The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1901-03-20


word for Representative Wilder d
Blue Earth county. who voted to
keep Redwood county in the Second
district Mr. Wilder was absent
from st. Paul Friday afternoon, but
returned Saturday morning. All
of that morning pressure was
brought to bear on him from many
sources to vote against keeping
Redwood in the Second, but Mr..
| Wilder looked at the justice of the
affair only, and when the vote was
taken on the question of confer
ence committee he voted in the neg
alive. It demonstrat very clear
| ly that Mr.. Wilder is a thoroughly
independent man and considerate in
his action. Mr.. Norman of that
county had a very strong desire to
keep Redwood in, and was on the
point of voting as Mr.. Wilder did,
when additional pressure was
brought to bear upon him and be
decided to vote with the combine.
In making his argument against
the passage OF the reapportionment
bill reported out by the committee
Mr.. J. A. Peterson read the law en-
acted by congress, under which the
reapportionment was being made.
It stated that the ''reapport;onment
should be made in as fair and equi-
table manner as possible = Mr..
Peterson then pointed out that Hen
nepin county had 228,0O0 popula-
ton according to the last census
and that the Duluth district, as
made up by committee, had only
157, 900, a difference of over 10000.
r l.
this certainly showed that the law
had not been complied with and
that the bill, if enacted, would be
beaten in the courts. He cited the
Wisconsin decision, knocking out
the legislative reapportionment in
that State, several United States de-
cisions, Webster s opinion on an
early reapportionment case, and
made up the strongest possible case
for jury-only Mr.. Peterson was
not addressing a jury, as Mr.. JAG
OLSON laughingly remarked, and
the points of law were not to be
considered. After the Hennepin
proposition was turned down the
majority OF the Hennepin members
voted against the Redwood county
amendment with the view of having
Mr. Larson vote may" on the bill,
with the hopes Of killing it.
In making the argument in favor
Of the passage Of the bill allowing
the Board Of Managers of the Still
water prison to parole prisoners,
after they had served 35 years, less
good time, Mr.. De1ning contended
that the act was only in the inter
est of humanity. He said that if it
were not for the fact that the bill,
if it became law, would first affect
the Younger boys, there would not
be a single vote against the propo-
sition in either branch of the legis-
lature. He pointed out that since
the prison was established there
were Isl offers sentenced, and
that many Of them we're accused
and convicted of as heinous crime
as were the Youngers. and yet all
but about 80 of them had been par
doned or paroled, many Of them not
having served over eight years be-
fore the pardon was granted.
The Younger brothers were vic
tins of the civil war, he said, their
home on the border having been
destroyed by bushwhackers, a sis
ter killed, a brother tortured near
| ~ to death because he refused to
divulge the hiding place Of his faith
er's money, and the father himself
killed because he was sympathizer
with the Union forces. The border
warfare, the Quantrell warfare, had
left their impression upon the boys
at the close of the war and led them
into robbery and the like, and led
them into making the Northfeld
raid.