The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-09-28
Governor Takes Too Much
Glory Upon Self.
THAI INSURANCE MEASURE.
Twas Conceived BY Dr.. A. B. Cole.
Chairman Of the Republican
State Central Committee.
Especial to The Free Press.l

Especial to The Free Press.1
st. Paul, Sept. Ex-Governor John
sons speech has been delivered. 1t con-
tanned a good many surprises. Every
body was looking for the governor to
appropriate to himself the credit for a
good many things his connection with
which would be hard to substantiate,
but no one was prepared for quite such
a landslide. The governor got into the
realm of the humorous when he claimed
to be the inspiration behind the bill
which put the insurance department on
a salary basis and thereby saved the
state S35 900 or more. The governor
to himself the credit for this bit of. leg
i~slation. probably, if he had taken the
pains to look up who really was the au-
thor of that measure in the house and
senate journals. The bill was the off
spring of Dr.. A. b. Cole, chairman of
the republican state central committee.
and when | saw him the other day he
was in a merry mood. He said there had
been some talk of a measure such as
this for many years, but it was news
to him that the suggestion came from
the governor or that he acted on the
governors recommendation. The first
intimation DIR. Cole had of the COVER
nor's connection with the bill was when
he read it in the governors speech the
other night. 4.
Governor johnson was no more fortu-
nate in claiming that he was the power
behind the legislative joint resolution
instructing the board of railroad and
warehouse commissioners to readjust
freight rates. That resolution instructs
the commission how to do the work. and
the distance feature is explicitly men,
toned. Now the governor in his mes
sage said that it was his opinion that
a tariff on the Iowa plan of a distance
tariff wa not desirable because it might
prove to the disadvantage of the twin
cities. The legislature utterly disre-
garded the recommendation of the gov
ernor and ordered the commission to
proceed on the very lines which he told
them was not the proper course. 1T there
ia any credit coming to the governor
by the legislature entirely disregarding
his recommendation, and doing the very
thing he told them not to do, | suppose
that he should be entitled to all the
comfort he can get out of it.
The governor makes big claims as to
what he did in the timber trespass cases.
Here too he makes the people believe
he was the whole thing. As a matter of
fact s! T.. Johnson, Van SAINTS bank
examiner was the person who brought
these cases and Governor Johnson had
no more to do with it than he had to
do with Senator Coles bill recognizing
the insurance department.
The more L. read of that speech the
funnier it seems to me. Mr.. johnson
thinks there is enough railroad legisla-
ton except the reciprocal demurrage
bill. With that law he says that our
railroad statutes are efficient and suffi-
Gent" If that is so the remedy for
all these ills of which Mr.. johnson has
been complaining was in his own hands
ever since he has been governor. The
constitution makes it his duty to see
that all the laws are enforced. If the
people have not been getting a fair
deal-and from the tenor of his speeches
Mr.. Johnson seems to have been fully
apprised that they were not-why did
he not invoke the law and have at least
some of these things Strengthened out
a long time ago? If no new laws We're
needed it ought to be easy as it is his
duty to execute the laws as they stood.
1t is very evident to those who are
really in earnest in this matter of rail
road reform that there is some new leg
~islation needed. Whether Mr.. johnson
thinks so or not / know that a great
many people here think that it would
be a beneficial piece of legislation which
would make the orders of the commits.
sion operative, Immediately when pro-
mulgated. In this recent rate reduction
on merchandise rates the railroads have
it in their power to prevent those rates
from going into effect for some time by
an appeal to the courts. 1t matters not
how unjust or unfair a rate might be it
Is in the power of the railroad company
to delay its correction until the court
of last resort has rendered a decision.
That is one very important piece of leg
lslation which is very necessary to
make the railroad laws either efficient
or sufficient" Other laws which are
necessary are a Jail sentence for rebat-
ers, anti pass and two cent fares before
the railroad laws will be either 'effi.
cient or sufficient" | don't see how the
democratic platform can be anything
more than a stalking horse, if the rail-
road legislation is all that is needed
now.