The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-02-16
NEWS AND GOSSIP FROM THE
STATE CAPITOL.
February, 10, 1905.

| ICOA 1os AoVo'
The ponderous legislative machine,
ever slow to start, is gathering mo-
mentum day by day with the result
that the past week creditable progress
was made. A few bills were passed
by both branches, though none OF
very general interest or importance.
Unless all signs fail there is going
to be something doing this week.
The anti-board-of- Control bill will be
Especial order" in the Senate, and
the Peterson anti-pass and two cent a
mile passenger rate bill will be con-
sidered by the Senate Railroad COM
mittee. The no use will struggle over
three different propositions for the
operation, care and maintenance OF
the new capitol, three bills on that
subject having been ordered printed
and all of them advanced to general
orders for consideration in committee
of the whole.
The bill drawn up by the committee
on Education which provides for di-
vesting the board of Control of all
authority over the University and
Normal schools, was special order
in the Senate last Friday, and it pro-
voked the first serious tilt of the ses-
sion. Senator Brewer made vigorous
and eloquent plea for the bill and
Senator Schaller made one OF his
usual forcible speeches in opposition.
During the course of his remarks
the latter made use of what would
consider an inspired expression, as it
states the arguments pro and con in
a most simple yet forceful manner.
He said: "The dollars are not de-
based by passing through the hands
of the Board of Control, neither would
they be sanctifed by passing through
the hands of the Board of Regents or
the Normal School board" The sole
bone of contention appears to be as to
which boards shall have financial
control over the schools, and that's
why Senator Schaller's remark is SO
pat. Before the consideration of the
measure was continued until the
middle of this week Senator Peachey,
of Owatonna, succeeded in attaching
an amendment including the state
public school of that place and the
two institutions at Faribault. The
vote on this amendment was the first
real test of strength and as it was
adopted by the narrow margin of 80
to q, it can readily be seen that a
battle royal is in store. The adop-
ton of the Peachey amendment was
virtually victory for the opponents
of the bill as several senators who
would vote for the bill in its original
form will not do so when it includes
the Owatonna and Faribault institu-
tons. The objection to including
these last named institutions is on
the grounds that they are not really
educational institutions, and yet a
law was enacted at the last session
specifically terming them as educa-
tional. It's knotty problem but the
chances look very much in favor of
the continuance of existing conditions.
Chairman j. F. Jacobson of the
Board of Control, alias "the redoubt-
able jake" "the gentleman from
Lac qui Parle," is due to sever his
connection with the board in April,
to be succeeded, as announced by the
governor, by Hon. L. A. Rosing.
Jacobson has many strong friends
and admirers among the solons,
however, who dislike very much to
have his valuable services lost to the
state. Hence the appearance of a
bill providing for an increase of the
membership of the board from three
to five. The law provides that the
board shall be nOn-partisan, so if the
membership be increased to five the
probability is that Jacobson would
UC WuiiC SOh1C oCulOCldt
would be named as the fifth member.
This would make the political COM
plexion of the board three democrats
and two republicans.
/. i. j.
''Oh, we senators are geniuses, We
are," remarked one of them to me the
other day. SIN the same breath, as
it were, we propose to relieve the Board
of Control of big part of it and
then having done that, increase the
membership to five. Yes, we're
bright and shining marks, sure as
you live. But perhaps we'll conclude
to learn things as they are, after ALL"
And ] think they will.
One would hardly think that so
many and different philanthropic
motives and considerations would be
found bestirring themselves beneath
the proverbial, suave and dignified
senatorial exterior as the facts go to
prove. Why, here's Senator Laugen
coming to the rescue of the families
and live stock of his constituents
armed with hill urant;nr q oocb