Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-02-20
LEGISLATIVE LETTER.
ST. Pau) MINI Fab ia

4uS SIAGu week VI tu0 MlQQeSOtd
legislature opened up almost the first
thing after the roll call with report
of the committee on elections, recon-
mending that the higgins bill provid.
ing for a woman's suffrage amend
ment to the constitution be Indefinite
ly postponed. The recommendation
was voted down and the bill was
placed on general orders.
A somewhat notable event was the
killing of a canteen bill that was in
PRODUCED providing for the introduce
ton of the canteen into the Soldiers
Homes under the control of the state
There was sorry story or two put up
to the effect that the old soldiers
needed something to brace them up in
their declining years, and there seemed
to be some impression made on the
committee of military affairs to which
the measure was referred. A very lit
tile digging, however, developed the
fact that neither the commandant nor
the men themselves were interested in
the measure, and it was promptly and
unceremoniously dropped from the
window
Petitions, praying for the passage
of county option bill, continue to
pour in from every part of the state,
and occupy by all means the major
part of the order of Communication
and Petitions."
The temperance committee met for
the first time, after the adjournment
OF the house for the week, on Friday.
The session lasted some ten minutes,
the entire time being given over to the
discussion of what date should be set
by the committee as the date to con-
slider the bills that had been referred
to it. This precipitous celebrity of &C.
ton on the part of this important COM
mittee is interesting. Nearly every
other committee in the house has had
a number of meetings, and most of
them have reported out number of
the measures referred to them, and
this committee, which holds the coun-
ty option bill, representing the issue
around which there was the fercest
fight of the campaign, and concerning
which there have easily been a hun
dred times as many petitions as on
any other subject before the house,
met after the adjournment of the sixth
week of the session, and appointed a
date for it's next meeting to consider
the measure before it, on Tuesday the
26th, which is in the eighth week.
OF course it is perfectly clear that if
the enemies of the bill can delay the
thing long enough, that delay in itself
will be victory for them and defeat for
the best interests of the state. More
over, it seems perfectly clear that the
delay is losing to the bill some of it's
lukewarm friends. This would come
naturally, but the liquor lobby, which
is in strong force, will see to it that
what does not come naturally will, so
far as its power and ability goes,
come artificially. Interviews with
friends of the bill develop the fact that
a number of them believe that roll
call now would show loss of from:
five to ten votes as compared with a
roll call four weeks ago. From this
opinion some dissent.
From money point of view, all OF
the rate regulation of railroads, both
passenger and freight, even though it
were OF radical nature, would repre-
sent but a small saving to the state as
compared with what would be- saved
by the operation Of q local option law:
and to this financial saving would be
added the social and moral benefits.
which would flow from it. :.. . :...2.s
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