The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-18
MINNESOTA POLITICS

4
frespondent I
Without quoting members of the state dele
/ gauon.s It. may be- said that there was a
douglas and Senator Nelson regarding the
proposition to amend the Judiciary. acts so
/ as to permit the state to get into the federal
courts with its merger case. AS the case
! IS looked at here, the state authorities have
not made the most of their opportunities, and
nave blundered along in cutie a distressing
the stone. wall of the supreme court ruling.
Ihen, to hide so far as might be possible,
their defeat, these state authorities passed
the matter along to the delegation, possibly
thinking that in the end there would be di-
| VISION Of responsibility and blame But the
delegation did not look at it in that way.
+ senator Nelson s.f1etter to Mr.. Douglas said
| IN effect, if it did not do SO in terms that
the attorney general did not know what he
| was talking about when he requested certain
! legislation at the hands of congress. The,
| delegatlon has politely passed the ball back
to the srate authorities and it is their next
move.
This view does not come from an, me1n-
Der of the delegation, but believe it very,
! accurately reflects what the members would
say II they were to talk right out of their
'hearts about the matter .ts
| 1t was very natural that such a view of the
episode should be taken at Washington At
1 torney General Douglas, however had no in
tention of making political capital, and seems
livery much annoyed that anything in the
nature OF controversy should arise He alb
| solutely refuses to discuss the question and
has from the first. Though the correspond
ence as it stands has put him .'in- the hole,
he declines to say a word
Mr.. Douglas wrote reply to Senator Mel
son last Saturday, which was probably re-
ceived yesterday. He declined to give out a
copy OF the letter for publication, to dis
cuss its contents. All the correspondence has
been given out at the other end of the line.
The mistake in the attitude of the congress
men comes from their idea that the state
authorities are, trying to get relief in the
! Northern Securities. case. This is not the.
case: There are, several ways of gettrg at
| the merger without an action by Minnesota
| against the Northern Securities company
The state has several remedies, and is now
| engaged in preparing them. The resolution
| by the legislature and the letter from Mr.
| Douglas TO Senator Nelson were put on a
I broader ground. The ruling of the court
| showed that cases OF certain description
| could not be brought in any court, supreme
circuit or state. TO fill up this hiatus con-
gress was asked to amend the judiciary act.
! This is done to give relief in future omerg-
! encies not to save the states bacon in the
merger suit. - e '.s e.. q-
! In view of all this, the state authorities are
very much surprised that the delegation
| should make controversy out of what was a
simple request.
! AS to Senator Nelson's claim that such a
bill would be unconstitutional. Minnesota au-
| thorities are inclined to differ. The constitu-
| ton, they say does not contemplate barring
any class of suits from the courts 1t gives
! jurisdiction to the federal judiciary to all
! cases between a state and citizens of AN
I other state" The state courts cannot touch
such cases.. They. must be brought in the
| federal courts. The fact that citizen of the
plaintiff state may be necessary party
should not bar such an action from all courts
| Of law. An act of congress expressly cover
ing such cases would not be at variance with
the constitution. 1t would only be interpret
ing the constitution, and there are decisions
! Of the court in plenty bearing the right
! of congress to so interpret the nations or
! ganfc law. III .. -. -,
| The democratic congressional committee of
1 the new sixth district will be organized in
St. Cloud Friday, March 81. The committee
men of the old sixth district counties will be
4 reinforced by the third district committee
man from Meeker and the seventh district
man from Do lglas. s1
| It is expected that the affair will be a good
deal more than committee meeting 1t will
! be preliminary conference to go over the
! field and pick the most available man There
1 is considerable difference of opinion on this
point. Republicans generally seem to fear
Judge Theodore Bruener but the silver dem
ocrats make Wry faces at mention of his
! name. The Long Prairie Leader even suggests
1 that the republicans should nominate Judge
Bruener themselves, since he fought their
battles for three campaigns. There are sew
u eral other Stearns county men talked Of.
Dr. Dubois of Sank Center is understood to
be a Barkis W. j. Calhoun and ]. R. Ben
nett are talked about, but do not respond to
the suggestion. 1t is generally agreed that
the sixth district gives the democracy their
best show for getting a congressman from
Minnesota. From indications at this stage it
is going 10 be difficult to hold the republicans
4 solidIy in line for any one, and unless the
democrats blunder they will be in position
| of vantage But, as Editor c. S. Mitchell
says, they can usually be relied upon to- blum
der
! j. F. Jacobson is q spectacular figure, and
his picturesque sayings and doings always
stir up comment following every session.
! Now that he is "a prospective candidate for
state auditor the newspapers are more than
usually full Of Jacobson talk, and it is inter-
! esting to see the wide range these comments
4 take. Here are two samples. -4
1 Alexandria. Post News. ~
Mr. jacobson is the Tillman. of the legis-
lature. For years he has abused the mem-
bers at will He has impugned their motives,
accused them Of dishonesty and bulldozed
them without restraint. With all the strength
4 of his nature, he has come to believe that he
is the only really honest member Of that body
/ and the only one whose motives are pure
! and patriotic To these disagreeable Ito
speak mildly traits, he. adds an unbounded
egotisrn; he believes that he knows every
| thing and all besides is Ignorance If not
worse. He has thoroughly Disguised those
who would be his friends until many even
doubt his own honesty and sincerity of pur-
! pose.
Look on that picture and then on this from
/ the Buffalo Journal: $ss.f' Is
i There is no doubt of Mr.. Jacobson's honesty
and also no doubt he could have pocketed q
f, fortune at many stages of the games he has
! fought. This is generally conceded. He has
not the advantage of higher education, but
he has good hard sense and Judgment. He
| is not one bit afraid of ridicule and if he at
any time is at loss for the best way to
/ tackle woodchuck bill he tackles it any way