The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-09
WOODCHUCK REACTS
: ON WARMEST FRIENDS
Eminent Domain Clause Dis
,.s covered to Be Doubtful
no. Blessing

What is now generally conceded TO
be a4ewoodchuck, and which was orig
inally exploited by T h G b e, took
= the time of the house yesterday when
the new code was under consideration.
There seems to be little division on the
question of new matter in the code
which extends to street railway COM
panies the right of eminent domain in
cities and villages. The split came as
to what interest was being subserved
by the new doctrine in the Minnesota
law which will give to street car COM
panies the right to condemn public
property for private purposes.
= When the matter had been debated
for half an hour, final consideration
was put over to today. Ramsey coun-
= ty members are said to be unit that
the right should be withheld from
.Estreet sFaiiway corporations, while the
Hennepin county members are true to
their best traditions and are widely
apart on the proposition.
The statute revision commission by
an omission, gave the right of eminent
domain to street railways in cities.
After hard fight in the judiciary COM
mittee, the committee refused to re-
store the law to the old provision.
- - - Washburn Objects
Yesterday, when the house consider
ed chapter 60, the chapter on corpora
-tions, Representative w. ID. Wash
burn Jr of Minneapolis declared it was
a dangerous proposition and offered an
amendment striking it out. Carl L..
Wallace, chairman of the subcommit-
tee, which had had the section in the
judiciary committee, said he had ia
Vored striking the commissions change
from the revision. Mr.. Washburn'S OPP
position was credited to a spirit of un-
49, n
City company to the measure, and this
was strengthened by statement by
w. P. Roberts, who favored the extern
sion Of the right to cities. Mr.. Roberts
spoke strongly for the commissions
amendment, declaring that it alone
gave promise of competition in Mime
apolis street caf lines.
B. S. Bennett of Polk stood for the
section as it came from the code COM
mission and opposed the Washburn
amendment. He said that without the
right OF eminent domain extended to
street car companies, rivals to the cor
porations already So firmly intrenched
and having monopolies of the streets
would never be able to enter city
and compete for business. The COM
missions provision would give new COM
panies the right to enter cities over
private property, condemned for the
James r. Hickey of Ramsey took is
sue with Mr.. Bennett and Mr. Roberts
ON some Of the legal issues involved.
The question will come up again to-
day, and Mr.. Hickey will speak in ia
Vor of expunging the new matter from
the code. 1t Is pointed out that the
proposed granting of the right of emf
nent domain could not benefit st. Paul
by giving rival company entrance, for
the compromise agreement between the
city and the street car company gives
the latter the exclusive right to the
streets for the next thirtyfour years.
II would resist any company crossing
any or the streets of the city, and with
TINS privilege abrogated no rival COM
pany would care to condemn private
land between the streets.
Designs on Ball Park
A story is going the rounds of the
legislature that the original scheme of
the Twin City company was to con-
oemn the Minneapolis baseball park as
grounds for extensive terminals near
It's shops. The code provision would
permit this, but when it was found
That the same provision might assist
rival companies in effecting an en-
trance into Minneapolis, friends of the
street railway company Immediately
buSied themselves in the effort to kill
OH the commissions kindness.
w. w. Bardwell of Hennepin led a
feriorn hope when he proposed an
amendment to the pure food chapter.
providing that where maple sugar or
syrup is mixed with other sugar it NAV