The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-04-16

:" P"A oIouloi opinion on a parJlC-
ular subject, without reference
to the character of legislation proposed
or the effect of his attitude upon the
State or the interests of the people.
Other members of equally bright pros
poets at the opening of the session
have disappointed their admirers fully
as much in their completed records.
For complete moral obliquity the
present legislature is unique and is
probably without parallel in the his
tory OF the State. The majority of the
members seem to be without any sense
OF moral obligation and live in open de-
bauchery without even an attempt to
conceal from public view their private
lives. 1t is not an unusual thing to see
them leaving the prominent hotels
about midnight singly, in pairs, and
three and dozens carrying night shirt
and tooth brush and ready to make
Rome howl and paint the city red. On
several occasions there have been noto-
rious prostitutes on the floor of the house.
admitted on the cards of prominent
members-a circumstance probably
without precedent in the history of any
legislature of any State. The daily pa
pers have refrained from commenting
on these matters, although they have
been the subject Of widespread notoriety
for some weeks past, in order to avoid
public scandal and disgracing the State
throughout the country.
Tie discussion of railroad legislation
for this session was brought to a. con-
clusion yesterday by the passage of the
Hompe bill. S. F. No. $50, in the house
by practically unanimous vote. The
Alliance members accepted this bill as
the best legislation which they could
hope to secure although they did not
claim that it was satisfactory. The
bill simply supplies certain defects in
the old law which arose under a recent
decision of the supreme court, of the
United States, and authorizes railroad
corporations or any other person or
corporation to appeal from the orders
OF the grain and warehouse commission
to the courts. The old law as originally
passed made the orders Of the commits
sion binding and final without the right
OF appeal therefrom and it was this
provision which the supreme court de-
clared unconstitutional and which the
Hompe bill is designated to amend and
correct: For the last two years the
railroad commission has been unable to
enforce it's orders for the simple reason
that it had no power under the old law,
but the Hompe amendment will clothe
that body with proper authority to
make it's orders effective and put them
in force. 49,.
An interesting debate was had last
week on Mr.. Bells bill FORGETTING all
unearned railroad land grants and
prohibiting the giving of any more
grants in the future The bill involves
many of the elements prominent,in the
Duluth and Winnipeg land grant for
fixture discussion before the legisla-
ture of 1889. The road principally
affected is the proposed Duluth, ST..
Cloud, Mankato and Southern, and the
passage of the bill would have re-
claimed to the State 100000 acres of
land. Indirectly the Duluth and Win
nipeg was affected. The company no
longer claims any rights under the old
land grant but is soliciting a new
grant. For this reason the interests of
that company were naturally ar
rayed against the Bell bill.
A curious circumstance arose in con-
nection with this debate, which placed
the Alliance in a rather peculiar posi-
ton. Under the leadership of Speaker
-Champlin and Judge Furlong nearly
half of the Alliance men opposed the
bill, notwithstanding the fact that they
were pledged in their platform against
any further extension of railroad land
grants. The fight upon this bill was
one of the closest of the present session
and it only lacked about half a dozen
votes on final passage. The discussion
on the bill making a new grant to the
Duluth and Winnipeg will be held
sometime this week.
MINNIE.
No1- - ~ -