The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-31

good force Of this argument; because when the
truth is out there is no question but that the
appointment of this one man from the op-
posing party, some one is selected invariably
who is not much Of a checks not intended
to be much of a check upon the other two.
We have little history in this state, be
lteve, which would serve to confirm that
statement.
1t is objected that there is danger in the
election of extremists-of cranks, under the
elective system; that men might be selected
to those Offices who would go to ex-
IRENE and perhaps radical means. be-
lieve there is no possible danger from that
source to be feared. The responsibilities Of
the office would sober the veriest crank If
placed in that position, and he would be so
hedged about by the law, in such manner,
that 1t would be perfectly impossible to be
injurious to the railroads or any one else.
The system has been tried in other states
l find that the commissioners have been
elected by the people in the states of Cali
fornia, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North and
South Dakota and Wisconsin; and, so far as
l can learn, the results in those states have
been generally satisfactory. In the state Of
Iowa, in which fierce contest was Waged
years ago between the people and the rail-
road companies, the contention made
that If the railroad laws now in force were
adopted, the railroad companies would be
ruined. l find no such results. I find that
in the regulation of railroads, the state of
Iowa undoubtedly stands at the head; and
doubt whether there is any state in the
Union In which rates are lower and in which
the regulations of the railroad companies are
more satisfactory. The railroad companies,
In spite of their protest at the outset, have
seemed to prosper.
Now it does seem to me that there can be
no force whatever in the argument that
while the people can be trusted to elect the
governor-the man who appoints these off,
cers-they cannot be trusted to elect these
oncerS. Ii we can trust them to elect the
governor, it seems to me we can trust them
to elect the railroad commissioners; and, as a
matter of fact, there are no officers in the
state who come closer to the people, whose
relations are closer; there are no officers in
whose duties the people have a greater in
terest; and it does seem to me that no rea-
sonable objection could be urged against
entrusting the people with the right to choose
these particular officers.
| move, Mr.. Chairman, that when the COM
mlttee arise, 1t recommend this bill to pass.
Senator Wyman said that the Rock
county senator was misled as to the
effect of the bill. The railroad and
warehouse commission nominees would
be named from nationalities, or locali-
ties, which had not as yet been given
places on the ticket, and he cited the
defeat Of j. D. Jones, the present speak
er for denomination to the position Of
clerk of the supreme court
Senator Culkin supported the bill. He
said that when it was not safe to trust
the people, and a political convention
could not be depended upon, then the
republic was in danger. 1t was no
chance, one time a convention had
oNerruled the request of the supreme
court. The people were higher than
that court. This was no mean Office.
The railroad of today was the kings
highway of few centuries back. They
should be under the dominion of the
people. They could make and unmake,
not alone individuals, but cities, and
large areas. They should not be deem
ed private institutions. The peoples
voice should not be feared by them.
This bill did not mean cOnfiscation, but
regulation. The present board was not
a nOn-partiSan board in the strict sense
Of that term, consisting of two Repub-
licans and a Republican-Democrat
Every family of five in the state, paid
$125 to the railroads.
Senator Stevens called attention to
the fact that the appOintive commission
had made a grade for Minnesota grain,
far and above that of the rest of the
grain gOWing world. A tree should be
known by it's fruit, and the present
commission should not be condemned
without consideration. The dear peo-
pie really had about as much to say
about the real makeup of the ticket as
the inmates of the school for the feeble
minded at Faribault. They knew about
it only when they read it in the papers,
and then they must comply with the
cuSed of being recreant to their party
Senator Yale said the bill was on
par with the bill to regulate depart
ment stores. He wanted it indefinitely
postponed.
Senator Howard said the bill was not
an experiment, although it had never
been tried here. Iowa and other neigh
boring states had found it a success.
There was no analogy between this bill
and the Jones case, which had been cit
ed. If a mistake was made under the
proposed law, it affected only one office,
but if a mistake was made under the
present plan in the election of COVER
nor 1t ran through all the appointiVe
functions of the state government. This
state had been governed for years by a
syndicate. Party lines cut no figure
with those who were appointed by the
prevailing power The state ring had
put the minority member of this
board up as a nominee of the minority
party, without requiring his resigna-
ton. 1t was a scheme to insure the con-
tinuance in power Of the ring and it's
creatures.
Senator Heneman supported the bill.
This was not fight between the rail-
roads and the people, nor was it to be
assured than an elective commission
could not keep up the grade of Mime
sofa wheat. He took exceptions to
| "
to the unreliability of political conven-
tons.
Senator Spencer said experiments
were always dangerous. He was much
interested in the maintenance of the
present high standing of Minnesota
grain grades. A change in the plan
of constituting the present commission
could be construed the world over DIS
a Reputation of its acts. He did not
! think that the federal supreme court,
an appointive body, compared unfavor-
ably with any elective body.
| Senator Keller said that it was only
| the anarchists, socialists and nihilists
who were opposed to the present plan.
Look at he states which had elective
| boards, North Dakota, poor one day
and rich the next. He met a man re-
Gently with a device for making silk
out Of tamarack, who located in Michi-
! gan instead of Minnesota, for fear that
| the Pops might get control here. Leave
| the present commission alone, it was
| doing pretty well. Stop nonsense, and
not fool away any more time on
socialist measure.
You fellows" he said addressing
| Senator Howard, raise the red flag"
| Senator Morgan wanted the bill in
| definitely postponed. 1t was not charg-
| ed that any improper appointment or
neglect of duty had occurred under the
present law. The present unrest, ad-
mitted as 1T is, was due not to the
method of naming these commissioners,
! but to defects in the law giving them
! their powers.
Senator Dunn rallied to the defense
| of the author of the bill, Thos. Torson,
! of st. James. He was not a Populist
or an anarchist, but a. good ReEubli-
| can.