St. Paul daily globe., 1895-04-18
SWUNG The LASH.
jacobson Again Scourges His
Associates Into Submis-
sion.
He TURNED THE TABLES
And Whipped the Minority
Into Passing What They
Wanted Not.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
Abolished by MIR. Warmers
Bill if 1t Means What IL
Says.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS

Lila IL AZ " NANS
Says.
Tn MANY respects the bitterest, and
from one point Of view the best,
fight made in the house during the
nresent session was that over the
Miller express bill when it came up
on a special order yesterday, and
while there were seventy-fve votes
for the final passage of the Dill, as
disclosed by the roll cali, there were
but fifty-one, or seven less than
enough to pass the bill, until Repre-
sentative Jacobson had exhausted
every resource of invective, In
timidation, inmuendo and threat.
In handling the bill members were
fin a most peculiar and embarrassing
position. 1t was admitted on all
hands that the bill, of itself, was a
meritorious one, as it provided
means for regulating the charges for
express transportation, but there
was an African in the Wood-pile in
the shape Of a unanimous report of
a house committee, unanimously
adopted by the house itself, declar-
ing that a most thorough and search
ing investigation Of the rates
showed the present rates to be
equitable and just, and it was self
evident proposition that to place the
express companies in the control of
the railroad commission with this
official Endorsement of their rates
means that by no probable means
could a grievance ever be success
fully prosecuted before the commits
sion unless the companies raised the
Tate. 1t is we'll known that, not
withstanding the Searching" char
acter of the investigation, the pres
ent rates are in many cases eX-
orbitant, and it is equally well
known that they will never be low
cred by the railroad commission so
long as the legislative records dis
close that the legislature itself ap-
proves of the present rates, and up
on this issue the fight was made.
The railroad commission, to which
the bill had been referred, submitted
an amendment which practically
eviscerated the bill, bbsing it's recon-
mendation, as a member stated, up
on the report of the special COM
mittee that the rates were reason
able, and upon this proposition the
friends of the bill could only muster
"a feeble fifty-one votes
THE DRITM PEATEp
1T was then that Drum Beater ia
cobson fired up the engines of his
wrath and descended upon the
trembling opponents of the bill like
a very Bosom of destruction. Begin
ming with calm deliberation, he hesi-
tated not to say that the express
companies had dictated the amend
ment submitted by the railroad COM
mittee, and declared THAT to send
this bill back to the senate was to
drive the eve lamb into the cave of
the wolf. He refused to consider the
significance of the special commit
tees report, and placed the bill,
along with the Anderson bill, as one
of the things the people had de
manded.H They had demanded this,
and, right or wrong, they should
(have it. Ignoring the rule that mem
bers are allowed only two speeches
and five minutes, he spoke seven
times, and in all nearly an hour. He
replied to every argument against
the bill with an insinuation of cor
ruption, and upon the backs of his
party associates and subordinates
he laid the LASH of his scorn and con-
tumely most pitilessly. They
WINGED and fiinched and squirmed
and groveled at his feet, but ulti-
ulately they shriveled up like angle
worms on hot shovel and did his
bidding like school children caught
IN truancy. From a beggarly 81
votes on the amendment he forced
the number up to rs on the final
passage of the bill, and they did it,
not because they wanted to, not be-
cause they believe the bill was wise
or eXpedient, but simply because
they could not resist the fury of
Jacobson's wrath, because they dare
not court his opposition in the things
Ito come.
SO far as the result of yesterdays
hight is significant of the virility of
the body, the others might as well
go home and leave jacobson to saw
what shall and what shall not be-
come law.
A LUCID INTERVAL.
Mr.. Johns came out from under
the cloud Of dust and cinders which
the drum beater had raised as cool
and calm and sarcastic as ever.
Running his fingers through his
eawny name, he spoke in a tone of
nndlHerence and unconcern which
was IN strong contrast to the i'm
passloned screeching of the gentle
man from Lac Qui Parle. He called
attention to the fact that this house
had unanimously adopted the .report
OF a committee which had declared
that the rates charged by the ex-
press companies were reasonable
and equitable. If they were so, this
DILL was unnecessary; if they were
not, this bill would only serve to
hamper any efforts looking toward
the reduction Of such rates.
AT this point Mr.. Jacobson yelled
across the hall that the rates were
exorbitant and everybody knew it,
and when asked why he had moi
communicated this fact to the Foss
investigating committee, he replied
that he did not consider it "neces-
sary."
Mr. Johns undertook to show the diff
hculty of preparing a schedule for
every express Office in the state show
T,UXUPTANT uATp