The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-12-27
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
Minnesota Well Taken Care of on
Committees Senator Clapp Stirs
up Dry Bones Personal Mention.

has Jared unusually Well In committee
assignments and chairmanships in the
house and takes rank with the great
states of New York. Ohio and Penn
! sylvania. New York has six chair
manships, Pennsylvania five, Ohio five
and Minnesota FIVE and is also repre-
scented on the important committees of
ways and means, appropriations, for
eign affairs. Indian affairs, rivers and
harbors and public lands.
/ OF the fifty committees of the house
I twenty-six chairmanships have been
: given to northwestern states, which
gives them the balance of power in
shaping legislation. Heretofore the
eastern and central western states have
held nearly all of the important chair
manships and committee places and
dictated to the northwest. Bat now
things have changed The west has
learned the lesson to keen its represen-
tatives in office longer and thus gain
the influence and prestige heretofore
monopolized by the east.
This fact alone accounts for the pro-
minence Of Minnesota in chairman
ships and committee assignments.
Had the state changed her representa-
tives as she has been wont in years
, past her members would be found at
the tail END of committees with few
chairmanships and without influence
in shaping legislation. The commit
tee assignments of Minnesota by dis
tricts are as follows:
Tawney: Ways and means, insular
affairs, special committee on indus
trial arts and expositions, chairman.
McCleary Appropriations, labor,
library, chairman.
| Heatwole: Foreign affairs, select
committee on Census, select committee
on examination and distribution of
documents, printing, chairman
Fletcher: Interstate and foreign
commerce, levees and Improvement of
the Mississippi river.
Stevens Merchant marine and fish
cries, military affairs
Morris Rivers and Hsrbors, levees
and improvement of the Mississippi
river
Eddy Public lands, mines and
mining, chairman.
Mr. McCleary, it will be seen is
again chairman of the library COM
mittee aud retains has place on the
important committees of appropriation
and labor and he has been made
chairman of subcommittee on Dis
trict of Columbia appropriations.
Mr.. Eddy, who some wiseacres say
will have the fight of his life for re-
election on his hands, is made chair
man of the committee on mines and
mining, which places him in posi-
ton to be especially useful to his dis
trict as well as the state which is now
the foremost iron producing state in
the union In addition Mr. Eddy is
member of the committee on public
lands Surely Mr. Ed prominence
in the house ought to go great way
with his constituents in retaining him
in his position in spite of the opposi-
ton of politicians who are willing to
fill his place and. therefore, are clam
oring for change
Senator Clapp caused the cold chills
to crawl down the backs of the old
mossbacks in the senate last Thursday
by introducing the following resolu
tions:
whereas. The published reports of
the speeches made upon the subject
of the ratification of the so-called Hay
Pauncefote treaty, are not as fall as
they might be; and
Whereas said speeches would be
more fully reported if taken By the
official stenographsr of the senate,
therefore be it
Resolved, That, hereafter the dis
cussion of the said treaty be made in
open session of the senate.
Senator Clapp was prompted to in
troduee the resolutions by reading the
garbled reports of the proceedings of
the Hay Paunceforte treaty Ia the
newspapers, believing that it would
be better to consider the treaty in open
session and take the public into the
confidence of the senate inasmuch as
the substance of the proceedings were
usually given TO the associated press
The wife of Representative Heat
wole and her daughter, Miss Archi-
bald, have gone to Europe. where
they viii spend the winter.
Representative Tawney leaves for
st. Louis next Thursday where he will
attend the ceremony of Breaking
Ground for the Louisiana Purchase
exposition on December Goth, after
, which he will go to his home until
after the holiday recess of congress-
Judge III. ii Hoyt of Duluth was in
this city the past week in consultation
with interior department officials in
the interest of a syndicate Of the
| northwest which claims title to large
/ tract Of land also claimed by the
| Northern Pacific Railroad company.
The judge said to a reporter here:
Il have not Investigated the legal
' phase OF the great railroad fight in
which Gov. Van SAINT is engaged. /
! will say this much, however that al
| though | don't know Van SAINT person
ally and am not in politics because its
moral atmosphere is not good be-
lieve he is acting from purely honest
motives. There have been stories that
els playing to the common people by
getting after the corporations, but
! think this is untrue. To my mind,
/ where two such big concerns. repre-
+, senting 1000 or 8, 900 miles of tracks,
propose to combine their interests,
they will bear watching.
| Senator Clapp leaves for St Paul
next Thursday morning to remain un-
til after the holiday recess.
The senate committees will prob
ably be announced next Monday which
will relieve the anxiety of nearly all
of the new senators who are unproyid-
ed with committee places.
| Mr.. and Mrs NJ Il. welton of
4 Madfaon Wis have arr;vadir \ a