro-
ceedings of the present legislature were
to be absolutely pure and Immaculate.
The result, however, has not been en-
tirely in harmony with this declara-
tion nor does it justify the optomistic
forecasts Of Bill Campbell and the
Democratic machine. There is a vide
spread and well-established impression
in political circles that Alliance men
and Democrats are just as corrupt and
venal as any of their predecessors Of
course, all of the members of the COM
bine are not embraced within this
statement but there is just as large a
percentage Of them as of any preceding
legislature, who are only too willing to
be corrupted and have constantly got
their sign-boards out to that effect.
There is no doubt that the defeat of the
Currier railroad legislation was par
TALLY owing to the use Of money, and in
this connection it is pretty we'll estab-
lished that Clerk Totten, Representa-
tive Stivers's friend, could, were he
so disposed, give some interesting in
formation. Suffice it to say that an
employe of the present legislature is
supposed to have acted as the disburs-
ing agent of the railroad operations
1t is believed that no money was dis
bursed until after the bill had been
finally killed when the disbursing
agent was furnished with the money
contracted for between the members
and the railroad corporations. The
sums paid are said to range from $500
up to So, 500 according to the standing
and influence of the members.
The distinctive characteristic of the
Alliance and Democratic members is
their ''cheapness''. The majority of
them come very easy but they must
have their little rake-off for everything
they do no matter how insignificant it
may be. There have also been many
surprises in this respect, the men who
were the least open to suspicion at the
beginning of the session having devel-
oped into the most shameless corrup-
tionists. An instance of this kind is a
certain Minneapolis attorney, who en-
tered the house with the brightest
prospects at the beginning of the ses-
sion. TWAS expected that he would
be one Of the leaders of the house and
would stand at the head of the Henne-
pin delegation. On the contrary, how
ever, he has made a lamentable failure.
He has accomplished nothing. Every
measure of Importance, which he has
championed, has failed. It has been a
notorious fact that he has been in the
employ Of the Royal Baking Powder
Company during the recent discussion
on that subject and that he has hesita-
ted at nothing short of open solicita-
tion to secure comp nsation for having