The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-06
Dakota County Capital Had an Easy Victory III
That Legislative Branch
With an Appropriation,
AS Well as the Report.
This Throws the Fight Back Into the Senate
Where It May Come Up
Next Week.

set, but the matter came souarelv he-.
fore the house.
Mr.. StockWell, Of Hennepin. moved to
20 ADOPT the minority report favoring
1Aiioha' Whereupon Mr.. Fieg moved as
q SUBSTITUTE, that the majority report
VIC aoopted faVoring Hastings. This
opened the discussion. Owing to the
lndlsposition of Mr.. Staples Of Dakota
county, Judge Littleton Of Dodge. after
explaining that he, himself, was slight
~ lndlsposed, reviewed briefly the his.
tory or the location. first at Hastings.
the subsequent meetings at St. Peter
and Rochester, and then the famous
meeting at Fergus Falls, when the ac-
lion locating at Hastings was recon-
sldered, and changed to Anoka.
The principle points in his speech
were an exposition of the decision and
memoranda of the judges of the
Ramsey county district court in which.
While technically deciding in favor Of
the Anoka location, they say that the
action OF the commission is one which
demands legislative investigation.
Judge Littleton, in plain language,
charged the commission with
CONSTITUTIONAL CORRUPTION
(which smells to heaven" and sup
ported this at some length by the dis
senting opinion of Judge Kelly. of St
Paul.
Mr. Hopper, whose changed vote
altered the commissions decision, was
also specifically charged with giving
a d1fferent reason upon four occasions
Of
something dark and underhanded. In
view of these facts, and the further
fact that the Hastings site was the
best, for many reasons, he urged the
adoption of the majority report on the
Hastings site.
Representative Schmidt, of Duluth.
was the next speaker, and discussed
the action of the commission and the
decisions Of the courts in regard to the
location and held that the action Of
i the court, and OF, -tbe commission in
dtcated that the location was properly
made. He went into the merits of the
proposition holding that. as Anoka had
as good location as Hastings in most
respects, and as the train service ani
geographical location were IN favor
of Apoka. he urged the confirmation Of
the Anoka siteo. ,.tN .,-
Representative Douglas, of Clay
county, 1faNored Hastings He had
signed the majority report, but said
that he believed that the Anoka site
was perhaps more desirable; considered
from geographical standpoint, but
that on the other hand, the plentiful
Water-poWer and the ample supply of
servicable stone to be used for founda-
ton and trimming, also the advantage
of sewage, and unusual natural scene
ry, induced him to decide in favor of
Hastings as against Anoka The action
of Mr.. Hopper he considered as indicat-
ing vacillating disposition, and i'll
his opinion, was entirely without war
rant.
When Mr.. Dare had answered the
argument about the value of the build
ing stone upon the Hastings site by
calling the attention Of the house to
the brick clay at Anoka, Mr.. Stock
well, who said that Anoka was his
native town, took up the cudgeIs in de-
Tense of his own town, he insisted thai
his feeling could be no stronger than that
of the Dakota representatives in favor
Of Hastings He was born and had
lived in Anoka and enjoyed the inti-
mate knowledge of the conditions sur
rounding the site. Among other points,
he cited the fact that the water-power
at Hastings was not now used by the
mills steam being used instead; that
the building stone was not needed, be-
cause under the cottage plan, brick
would be used; that the sewerage was
little more costly at Anoka than al
Hastings, but that there would be a
saving of coal shipped from Duluth.
of Is cents a ton.
Mr.. Stockwell alluded to the HOPPER
matter, and believed that Mr.. Hopper
had been influenced to vote for Hast
ings by his old soldier friend, Mr. Bush,
which was as open to question as any
suspicion cast by the change Of front;
besides, Mr.. StockWell said, the major.
ity report was specific in it's statement
that there was found no ground for the
charge of fraud. This warranted him
in the view that the location having
been fixed and the land paid fer, Anoka
should be decided the proper site.
Mr.. HOPER'S ACTIONS.
When the discussion was taken up in
the afternoon, Mr.. StockweI rose to a
question of personal privilege to ex-
plain that his reference of the morning
was in no wise intended as an asper-
sion upon the honor or character Of
Mr.. Bush. Mr.. Hopcrs friend. Mr..
Abbott touched on the action OF Mr..
HCpeI in changing the vote and could
not conscientiously hold lin guilty Of
any questionable act. He was not
lacking in backbone, as Mr.. Douglas
suggested, but was possessed of un-
usual nerve to take the action which he
must have known would bring down
the criticism OF every pan in the state.
Mr. Abbott believed that the members
OF the commission went TO Fergus
Falls for that meeting with the full
knowledge that he was to be their
victim. TIE speaker at some length,
went into the questions and answers
regarding the changed vote and argued
that Hopper was consistent, although
rot too wise. There were so many in
cCnsistencies attending the introduction
of the resolution at Fergus Falls that
he was il doubt as to what opinion to