The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-09
SLNAIE Up AGAINST /
DIVER, BUT DOESN'T KNOW
HOW
DEMOCRATS ENJOY THE SCRAP
Committee Is Appointed to Make an
investigation, and the Matter
Will Be Taken Up Next
Week.

| Yesterdays session in the state sena e
| was eniivcned by a spirited debate. The
subject was the present all absorbing one
! in legislative circles, clerk ]. S. Vandiver,
| who is still clerk of the senate reappor-
| tionment committee
! Senator Miller called up the resolution
| introduced by him on Wednesday, and
| Senator Buchanan Immediately int -oduc d
| i substitute, providing for the appoint
| ment of a committee of five to ascertain
| the number of senate employees necessary
| The substitute resolution carried after a
! particularly lively debate, by vote Of "a
| to %.
| Supporting his resolution and opposing
the substitute, the senator from Rock
stated that he thought it his plain duty
to make frank statement of the reas 1ns
| and motives behind his resolution He
| SAID he had no grievance and no personal
| ends to serve. He considered it the in
| portant duty of the senate to pass his
| resolution. The senate had made a mis-
take in the first place, in adding Mr.
Vand1ver to the already too long list Of
| senate employees. He was not needed
and his presence Under the circumstance s
was an imposition under which the sem
ate should rest no longer
| mere is some reason" continued the
| senator for the charge that the resolu-
ton is subterfuge. but not much" He
| ADMITTED that 1t did not state all OF his
| reasons but said that enough had been
| adanced to warrant action. He was of
the opinion that the character of Mr.
| Fand1ver, as indicated by his reputation
| Is reProach to the senate, and said III at
| the real business of Mr. Vandiver is net
| to serve the senate, but to act as agent
| Tor corporations outside this BODY who
are interested in legislation which may
| come before it. While this may be legiti-
| mate business, the senator thought If
TURNS ned no Justification for paying him
| IRON the state treasury S. per day to
give MN an opportunity to do that work.
lie concluded by remarking that when
the senate admits a man to it's files and
| privileges, he should be a man of eood
tnquestioned character. There was no
employment for the man-he could not
| De set at work, and the state is asked
| 10 grant to him a gratuity The senate
| could hot afford to retain h m.
SHEEHAN CHIDEs GENTLY
Senator Sheehan chided the anti-van-
DIVER men and said that the clerk in oue-.
| uon had been assigned to the reannor.
tionment at the lequest-of the men now
| opposing him. He favored the passage OF
| the substitute amendment Answer.np
the charge that Mr.. Vandiver has acc S;
! 10 the files and has a typewriter at the
senate for his personal dictation. Mr..
Hheehan said that Mr.. Vandiver was q
newspaper man, has proper access to the
! hIes and used the information he gath-
cred for his paper.
Senator Halvorson stated that he had
not known VandiVer, except by an I'M
s&Nory reputation, until last week With
some passion the senator said: eft has
! peen 1nsinuated throughout this sta tie
ana through the press of the state that
thls senate dare not antagonize this man
| 1t is absolutely shameful that tha sem
ate should gain at the hand of Vandi-
Ger reputation it does not deserve.
Inc senate should act, and at once The
substitute resolution is only a subter-
fuge."
senator Collier favored the. passage of
the substitute. Schaller moved to amend
the substitute resolution to require the
committee to report on Wednesday at IL
| o CLOCK. Senator Jones moved that the
investigation include the 'incompet ent
and unworthy employees. Senator Bar
ker OBJECTED to the amendment, and Sena-
tor Schaller mildly inquired If the sena-
| Tor from Isanti was aware that the
clause suggested by Senator Jones ap-
| pied exclusively to clerks The laugh
| ter occasioned by this sally had a ten
dency to restore the good humor 50 con-
sp1cuous by it's absence in the more tor
rid atmosphere of the discussion The
Jones amendment was lost and Senator
Schaller's motion carried
LORD GOES ON RECORD.
Senator Lord wanted to go squarely on
| record, as a Republican, against the re-
tention of Mr.. Vandiver, and paid his
respects to that gentleman with exag-
| gerated fearlessness. 81 am in favor OF
the Miller resolution" he concluded.
"Vandiver is unworthy of the confidence
! of this body, and should be discharged at
| once"
Senator McGovern said that there
| should never have been need of anv
of the resolutions-the senate has no
| right to employ men to loaf around as
| 1t has done. He did not favor the sub
stitute. Senator Wilson warmly sup
+ ported the oiginal Miller resolution, as
| did Senator Snyder
Senator Miller was determined to die
| hard, and after the passage of the
| Buchanan substitute he introduced an
other resolution providing that Mr.. Van
diver be excluded from the consideration
of the committee on the ground that he
had no employment,
Senator Baldwin voted against the Mil
Ter resolution, and said in explanation of
his vote:
Since the first resolution to dispense
with the services of this clerk was in
|
omy, have been opposed to the me hods
employed because the real reason for the
| Introduction of the resolution was not
given. We have all known why it is
| proposed to rid the senate of this en-
ploye. This mornings discussion has
switched around to the position where,
If we want to get rid of him. he is en-
| titled to hearing. His character has
been attacked. . He should be given the
right to speak in his own defense. The
| substitute resolution presents the matter
| in the proper way. Mr. Vandiver was
made an employee of this senate-we all
knew him, and knew what we were
about. l am opposed to the passage of
any more resolutions until the committee
to be named, shall report"
The resolution was lost by a vote of
| IS to 80.
DEMOCRATS ENJOY THE SCRAP.
1t was rumored yesterday that he m l.
nority would hold a meeting and discuss
the Vandiver matter. The f1ounderings
of the bewildered majority have filed
hearts Democratic with a spirit akin to
| mrth, and the most intensely interesting
proposition being considered by the folks
interested in reapportionment seems to
| be the consideration of the cases of the
committees CLERK.
| Lieut. Gov. Smith named the commit
| tee as follows: Senators Buchanan Grin
deland, Miller Sivright and Snyder Gov.
NIcGill had been named, but asked to be
excused from serving. The committee is
not considered pro-Vandiver one.
! The committee held a star chamber
session in the afternoon for which the
reporters have Senator Grindeland to
thank Senators Miller and buchanan had
expressed themselves as willing to ad-
nit reporters, and Senator Snyder was
also not .averse to publicity. Mr. Van
diver was heard by the committee hut