The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-12
FEIG LED A FIGHT ON 1T.
WANTED BILL PROVIDING FOR
DORMITORY AT AGRICULTURAL
SCHOOL
several Measures of I'M 50Ttance Con
sidered by the Committee of the
Whole House.


night to make up in i measure for the
time spent during the day visiting the
state prison. Speaker Jones called Mr.
Staples to the chair and the house
went into committee of the whole.
Mr.. Snyders bill to increase the tax
levy for the support of the state uni
versity from 15-10O to 23-100 of a mill
Oh. f. 40), was the first measure taken
up, and it occupied a large part of the
session. Mr.. Snyder was diffident re-
garding the conflict which seemed i'm
pending over his pet proposition, and he
would gladly have eYaded the battle.
He said if there was to be any opposi-
ton to the bill he would like to have it
go over until there could be o larger
membership present. There was 40
sign of trouble, so he made the usual
motion that the bill be recommended
to pass.
Mr.. Feig was the first to raise his
voice against the bill. He said there
was no hurry for the consideration Of
the bill, and, in fact, it was in the ma
ture Of snap judgment. Two years ago
he had introduced q bill to appropriate
$4,000 for a dOrmtory for girls at the
state agricultural school But the bill
did not get a favorable report and SO
the measure died. Again he had intro
duced the same kind Of a bill, but the
amount was reduced to $4,000 The
proposition was indorsed, in fact orig
mated with the state dairymen's aSsO-
citation and it had been referred 10 the
appropriations committee, and he had
asked that, as it was a university mat
ter, the two bills, that under considera-
ton and the dOrmitory bill be reported
at the same time. As substitute fer the
motion to recommend for passage, he
proposed that progress be reported
upon the bill, and as a sort of post
script to his speech he rose and urged
all friends of the dairy interests of the
state to stand by him.
The vote on the motion to report
progress was so nearly equal that di-
vision was called for and the motion
was lost by vote of 35 to 80.
Then began the real fight upon the
elll. Mr.. Snyder made the opening
speech. He said he disliked to have
! these two bills linked together. Each
bill should stand on it's own legs.
He wanted each bill to be treated fair
~ upon it's own merits. This bill. as
originally introduced, provided for q
tax levy OF 30-f00 Of a mill for the uni
NerSlty and 1t was reduced to 23-1O0 OF
mill. The bill had to be considered
by the committee on taxes and had
been reported for passage as stated
1t was fully debated on the floor OF
the house, and for the past two weeks
1t Eas been considered several times
in the committee Of appropriations.
The finances Of the university had
hHnn thnTnJTrr1a1 Inv
on to say, and it was certain that
there will be no surplus; in fact, thera
VIII probably be a shortage under the
appropriation which the bill proposes.
MI. Coe also added a word or two
in defense of the university, and tho
Dill to provide it with a sufficient per-
manent revenue.
Mr.. Feig returned to the attack. He
said he was one of the three members
Of the legislature who were born in
the state Of Minnesota, and as such ne
was as proud of the university as any
other citizen. The institutions of th+
state were based upon the common
schools and the apex Of the education
al system was the university R1,+
there was feeling abroad that this
university was becoming more and
more a local institution, and that the
taxpayers We're being ignored. and h.
was here to look out for their inter
ests. He insisted that he would do AZ
| much for the university as any other
! member, but he did not want to see
the farmers ignored, and he thoueht
! SZ5,OOO was little enough to ask for the
education Of the daughters of the
| farmers IN the state. If the uniyer-
sity tax bill was passed. he believed
the legislature would say that there
was no money left, and so the Girls
would De ignored. He thought the
bill would be recommended for passa 90
but he wanted to enter his protest
against what he again insists was snan
judgment.
Mr.. Snyder, IN reply to this speecb
! explained that the bill provides fer
| the support of the state school of aeri
culture, and he called attention to n
previous report showing that it COST
| more to educate a student at the a gri-
cultural school than at any other de-
| partment He said also that he was Ia
favor of the dormitory bill.
Mr.. Feig asked why the two hills
should not be condensed together.
MT. Snyder replied that the dormi
tory bill will go into the omnibus bin
/ While the measure under discussion
! was tax measure. He repeated that
/ he was in favor of co-education and
! the regents of the university were in
! favor of that idea, but that mea
4 should be considered by the legislature
1 upon its merits.
! Mr.. BasfOrd spoke in favor of the
! bill, repeating some of the points made
! by Mr.. Snyder, and he concluded his
remarks by saying that the bill was
| all right" and that Mr.. Feig was
away Off"
Mr.. Jacobson had made the principal
argument against the bill upon the
/ ground that it was a bad policy to
! change the plan of approximation from,
/ the regular appropriation bill in the
! legislature to a regular tax. He did
/ not wish to be understood as opposine
| the appropriation but the idea of in
| Creasing the regular tax for the mi
| versity which amounts to about Sl2o
/ Geo, to $4,000 a year His principal oh
| lection was one which came very near
| being one of politics, in that he said
| If the bill passed it meant an increase
| Of the tax levy of S-1O0 Of a mill. which
would prove disastrous to the Re
| publican party.
Considerable cross-f1re debate fol-
| lowed over this csSim. Mr. Snyder
| pointed out that it would only require
reduction Of S-100 Of a mill from the
regular state tax. Mr. Jacobson did
not think this was so very easy, and
| Mr.. Feig made as much as he could
! Of the objection.
Mr.. Dahl said in view of the unani-
| nous report from both committees he
did not see how there could be any
| valid objection. Mr.. Laing saidAhe
| could see no difference between voting
! the money for the university by ap-
| preparation or by a tax levy except that
| the latter was smoother and easier
manner Mr. West also spoke in favor
| Of the bill along the same line
Mr.. Feig intimated in another short