Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1907-05-25
ouNrY. MINNESOTA. SATURDAY. MAY IS. 1907

Un0 ANU pass Oil Was FSISfTSOs anu
it is due to this fact and the cOnse-
quent delay resulting therefrom more
than anything else that this measure
as passed has proved SO unsatisfactory.
Another measure affecting railroads
which Mr.. Spooner professed to have
very much at heart, was one designed
to increase the gross earnings tax.
Ea arly in the session, he himself intro
duced a bill to increase the tax from
4 to 6 per cent. The measure reported
out by the committee was not this one
however, but one introduced by Mr..
Miller of Duluth by which it is pro-
posed to increase the tax to five per
cent and require railroads to pay as
sessment for local improvements, a
measure whose constitutionaiity is
doubtful. Although Mr.. Spooner re-
ported this bill out and his vote will
be found to have been cast for it, it is
nevertheless a matter of common
knowledge that when the bill came up
for consideration in the house, he
spoke against it, and deplored its pas
sage as under the circumstances then
prevailing ill-advised.
Animportant railroad measure which
passed the senate owed its authorship
to Senator Johnson of TODD county.
Under the provisions of this bill, which
was similar to one introduced in the
house by Mr.. Void of Norman county,
railroads were required to move stock
trains at a speed of Is miles an hour.
It failed to run the gauntlet of Mr..
Spooner's committee, but notwith-
standing an anfavorable report it was
advanced to general orders. When it
came up for consideration, Mr.. Spoo-
ner submitted an amendment which
completely emasculated it. AS Sem
ator Johnson, who was in the house at
the time, said: "The amendment kill
led my BILL" Mr.. Spooner secured
the adoption of the amendment, how
ever, whereupon friends of the orig
inal bill moved its indefinite postpone
ment. To show Mr.. Spooner's lack
of good faith in proposing the substi-
tute bill it may be said he made not
the slightest effort to save it. The
object of his move was to kill the
senate bill and he made no secret of it.
Although in these matters it is diff
cult to account for the peculiar and
inconsistent course pursued by Mr..
Spooner he must in all fairness be
given credit for the part he took in
enacting the law reducing commodity
rates and in effecting the passage of
other beneficial measures.
The most important bill, apart from
railroad measures, introduced by Mr..
Spooner during the recent session,
was that providing for the establish
ment of an industrial school for girls.
That, however, was measure for
which state wide sentiment had been
created as the result of agitation by
persons interested in corrections and
charities and by women's clubs. The
initiative for the measure came from
them and not from Mr.. Spooner and
they worked for it necessarily. The
surprising thing was not that Mr..
Spooner successfully engineered it's
passage, but that the majority for it
was so small.
We had intended to refer to Mr..
Spooner's labors in connection with
the investigation of the Harvester
trust in which he betrayed so great an
interest during the recent campaign
and early in the session, but faith
full search of such records as are avail
able and deligent inquiry at the state
capitol has failed to indicate any eff
fective work having been done by him
or anyone else in regard to the matter.
Some means were found to subdue the
investigating spirit with which num-
ber of patriots were imbued in this
direction. Possibly it was as we'll.
With the exception of that conducted
by Mr.. sundberg every one of the
legislative investigations proved a
fizzle.
The Tribune would have liked, if it
were possible, to treat of the records
of the representatives of this district
more fully, but space forbids giving
more clear an outline of facts illustrate
i've of them as they have come to it's
knoWledge. But review of the
matter is gratifying in this at least
that this district has been represented
by some men who have made their in
fuence felt, who exhibited men of
ability and energy, and who, what
ever their failings may have been,
cannot be denied to have rendered
/ their state and their constituents sub
stantial service.