The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-12-27
deficiency is supplied by the provis-
ions of Sec. 2 of Chapter 2OS.
In this connection [ would call the

attention of the K. of L. of St. Cloud
to Chap. "A Of the general laws of the
last session, p. 100; and especially to
the following provision, which was
introduced by me, in the senate, and
appended to the bill, after hard
fight. The bill was drawn, I believe,
by Mr.. Searle, of ST. Cloud, a member
OF the house in 1889, and a very
bright, shrewd young lawyer. Its os-
tensible purpose was to permit the
creation of corporaSions ''for the
construction, maintenance and ope-
ration Of any work or works of inter-
nal improvement requiring the tax
ing OF private property, or any ease
ment therein, for public use, includ-
ing railways, telegraph lines. canals,
Slack-Water, ETC., \ or any works x
for supplying the public. with ecoter
gas light, electric light. heat, or poecer."
| The hidden object of the bill was to
permit individuals, organized as cor
poratl0ns, to use the right of 'emi-
nent domain" to condemn private
property for public u>e, but for pri-
vate benefit. [ fought the bill in the
committee on the judiciary, and Of
fered an amendment which now aD-
pears as part Of the bill, on page 1870.
1t is as follows
'Provided, that the State of Min
nesOta shall at all times have full
power and authority to supervise and
regulate the business methods and
management Of any corporation, ex-
listing and operating hereunder: and
shall also have full power and author
ity at all times to fix the compensa-
tion which shall or may be charged or
received by any corporation existing
and operating hereunder. And any
corporation organized under this act
Shall be subject to any condition,
from time to time imposed by such
village or city, through it's board of
trustees or city council. And provid-
eel further, that the common council
Of any city and the board of trustees
Of any village, at the end of each and
every five years from and after the
granting of any franchise for the con-
struction of any street railway tele-
phone, WaterWOrkS, gas and electric
light, heat, or power works, or any or
all of these, shall have the right.
when authorized so to do by two
thirds vote of the electors of such
municipality as hereinafter provided,
to acquire the same by purchase, and
thereafter operate the same, upon
paying to the company, corporation,
or person owning the franchise the
full and true cost and value thereof.
to be determined by the usual pro-
ceedings for acquiring public (pri-
vate?) for public use, under the right
OF eminent domain, upon petition of
the authorities of such munich
pality."
Mr.. Searle and his associates kicked
like steers against this amendment;
but l gave them to understand that
/ should raise the roof off the senate
chamber before [ would permit any
more irresponsible corporations to be
delegated with sovereign power, and
then have them ride rough-shod over
the very people who had created
them.
Mr.. Searle and,hiS friends at length
saw the reasOnableness of this propO-
sition and conceded it, and the bill
passed as amended, And thus one of
the fundamental principles of the re-
form party was engrafted upon our
statutes. But how long will it stay
there? The people sleep and the
knaves are always awake. The next
legislature may strike this amend
ment out. 1t certainly will. if the
cities are as Indifferent to public af-
fairs as they have been recently.