The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1907-02-21

LETTER
The Third House Orsanizins.-Com
binations Being Formed.-Great
Interests Involved and Large
Stakes Played for.
FREAK BILLS HAVE MADE THEIR APPEARANCE.
Mothers are to be Compelled to
Suekle Their Babes by lesisIa-
ton. Everything Beneath the
Stars to be Investigated.

Stars to be Investigated.
ST. PAUL, MINI FEB. 90, 1907.
The Editorial Association has at
tracted the attention of the capital
this week and has been in the lime
light and mere lawmakers have been
compelled to take back seat.
The legislature very largely confines
its efforts of regulation to Minnesota,
but the editors are bounded in their
regulating business only by the
boundaries of the imagination. They
tell how the state should be run.
issue orders to the national govern
ment, order the Man with Teeth to
snap off the heads of Off Gals dis
tasteful to them, issue ultimatums as
to how the world should be conducted
and establish regulations as to the be-
havior of planets as they whirl on
their orbits through the immensely of
space. If the editors had the power of
law enactment what delightful world
this would be for editors. 1t has been
proposed that the Editorial Association
be vested with the lawmaking power
of the state and 1 don't believe the
state would lose by the trade.
The most interesting matter in the
legislative field that occurred during
the last week was the organization OF
the fourth house. 1t is here, more
numerous, sbler led, better organized,
and more amply financed than ever
before. st. Paul wants the capital ap-
proaches. Minneapolis and St. Paul
both want semi-centennial celebra-
ton in 1908. Duluth and the Iron
Range desire to defeat the Tonnage
Tax. The brewing and distilling in
terests are determined to defeat
| ''county option, at any cost. The
district judges, state officials want
larger salaries. The university Alumni
and Normal School Professors want
more pay. The Railroad Companies
are not particularly anxious for any
remedial legislation. The semi-cen-
tennial and the capital approaches
means the appropriation or pledging
of the states credit for $4,000, 900.
| The Iron Range will, or thinks it will
be hard hit for tonnage tax. Should
'county option" become law, every
man who is posted knows that at
least sixty counties would go dry"
and the business today in those sixty
counties Is worth to the brewing and
distilling companies more than two
million dollars every year. The salary
increases call for one hundred thou
sand dollars additional from the
revenue fund each year. The decrease
in railroad revenues, should the
gross earnings tax be raised to six
per cent, freights reduced, demurage
bill passed and two cent passenger
rate adopted is impossible to compute,
but it would amount to millions
annually.
With such stupendous stakes to be
played for, does anyone for moment
think that the game will lack players.
If they do they should visit the capitol
city for a few days and keep their
eyes open. l am not going to discuss
the merits or dement's of any of these
propositions at the present time. 1
am like most of the members of the
Legislature l do not yet even know
where the merit lies, but everyone
with or without legislative experience
can see possibilities in the situation
for trade combinations, bargains,
sales and intrigues that are absolutely
unlimited. What the result will be
the future will only disclose.
James J. Hill has been ON the stand
before the Knutson investigating
committee this last week several
times. He has had some bad hours.
They claim they have the sold man"
on the run. 1 have heard this claim
often made before. He has been on
the run again and again. His speed
has only been hampered by the fact
that he kept constantly stepping on
the heels of those who were running
away from him. 1t may be different
this time. You can search me for in
formation, have none.
There has been perfect epidemic
of investigation and regulation broken
loose in legislative halls and some
bills have been introduced and some
Of them passed. The latest freak is a
bill to investigate the Minnesota
Shippers and Receivers Association.
1t would be just as much in line to
pass bill to investigate the Women's
Suffrage Association, the Knights of
Pythias Organization, the manage
ment of the st. Paul Daily News or
Hamn's Brewery as this organization.
Unless, however, we are tremendously
| mistaken, John Grass. president,
Thomas Hughes, secretary, George
Lotus, commissioner, and James
Manahan, attorney, will call this
bluff with speed that will make the
would-be investigators dizzy. If they
don't jump at the chance to appear
before this investigating committee