The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-18

would honor the poSlIlOn. 1ne Plouioiii %
or the party, however, is not 80 much !,
O get a man who will make good gov. =
rnor, as to name man who can hold -
he party vote and offset the prestige e
md popularity Of the present incum-
)ent. n
THE HOUSE. y
Record Of the Lower Branch for the s
Session Averages Well. :
of the Minnesota house for 1905 were I
about as conscientious body OF men {
as the state has seen recently in legls-
lative halls. With few exceptions they
steered their course with the interests i
of their constituents first In mind:
Their mistakes were usually mistakes OF
Judgment, or due to insufficient grasp
that many of the members were inclined
to be narrow and see only one side OF
question, or one small phase,
The average house is inclined to be
radical One reason is that the senate
being smaller body, privileged inter
ests . prefer to stop legislation there
rather than stir up the 1l9 in the bear
sembles. However, the membership Of
the house this time was an index OF
popular feeling on such burning ques-
tions as railroad regulation and taxa.
ton. The members had been elected
during campaign in which these ques-
lions were aired, and their views rep
resented the present state Of public SEN
the senate. Inexperience caused some
OF the acts of the house to lack the fin
! lshed touch, and this gave the senate a
good excuse to butcher them.
| An unusually large number Of bills
! got thru one house, only to be killed |
in the, other, and during the last few.
which house could hit the harder. The
house was particularly free with pass
ing railroad bills, and took everything
that was offered by the radical minority
! OF the Investigating committee. It
passed the house bill putting orders Of
the railroad commission into immediate
effect, notwithstanding n appea. and the i
murrage bill, after a hard fight in the
house, was amended to death across the
4 hall. The Ware bill reducing pas
senger fares to maximum of 2h cents
a mile passed the house, but never got
out of the senate committee. About the
only thing of this character that the
house baked on was the antipass bill,
and the house action on this measure in
not believe in reform beginning at home.
The house was inclined to be freaky,
and it was never safe to forecast what
it would do with given proposition.
+ Its actions were often inconsistent.
Tt would pass bill of the greatest i'm
portance without the slightest consid-
, 'eration on the floor, and then spend
: hours in argument over question of no
: material Importance. The tax commits
! sion and franchise tax bill went thru
!. without creating ripple.
. The tendency to waste time was a
+ feature of the session. The house
a worked hard all during the last few
+ weeks, but could not catch up witt
a it's docket because of the long orator.
q cal flights Of some members. The situa
a ton thus created in the house was al
h indication Of what might happen in thu
a, lower house of congress If they had M
4 closure rule. Tt also leads to the ides
y THAT rules limiting debate, especial,
on unimportant topics, are needed mere aa
work to swallow the code whole thar
:, the senate, and they spent a good dea
- of time on that subject, which was wei
q snent. bat rather begrudged by thos
., anxious to get rid of it. In other ways
% %, the members showed their independence
nt They were q long time in lining up O
ne the Horton capitol bill, and only sur
ot mitted to it under protest. ;,
w investigations were the order Of tn
~ i,day. and were all conducted by Tn
e. house except the railroad rate lnqulr
~ and the harvesting plant investigator
l oe handled by Joint committees. The II
vi vestigations, outside Of the rallroa
o 'rs question, furnished little but Harmless
to amusement. .,o1,, -,
~. derstood the members Of the nous
IF were fairly conservative, and not give
o of to trampling on the established orde
~ o. If things. They did not pass niue
~, freak legislation, and killed some !, {
~ n that character which came from u
' nr senate. The board of control syste,
sn was rather zealously guarded, TOT u
be Perley bill was not reaiiy an IA a' or;@;n
=" the hoard, but return to the origin
- :, scheme Other bills aimed at the boal
We were disposed Of .,,- ,o1,o
f,,I in it's attitude toward educational gu.
! u. tions. All attempts to revise the ruI
KIT school system especially hao. haio BIC
lm nf The hose committees were. as ru
" Industrious and prompt IN dlspos1ng
loI OF the bills that were referred TO the
OF The chairmen Of committees were,
CA rule, efficient and conscientious.
a. their important work; ;, =,
the The odor of graft was less r. p.
were handful of members who We
;asee unmistakably injuring their eye shgnd
le :aal looking for opportunities, but there II,
aid, no reason to believe that they mad m !,
evy success. Overtures made In connectl
lunl- with two or three bills were turn
nsl- down hard by the. interested part
t q and it was poor picking to the N
of looking for side money. One trou
;her was that there were not enough OF TN
to be worth while acquiring.
bill No man dared to pose, as a leader
BOSE the house. An unusually large n,
anne Der took part in the debates, and WI
in there were few who took an act
.ers interest in everything that came
10Th and expressed their opinions freely 81 Z,
Ility one could be said to have any dehl
omi- following. Speaker Clague 8 post
e is made him the natural leader. and
the influence was openly exerted sew
illus times with effect, but most OF the t
ples he kept his counsel and merely coun
less for one vote. w. B. Anderson, as CHI
dino man of judiciary, handled the e.
ntls and was prominent at frequent IN
ton walls on the floor, usually making
vn,n impression with his remarks. Most
, ruy the Hennepin delegation were talk