The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-09
TOWNS AND COUNTIES FOLK
WILL ASK TO RECONSIDER THEIR
ACTION AS TO iCASS AND
BELTRAMI.
ROSEAU'S SEED GRAIN LOAN.
Its Indefinite POstpOnement VIII BE
Fought by Red River Valley
Senator Today.


the house this morning to recommit
to it's keeping H. F. 331, a substitute
for H. F. 1877, providing for the organ
izatiOn Of unorganiZed counties in this
state. This action is the sequel to the
incident which transpired in the house
in the morning when Chairman Feig,
chairman of the committee named,
made an Intellectual attempt to secure
the recommitment mentioned. Mr..
Feig is somewhat inclined to take ex-
ception to the action of the speaker in
opposing his motion from the chair,
alleging that it was uncalled for and
without precedent The point is raised
that the speaker always has a right
on the floor where he will have the
same chance with the other members,
but objection is raised to his speaking
from the chair. on the ground that he
may favorably prejudice those who
would not otherwise be on the same
side with him.
Speaker Jones himself admits that
his action was an inadvertence, and
it was not impossible that he will this
morning make the amenGe honorable.
I is questionable whether his remarks
were necessary to defeat the motion be-
fore the house. but the objection Is
made on principle, blythe parliament
tariaEs. Mr.. Feig is Wroth at the treat
ment accorded him and his committee
aside from this, and does not hesitate
to say so openly. He ayers that the
purpose of the bill is to provide for
the organization Of Cass and Beltrami
Tn Oh
substitute reported for H z. 1877 and
it is understood was accepted as a sort
OF compromise between the people Of
the two counties. Mr.. Feig gives as
a reason for his motion yesterday that
the substitute bill was drawn and re-
L0rted back for the reason that the
committee felt sure that one represen-
t2tive OF one Of the counties had
broken faith. The substitute, he says,
was not considered at sufficient length
to allow any hearing. Further than
this Mr.. Feig says:
"A bill similar 10 this was introduced
two years ago and referred to d special
committee. One OF the members car
lied it home in his pocket. l haven't
mentioned his name, but I could if 1
wished. lie opposed my motion this
L u
of organizing these counties and have
always been. There are bad features in
the bill as it stands. In the first place,
the governor IS given authority 10 make
all appointments in the new county. /
favor allowing the quasi commissioners
10 make these selections or else leave it
to the people to elect them. The boom
eTs Of some of these towns are the ones
pushing the matter. l do not even
a
in such a mad rush for organization
that they cannot wait until all interest
ed parties may be heard. The other
bad feature is that the bill legaliZes all
debts heretofore incurred. [ have in
my possession a letter which says one
man was voted $500 to be used in pay
ing expenses while here in st. Paul.
Why can they not make it $4,000 just
as well, and still have it legalized?''
Some question has arisen as to the
right Of the house to re-Tefer the county
organization bill to the committee on
towns and counties, but the general
belief is that in view Of the fact that
the committee has unanimously re-
Quested the re-reference, the house will
not hesitate to concedet this point, es-
pecially in view of the utterance of
Speaker Jones yesterday. No one has
questioned Mr.. jones honesty, but
even MS friends cOncede that his re-
marks were ungenerous.
It is claimed that there has been a
general misunderstanding about the
terms of the bill, and the conditions on
which it is based. The opponents Of
the bill claim that the people Of the
counties to be affected by it are not
familiar with it's provisions which
position is supported by the prOfusion
of bills already introduced relating to
the subject in one way or another.
They say that the bill is loaded down
with provisions for taking care Of
existing Indebtedness and other mat
tiers which demand for it the most
serious consideration. On the other
hand, the friends of the bill say that
there can be no objection to the bill
on it's merits. E. S. Tyler, a Fargo
lawyer, has a claim against Cass
county for $1,000, for legal services
rendered in connection with the
attempt Of the Grow Wing county
folk to substract seventeen valuable
townships from the wider, but weaker
county. Similar expenses have been
incurred by Beltrami county in the
legitimate prosecution of improvements
made necessary by increasing popula-
ton. and these, it is argued, should be
allowed. So far as the magnitude Of
the beIlIdul OeDl Is COICeIuGu, w. =.
Street, OF FCsStOn, who, as a property
holder in Beltrami, is interested in the
pending measures said last night that
the Beltrami commissioners had saved
that county $4,000 recently in their
dealings with Becker county, to which
the unorganized county is as yet at
tached.
The action Of the senate committee
on finance yesterday afternoon in
recommending for indefinite postpone
ment Senator A. G.. JohnsOns bill to
appropriate money for a seed grain
loan to the farmers of ROseau and
other northern counties, who had suf-
fered from drought or storms, was the
last straw that broke the back of the
Red river valley delegation, and there
is likely to be a fight for a recommit-
tai when the finance committee makes
its report this morning. The Red river
delegation has been content, practl-
cally, with urging two measures this
year, drainage and the seed grain loan.
The trimming of the drainage appro-
priatiOn in the house committee to s12,-
000 has caused a considerable loss OF
enthusiasm over the measure, and that
leaves the seed grain loan the only re-
naming hope Of the northwesterners.
At. any rate, they have about decided
that it is better to make the seed
grain loan their standard, and let the
drainage appropriation go by the board,
if need be, to carry the loan through.
They argue that inasmuch as other
sections Of the state, in occasions of
similar need, have been so accommo-
dated, there Is every precedent for the
assistance of the northern farmers,
who were so unfortunate as to lose
their seed grain stocks. Senator A. G..