Willmar tribune., 1900-10-31
% understand. how any representative

by the overwhelming majority of SO tc
5; but the railroads exerted their in.
tluences in the Senate, where the Re-
publicans had an overwhelming ma.
jority and controlled A votes out o1
63. The Republicans in the Senate
had the power to carry this measure
by a majority of Is votes, even il
every Democrat and Populist vote had
been cast against it. But the Demo.
Gratis and Populists with few excep-
tions were TO" the BILL, while the "a
Republicans with few exceptions were
against it. OF the "a senators that op.
posed the bill, 20 were Republicans
Nothing could demonstrate more
strikingly the influence of the railway
corporations over the leaders of the
Republican party. And if any man
should still hope for justice and hon
esty in this matter from a Republican
administration he certainly deserves
the sympathy Of every intelligent citi-
zen.
This action of the Republican Sen
ate was condemned in the strongest
terms by the press throughout the
state, by the Republican press as en-
phatically as any of them, as the fol-
lowing extracts from Republican
papers will show.
Minneapolis journal" (Rep):: "It
is emphatically true, and as true to-
day as it was yesterday that the prop
osition to increase the railroad gross
earnings tax is not dead, although by
its temporary defeat the state may
have been deprived of 100000 to
$1,O00,000 in revenue. That this ques-
ton will be the leading issue, if not
the principal one in the next cam
paign, is the Judgment not alone OF
the Journal, but other Republican
papers outside of st. Paul or Mime
apolis. The issue is transferred now
from the Senate to the campaign plat
form and stump"
Rock County Herald (Rep.): "Fo1
the defeat of the measure, the Repub-
lican legislature will have to take all
the responsibility
Chippewa County Herald (Rep.):
THAT the Senate committed a most
serious political blunder goes without
question. How are they going to ex-
plain to their constituents why the
railroads should not pay their just
proportion Of taxes"
The seat of the railroads power and
influence in the Senate was in the
judiciary and railroad committees
These committees were a tower OF
strength to the railroad lobby. It WIS
the antagonistic report of the Senate
Judiciary committee that was mainly
instrumental in defeating the gross
earnings bill. This committee merely
carried out the edict of the railroad
corporation in the state
Who created the Senate judiciary
and railroad committees that killed
the railway gross earnings bill? They
were appointed by the Republican
presiding officer, Lieutenant Governor
Smith.
Now if the Republican party really
intended to do justice to the people
of the state and overthrow the power
of the railroads., and see to it tha,
equal justice is shown to all and spe-
cial favors to none, they certainly
would have repudiated those who were
instrumental in defeating the gross
earnings bill. But what have they
done? Was Lieut.. Gov. Smith repu.
dated for appointing committees to dc
the bidding of the railroad company:
No indeed. He was renominated by
the late Republican state convention
as the candidate for 1900,
The leader of the Senate's opposi.
tion to the bill was Senator Young
a notorious lackey of the railroad in.
terests of the state. Did the Repub.
lican party repudiate him? No, in
deed! The Republican state conven.
ton elected him as it's permanent
chairman, and gave him power to
select the Republican State Central
Committee for the purpose of perpet-
uating the influence and interest of the
corporations and there was not a
single line in the platform of the
state Republican convention to repudi
ate the action Of the Republican Sen
ate In pandering to the interest of the
railroads, or even extending hope ol
relief for the future.
This same convention nominated for
Governor, S. R. Van SAINT, who, when
the now famous Anderson bill to tax
railroad lands was before the House
of which he was member, found it
convenient to be absent when the
time came to vote, although present
and voting on the bills just before and
after the railroad land tax bill.
This same gentleman during his
term in the legislature, always found
it convenient to be absent when the
vote came up on any measure in
which the railroad lobby was inter-
ested. In all his record there is not a
single speech, motionor vote, in opposi-
tion to the railway interest In fact
in all his numerous speeches in this
campaign, he has not said one word
in reputation of the action taken by
the late Republican legislature on the
gross earnings tax bill. He has not
taken any stand whatever on any OF
the state issues up before the people
He has put in his time shouting "Hur-
rah for Mckinley and Don't haul
down the flag" The official duties OF
a Governor are but Indirectly con-
cerned with the flag in the Philippine:
or with the occupant of the White
House. But it is Ct vital importance
for the people of the state to secure q
Governor that will help to mete out
honest and equal laws for all land
bring to terms all those that would
seek to evade them. :-s.s =.
Moreover, this same Republican
state convention nominated for a four.
years term, for railroad and ware.
house commissioner that we'll known
-hireling of the railroad interests, con.
cerning whom even the i Minneapolis
!" Journal (Rep.) was compelled te
say: "The nomination of Mr.. Mills
the Journal cannot regard as Other
than political mistake. q.