The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-25
MINNESOTA'S PART IN
A HISTORIC SESSION
North Star Senators and Congressman Have Been Prom
inent in the Many Movements Which Have
.5 Made Closing Session Notable.

! bates on the railroad bill, and both
made earnest and forceful speeches in
defense of what the president was de,
an expert on this question by reason
of his place on the committee on inter
state commerce. which considered this
| legislation and finally reported the
house bill to the senate without amend
ment. With Senator Dolliver, Senator
Clapp had an active hand in taking
advantage Of the situation in the COM
mittee which made such a report pos
| sible: A year ago, the committee be-
gan its hearings in this city, and dur
ing these hearings, in the early summer
and again in the fall, Senator Clapp
stood firmly with Senators Dolliver and
Cullom IN defense of the proposition
that bill should be passed such as the
country was demanding, and not mere
other members of the committee were
then demanding. The work done by
Senator Clapp in connection with the
rate legislation was Of the. highest i'm
portance and entities him to the thanks
of the entire state.
1t was on the Indian appropriation,
biz that Senator Clapp found his hard
As chairman Of that committee, he he
found the affairs of the committee in
a bad way. Under the Craftsmanship
Of Senator Stewart of Nevada, i'm
portant work had been postponed from
year to year and had accumulated until
it seemed that the committee books
could never be cleared. One bill, that
regarding the Colville Indians,> had re-
manned in the hands of this committee
continuously for fourteen years, and
many other measures of equal impor-
lance and interest had been before it
TOR years without action. These mat
tiers were all taken up, and the ma
lorlty Of them have now been finally
disposed of. At the short session next
winter, under the spur of Senator Clapp.
the committee will be able to get rid
of "a all these old questions.
The Indian appropriation bill of this
session embodied number of knotty
questions, and the committee was in
daily session for almost two months
considering them. The bill as finally
reported to the senate was passed with
snght amendment, and in conference
the great majority of the senate com
mlttee changes were adopted
MI. Clapp, as chairman Of the COM
mittee end as one of the conferees on
the Indian appropriation, was able to
put into the bill several important local
Items and to keep them in. despite the
attacks of the house conferees. The
most important was the provision re-
moving the restrictions on allotments
to mixed bloods on the White Earth res
ervation. Another was the provision
authorizing the sale of Cooper (star9
island, in Cass lake, to the state of Min
nesota for public. park, and third
was the retention of the item put in in
the house, providing SIS 900 for drain.
age survey of Red Lake lands still un.
sold
Mr.. Clapp secured favorable report
to the senate on a bill to pension the
volunteers who served during the New
Clm Indian outbreak in 1862.
Minnesotans in the House. -s
Speaker Cannon, in naming his com.
mlttees: last December, SO placed the
Minnesota members that every interest
OF the state could be looked after in g
Legislative way. The committee assign
ments also. placed some of the Older
members where they could have large
.. share in general legislation.
= MI. Tawney, as chairman Of thu
/ looms largest in the public eye in sur
. vey of the work Of the session. Mex
| comes Stevens of st. Paul, who, as ;
member of the interstate and foreign
o commerce committee, took part in tn
:. preparation of the rate bill aind tn
p pure food bill. McCleary. on ways an,
means; Fletcher, on military affairs
Davis, on agriculture; Buchanan, on In
dian affairs; Bede, on rivers and har
bors; Volstead, On public lands, an
e STEVENSON, on postoffices and postroads
: all had measures before them of loca
: interest, which were pushed thru and, i
S most cases, became laws.
RI In any discussion of legislation o
i local benefit, mention should be made O
S the free alcohol bill, which all the men
n bers of the delegation supported an
h worked for,
n All the members of the delegatio
n worked in harmony for the interests o
e the state, and the result of that wor
e is summed up briefly, by districts, be
o low: .-.- 49,, -,
Busy MIR. Tawney.
l., Mr.. Tawney, representing frs
e district, is fortunate in having COZ
% stituency that does not call for muc
/ special legislation. Fer that reason
. has been able to devote his entire tim
d to the duties of the committee on az
'e preparations, of which he is head. Asid
sc from the speaker, Mr.. Tawney ha
probably been the busiest man in til
a house Of representatives The dutie
e. of the chairmanship were new to hin