The public weal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1906-1908, 1907-03-01

The County Option bill had public
hearings Feb. 26 and March 5. Both
took place in the House chamber, the
first before the House Temperance
Committee and the second before the
House and Senate Committees, a
large audience crowding the chamber
in both cases. Many more than
hundred at the second hearing stood
for hours around the rear of the main
floor The galleries also were well
filled Several members of the House,
including two members of the COM
mittee, made themselves obnoxious to
the many ladies present by smoking
during the first hearing. The i'm
provement in this respect at the Sc
cond hearing may have been due to
the influence of woman in politics"
The First Hearing.
1t opened with resolutions by the
ministers of the Augustana Synod OF
the Swedish Lutheran church then in
session at Minneapolis. Rev. Peter
Peterson, st. Paul, seconded the reso-
lutions with an appeal for government
by the people. DR.. Rast, Red Wing,
also member of the Synod, said that
his people were somewhat averse to
withdrawing from the old parties but
that they would do so If necessary in
order to secure their rights. Walter
N. Carroll, Minneapolis, exalted the
idea of a government not OF force as
of old but by the ballots of freemen
The question, said he, is not whether
the saloon is good or bad but shall
the people rule? Rev. p; Floreen,
Evansville, declared that he hailed
Lo hor n
the state and added, 1--WE have sacri-
feed our party principles for this
measure" This was telling allusion
to the election of Mr.. Lobeck, Prohibi-
zionist, from that county, largely be-
cause of his advocacy Of county op
tion. Rev. D. Morgan, st. Paul.. said
that legislators are the servants Of
the people. "The people want this
law. The last campaign witnessed the
greatest independence this state or
the nation has ever seen. If our wish
es are not needed, three times as
many will break away from their
present political affiliations as then"
At this point Representative Elias
Rachie, Madison, who introduced the
bill, invited the opposition to take part
in the discussion. j. w. Stokes, Min
neapolis, member of the committee,
moved to adjourn for two weeks, al
though the hearing had only then
lasted 35 minutes. Mr.. Zollman, ST..
Paul, representing the brewers, al
though not so announced, claimed that
the opposition had not understood
that it would have time accorded to it
at this hearing and was therefore not
prepared. Friends of the bill repeat
edly demanded an answer to the ques-
ton, Who gave the opposition to un-
derstand that they would not be
heard? But they preserved discreet
silence. The game was to postpone ac-
ton as long as possible Mr.. Rachie
boldly stated that if the final hear
ing should not be held and the com
mittee should fail to take action with
in a few days, he would offer a reso-
luton in the House to recall the bill
from the committee. The opposition
then consented to meet again within
a week and an adjournment was taken
to March 5.
The Second Hearing.
It drifted more into discussion OF
the practicability of prohibition than
the first hearing. The opposition
wisely spoke along this line and the
friends of the measure fell into the
trap somewhat, not fully emphasizing
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