The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1901-03-20
WORK OF THE LAWMAKERS.
The Making of Laws as Viewed
at Short Range.

mere Is no denying the IacJ GnaJ
Senator Somerville showed the es-
TEEN in which he is held by his
fellow members of the senate, when
the house bill reapportioning the
State into nine congressional dis
tricts came up as a substitute for
the senate bill, on the special order.
It was after u O'Clock of the day
that the special order on reappor-
tionmant was set in the house, be-
fore the result in that body became
known, and the Indication prior to
| the final action in the house on that
| day, was that the bill would pass.
The special order was set in the
senate for two O clock Then there
was time necessary for luncheon,
and very few of the senators made
their appearance on the floor 10
minutes before the senate was called
to order. As fast as they appeared,
Senator Somerville, with the aid Of
a number OF the First and Second
district friends, commenced secur-
ing pledges from colleagues to stand
by the amendment to place Redwood
in the Second, When it was under
stood that there was committee
combine, involving appropriations,
ETC., in the reapportionment bill,
the hard work of the amendment
proposition is apparent. Rut Mr..
Somerville waited until after Hen
nepin county made its effort to
break into the combine, and when it
was voted down,>he quietly passed
up his amendment, called attention
to the justice of the proposition,
and then moved that it be adopted
A viva voce vote was called for and
it is conceded that there were not
over 10 OF the 63 senators present,
who voted against the amendment.
Later, or on the day following,
when the report was made that the
house refuse to concur in the Sen
ate amendment, Senator SomerviIle,
Senator Lord, Senator Shell and
Senator Thompson made a quiet
hustle among the other senators to
ascertain whether they would Still
stand by the senate amendment,
and they were met with the warm
est expressions of support. The
| fact that the house turned down the
amendment so summarily and that
Speaker Bowling had used his po-
sition to bring about a non-concur-
renee ia the senate amendment. as
sisted Senator Somerville in his
campaign. OF course, it was fortu-
nate that Lieut.. Gov. Smith was
away on the day in question, for the
reason that it is generally under
stood that he would have worked
with Speaker Bowling in appoint
ing the conference committee on the
part of the Senate. AS it was, Sen
ator Stockton of Rice county was
presiding, and before the chief
clerk reported the on-concurrence
and a request for a conference com
mittee to the senate Mr.. Stockton
expressed himself as willing to APP
point senators satisfactory to Mr..
Somerville. Accordingly, when the
report Of non-concurrence was made
| to the senate. Senator Lord arose
and moved that the senate accede to
the request of the house for con-
ference committee, and the motion
was adopted with but few dissent
| ing votes, the dissenters being anx-
ious to have the matter put off until
| Lieut.. Gov. Smith returned from
| Montevideo. When it became noised
about the house that Senator Stock
ton had appointed Senators Lord,
McGill and Shell as members of the
conference committee on part of the
senate it was admitted that Mr..
Somerville and his friends had run
the house against 'snag a
time anyway, and the Somerville
adherents were Gnaturallv iubilant
over the little climax of the affair.
AS the personality Iofsthe commit
tee appointed by Mr.. Bowling, on
part of the house, became known,
! the senator's became frmer in the
proposition to stand by the amend
ment. They contended that Mr..
bowling, in not appointing one Of
fthe three from the minority. was
/ uio1a fin ~ a o,,cfo,,, lone c;noo 80