Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1899-01-05

DO With the usefulness Ct the average
legislator, and this is one OF the hardest
tasks falling to the presiding officer.
Speaker Dare and Lieutenant Governor
Smith have already been working
on these and are understood to have
made considerable progress, but they
cannot be wholly satisfied with their
work until they have been able to con-
suit with all the members of their re-
spective houses. From each member q
statement is asked, covering the COM
mittees desired and the legislative sui
jects on which he may be best informed
Then the work Of arranging the COM
,mittees beginA Thecustom has always
been to put all the lawyers in the SEN
ate on the Judiciary committee, and the
house follows the same rule as nearly as
possible. Senator z. T. Young of
swift county, as the senior lawyer in the
upper house, is generally slated for chair
man of this committee. Standardization,
again because of length of service and
on account of special fitness. is looked on
as the future head of the senate railroad
COMMITTEES. Beyond this no predictions
are being made in the senate. Among
the guesses for the house committee
places Representative Ferris may be
again chairman of the railroad commit
tee, Jacobson of appropriations, Staples
Of general legislation. Laybourne of
taxes and tax laws. Dunn Of the judi
ciary, Gutterson of grain; and ware
house, and Grondahl of some good COM
mittee. But these are all simply con-
jectural chairnanships, friends of the
various members placing them where,
they would be able to do their most Of
tective work. ..... ~:
Does Minnesota recognize and pro-
mote legislators? This is question
that is asked in various forms, and a
study Of the senate affords the best
answer. Senator j. D. Jones Of Todd
county. was an ordinary but efficient
representative four years ago, in the
last house he was speaker and will prob
ably be one of this sessions leaders in
the senate. Senator E. T. Young of
Swift county was representative 10
years ago. became senator. and is one Of
the fathers of the upper house, though
in years young man. Senator Stock
ton has the endorsement Of q reelection
and its accompanying increased inf1u-
ence. Bluff Dan Shell, after consider
able experience j.. in the house, is
Mobiles county. That reform Demo
:crat. Senator s. A.. Stockweu, was
in the house few years ago, as also was
Senator e. j. Meilicke. E. E. Smith.
the well known Minneapolitan, was pro-
NOTED at the last election and now
works as suavely as senator as he did
when only representative. And there
are others. Then there are in the lower
house the long consecutive service of
such men as j. F. jacobson, G. F. Sta
pies, Jens X. Grondahl, AN. Dare, and
others who have been sent here to repre-
sent their constituencies repeatedly, re-
election in each case being an emphatic
endorsement for past services. It is not
an. unheard OF thing for legislators to
end of the state government. 1"Bob"
Dunn has served one and is
just beginning q second term as state
auditor, but it was only ten years ago
that he fought with Judge Fleming,
who comes again to the house this year,
on the floor of the house against certain
legislation, continuing his fight up to
the last minute of the session, denounc-
ing in vigorous terms the other side and
predicting their overthrow. A few
years later the supreme court declared
him right and this particular law was
declared Unconstitutional. And Attor-
ney General w. B. Douglas was a rep
resentative from Clay county only two
years ago and q good one, too. 80"
.:tt*a. %zsz = = 1' -
t, just what may be done with the rec
ommendation to increase the tax Oh
railroads cannot be safely predicted, but
it is certain that there will be q hard
fight before any action whatever is
taken. Every measure affecting the
railroads, favorably or unfavoraly, is
sure to be storm center of greater OF
less intensity and this will be no excep-
ton. Tax laws will come in for consid-
cradle attention also from the head OF
the lakes. for some people up there were
not wholly satisfied with previous legis-
lation on mines and other property.
Strangely enough people in other parts
Of the state were dissatisfied about
the same matter, although in a
different way. One party thinks the
taxes are too high or not properly divid.