The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-02-26

nom iIasca county, may explain
Mr.. Foley's desire to continue him
in office. There will also be an
interesting fight over the location
of the county seat. La Prairie and
Grand Rapids being the contesting
points. ''Doc" Howes and Geo.
Garfield, the real estate fakirs, of
Brainerd, are banking on securing
the plum for Grand Rapids, but
there are Others who seem very
confident that the "skin game'
gentlemen will not be in it when it
comes to show down.
The members of the house are
getting their local bills out of the
way as rapidly as possible in pre-
paration for the storm which is
sure to begin as soon as the con-
sideration of general legislation is
reached. One of the most serious
difficulties to be settled by the
present Legislature is to determine
the future policy of the manage
ment of the Saltwater penitentiary.
The report of the house Investigate
ing committee is likely to be made
some time this week for submission
to the house. The prospect is that
the report will be of most sensa-
tional and surprising character and
it will to a large extent justify the
present movement to discharge the
present board Of managers by leg
islatlve enactment, appoint their
successors until the next general
election, the prison inspectors
thereafter to be elected by popular
vote: Such a step, of course,
would be interpreted as a direct
slap at the governor and will be
fought most bitterly by the parti-
sans OF the administration. But
even in that case nothing but the
governors veto would prevent the
bill becoming law, as it will I'M
doubtedly be agreed to by a caucus
of the Alliance and Democrats be-
fore it is pushed to any extent on
the floor Of either the house or the
senate. The report is likely to re-
fleet very seriously upon Seymour,
Sabin & Co., and the Minnesota
Thresher company, and will proba-
bly, result in the removal. of both
institutions from within the prison
walls. 1t is claimed that the re-
port will show that an inventory of
all the machinery belonging to the
State at the penitentiary produces
a value of not to exceed $1OO, 900,
while the State has actually appro-
priated 100000 for machinery
since 1885. It is utterly impossl-
bic, SO it is claimed, to determine
what property belongs to the State
and what to the outside companies,
the inference being that much Of
the machinery purchased by Sey-
mour, Sabin & Co. was in reality
purchased with State money with
the cognizance and approval of the
warden and the board of managers.
The present investigation, both in
the house and in the senate, origin
ated on the Republican side, and
in each case Republican IS chair
man of. the investigation, so the
charge can not be made that the
inquiry is the result Of partisan
prejudice.
The subject of railroad legisla-
ton is at present in a rather chao-
tic state. The difficulty is due not
to lack but to a surfeit of bills.
Both the house and senate railroad
committees are being worked to
death in the effort to pass upon the
measures already introduced. The
most noted bills introduced SO far
are the Currier bill, which rail
road man characterized as "a COM
pendulum of all the worst features
Of railroad legislation proposed
during the last six years." Mr..
Blorge's bill, drafted by Eric
Olson, proposing to establish
scale or schedule of maximum
rates on all classes of freight from
one mile up to 6S5; and Senator
Donnelly's proposed constitutional
amendment, charging the juris-
diction and control Of the State
over railroad corporations.
Another bill has been Introduced
in the house proposing a horizon
tai reduction of passenger rates to
D cents mile and 3 cents a mile
with sleeping car accommodations.
The Currier bill, although model
ed after the Iowa law, is much
more drastic and severe in many
of it's provisions. The railroad
men were given a final hearing on
this bill Tuesday night, Feb. "a.
The probability is that so many
railroad bills will be introduced as
to defeat nearly all legislation in
the direction of restrictive and