Morris tribune., 1907-06-29

Smith, who received $3.50 day, but
the duties of the position enabled him
to find plenty of time to attend to his
cigar stand in the postoffice lobby
and also. to elaborate with Tony
Manley and Col. Wilkinson and rail-
road lobbyists and Messrs. selb and
Kelly, the lobbyists of the liquor in
! terests.
The records if thoroly analysed,
would reveal numerous cases where
the chief clerk permitted his prejudice
for the combination to give the cor
poration forces 'sa shade the best of
it," I recall one instance which was
so petty and boyish as to be anus
ing rather than serious. When the
asa m" Peterson committee began its
Matchmaking attack upon Commits
sioner LOTUS of the Shippers Asso-
citation, 81 citizens of New Ulm.. Pc
terson's home town, signed protest
against the attempt of the railroads
and corrupt politicians to belittie and
discredit the reform influence of the
association. The record of this pro-
test, as arranged by the chief clerk
and printed in the journal, reads as
follows:
GA communication from citizens of
New Ulm, relative to investigating
the Shippers Association, was receiv-
ed and referred to the Peterson in
vestigating committee"
About a week later Mr.. Petersen
went to New Ulm and got up a coun-
ter petition, to which he obtained
signatures by representing to the sub
scribers that it was petition asking
for the location of the girls training
school at New Ulm. When this doubt
full document was received, Chief
Clerk Johnson made the following
entry in the journal.
ga petition signed by SO citizens of
New Ulm, withdrawing their names
from petition protesting against the
investigation of the Minnesota Ship
pers and Receivers Association and
expressing the utmost confidence in
the Hon. S. D. Peterson, was received
and referred to the Peterson investi-
eating committee"
Another incident of greater signiti-
canoe in connection with the records
concerns House File No. 93s, bill
containing a monstrous wood-chuck
which bestows upon the railroads I'M
precedented powers aud piratical
privileges. When introduced in the
House March 25th by Representative
Rodenburg of st. Paul, the title of this
bill was so constructed as to convey
no hint of its pernicions provisions.
1t was merely can act to amend sec
ton 1895 of the Revised Laws, 1906"
The bill was referred to the railroad
committee and on April 4th it was re-
ported back, with the title amended
by the addition of the words, "Relat-
ing to the purchase, lease or control
of one railroad by another" and the
recommendation that it edo pass"
How the railroad committee happened
to make such bad break as to render
the title of the bill so suggestive of it's
contents is a matter of mystery, but
no one appeared to notice and it really
did not matter. for when the bill was
placed On it's final passage the tell-tale
title was not as the railroad committee
had inadvertently amended it, but as
it was first introduced, simply can act
! to amend section 1896 of the Revised
Laws, 1906" Either the chief clerk
or the speaker had, criminally or care
lessly printed the bill in the records
minus the amendment. AS the law
now appears on the statutes, the
words, "relating to the purchase,
lease or control of one railroad by an
other" appear in the title, so one
must conclude that they were omitted
from certain House records for no
| other purpose than to aid in the
stealthy passage of the measure thru
the legislature.
In another article I shall attempt
to tell much more about House File
No. 938. was present at the time
| it took its quiet flight thru both
branches, but was then as profound
! ~ ignorant of its pernicious purposes
as were the many sincere reformers
who voted for the measure. Probably
no bad bill ever passed any law max
ing body more stealthily and at the
same time more easily. AS was once
said of similar attempt at crooked
legislation, the railroads put 'gum
shoes on the bill, laid their fingers
on their lips and held their breath"
IL. l.