Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-04-19
ISSUES MADE Up
AND THUS EARLY THE REFORM
FORCES ARE READY TO GO TO
THE PEOPLEl

the Camers faok-Almost Unanimou.
Voice OF tho State Press-The Grip Of
the Corporations Must Be Taken From
tho States Throat-No Compromise.
Already Is Next Years Campaign On.
Last Clasps of tho Thoroughly Discrod-
tied Legislature-The Antitrust Bill
and Other Tricks Exposed-sattsfactory
Adjustment Of tho Insane Hospital Diff
ferencos - Determinations Against
Dairy and Food and Other Depart
ments-Note and Comment of the
Reform Press Bureau.
ST.. PAUL, April II, 1892
The last few days of the legislature
have been record breaker for the max
ing up Of issues, and of estimates of
what has been done by the states repre-
sentatives, first for the general public
good, and next for the general credit of
the parties in power, respectively, the
Republican majority, house and SEN
ate, and the Reform administration
represented by Governor John Lind. 1t
had not required the closing days to
make up the general verdict that the
aforetime inscription Meme Meme Tekel
Upharsin" was the only one to fit the
case: but that all of sudden, in the
closing hours, events should at once
make up the issues for next year, a full
year in advance, was complete
surprise. To almost the last
moment eminent Republicans expected
that in some manner "this cup might
pass" and the defeat of the gross earn
ings bill be prevented for party's sake.
But it came, and under circumstances
to overshadow all other legislation
bearing in any manner on partisan sue
cess next year.
In former times when there has been
more open throttling of the legislatures
by the corporations. and when open dis
graces were practiced, such as doing
out to members and senators envelopes
containing the pittances of cash each
was to receive, and such as the deposit
of money in the beds of legislators, as
was practiced on the Duluth and Win
nipeg land grant bill, it seemed that a
storm would result the following year;
still there was then some really import
ant legislation accomplished, which in
the end overshadowed the disgraces,
and the result was that members
and senators came back again as if
nothing had happened. But then there
was Republican administration and
machine to break the popular indigna-
ton. In the following party conven-
tions the shortcomings were covered up
with loud professions, and the advocates
of true reforms, despairing at the noun
tain Of Republican majority, in the
main laid down and did nothing. Now,
with different administration, and the
machine broken, the people take heart,
and thus are ready to seize on the issues
which the record presents.
At this time, while the final score is
being made up, the gross earnings bill
is the all engrossing topic, and never in
the history of the state has there been
such unanimous condemnation of the
defeat of state measure demanded by
the people. This is shown by the state
press. In attempting to collect these
for presentation, the Bureau has simply
been swamped. Our reform press with
out exception condemn the legislature,
while a large per cent of the Republican
press does likewise.
Foremost of the latter has been the
Minneapolis Journal, in both it's editor
ial and political news columns When
the bill was first placed in the hole in
the senate, by vote of more than a ma
jority of the Republican senator's, The
Journal said editorially:
1--WE believe the bill to be fair and rea-
sonable, and that even under an increase
from 3 to per cent, the railroads would
still be favored regarding taxation as COM
we wonder what explanation the Repub-
make the people of Minnesota for the
position they have taken"
Previously, in it's political news COL
umns, the Journal has made the impor-
lance Of passage of the legislation as
emphatic as possible. When the final
effort on the bill was about to be made,
the Journal devoted a column to it ed
itorially, saying in introduction:
''The reasonableness of the measure can
not be questioned, and is not. That many
Republican members of the senate are
conscious of tina dangers which threaten
the Republican party from the defeat of
this bill is shown by the effort to enact in
place Of it a so-called antitrust bill which
is relied upon to make political capital
sufficient to counterfeit the manifest loss
of public confidence through the defeat of
the gross earnings bill"
Further, of the antitrust bill trick,
The Journal said:
I'm the Judgment of lawyers and bust
ness men, regardless of politics, the trust
measure is a political bait thrown out to
divert attention from the unaccountable-
failure on the part of the Republican SEN
ate to provide reasonable railroad tax
law, which in operation will bring into
the state treasury in the neighborhood of
$4O0, 900 a year more than is now received
from the railroad companies
And The Journal said in conclusion:
''The Journal is thoroughly in SYM
pathy with any proposition which will ef-
fectually protect the public from the raw
ages Of monopoly, but it does not propose
tn stand idlV nv and 500 such q 1noosnro