The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-08-29

In the presence VI LuCdS 1911 OCCOfuOo
endurable-nay admirable.
Now, we make no threats-we speak
cody and dispassionately-but we say
that it will be worth good many
thousand votes to the Peoples party
of Minnesota to suppress Tom Lucas and
take John L. Macdonald from the head Of
that committee.
He is not fit for the place. He is
neither generous, nor wise, nor liberal,
nor energetic, nor honest. He has
worked for a month to get up a scheme
which will divide us into two factions
and tear us to flinders, from Pembina
to the Iowa line. He is politician
clients; an anventurer without char
acter: and he has a record which, if
tied to a yellow dogs tail would
throw the animal into fatal convul-
sions. We served with him for five
years in the state Senate and he was
the veriest and most abject tool of
Plutocracy that ever trod the floors of
the Capitol. Let us give few facts
to show that we are not doing him IN
injustice:
In 1919 an attempt was made in the
Legislature, to extend the time for the
completion of the st. Paul and Pacific
railroad. | offered resolution that,
as a condition precedent to the extern
sion, 10000 acres of their land should
be set aside, to pay the actual settlers
along the lines of the road for work
performed by them in grading the
road-bed or furnishing ties. Nothing
could be fairer than that. The COM
pany was in default; it was at the
mercy of the Legislature: and it was
only right that if it sought favors at
our hands it should do justice and not
steal the results of the work of poor
men. But Macdonald voted no. See p.
800 Senate Journal, 1915.
On March 3, 1875, Senator Cogswell
of Steele county, offered to amend II F.
$50, by providing that no railroad COM
pany should charge or receive for the
transportation of any passenger or
freight, the same or greater amount
of toll or compensation than they
charged for a longer distance. This is
the "long and short haul clause" since
adopted by Congress. 1t was beaten
i to -; voted for it, Macdonald roted
against it. Senator William Meighen
offered similar proposition, differ
emily worded. Again l voted aye, and
again Macdonald voted no. Lost Is
to %.
Hn l1rnnlU inS ri me- Mt oil IN
pealing the ce .ebrated act of the Leg
islature, which had been approved by
the Supreme Court of this state and
by the Supreme Court of the United
States. in the famous ''Granger cases."
fixing rates on railroads. His vote
will be found recorded on page 81 of
the Senate Journal of 1874. l voted
no, with many others. This was the
deadliest blow ever struck at the pros
perity of the people, for at that time
there was no question of the right of
the Legislature to fix rates, as there
seems to be now under the celebrated
milk Case" Macdonald not only vot-
ed for the bill, but he was one of the
chefest and most active advocates of
it. The bill was Senate File 271. to re-
peal the rate-fXing law and create the
present abortiye system of railroad
commissioners.
In the same year, 1874, p. 81, Senate
Journal, when my resolution to inves-
tigate and stop the swindle by which
all the Leech Lake and Red Lake pine
on $4,000 acres was turned over to
com bine with headquarters at Wash
1ngton, foxy Macdonald offered a mo-
tion to refer the whole matter to the
Judiciary committee, to ascertain
whether the state had any interest in
the reservation lands, (she had the
right to the school lands, and SOC. 900
acres of swamp lands as soon as the
Indians ceased to occupy the reserva-
tions), and 'rhether the state had Ieqal
2'ight to compel the attendance of witnesses
His motion was lost, 16 to y, and then,
when he saw he could not beat the
resolution he voted for 1T: it was
passed 30 to ,, and the investigation
resulted in breaking up the contract
and saving the state about four mil
lion dollars worth of pine.
In 1876 there was big fight in the
20. Senate against II. f. 1872, bill relat-
ing to the st. Paul and Pacific Rail
road. 1t was under this bill that the
settlers in the Red River Valley, north
of Glyndon, have been obliged to pay
large prices for their lands when thew
might have had them free. l made
fierce fight against the bill and Mac
donald worked like a beaver to pass it.
His vote will be found recorded in the
Senate Journal, p. 407, 1876. The bill
passed, 20 yeas and IL nays. I voted
nay.
In the year 1915, p. SO Senate Jour
nal, after having voted to extend the
time of the payment Of taxes due bv
railroads to the state, On account of
the grasshoppers; he voted against ex.
tending the time of the poor wretches
whose crops had been eaten up by
grasshoppers. The vote stood II to %.
voted aye; Macdonald voted no.
He voted against the bill to give the
people school books at one-half the
former prices page 422 Journal, 1871
The School Book Ring spent $50, 600 to
defeat the bill: Macdonald voted
with them. But it passed, and in Is
years that bill saved the state 81. 5OO.-
900 in the price of school books: and