The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-03-27
FEW LAWS ENACTED

II w Liza M L1vdOl I'll
]. GOVERNOR HAS SIGNED FORTY
FIVE MEASURES so FAR.
/ President Hill of the Great Northern,
/ Before the sunberg Committee, De-
cIares That Railroad Rates viii Be
Advanced instead Of Being Reduced.
st. Paul, March 18.-The legislature
has gotten down to its regular grind
and is making progress slowly In the
senate ga bills have been introduced
and in the house TIA Out of this to-
tai of nearly 1,400 the governor has
only signed forty-five bills as yet. The
/ great mass of this proposed legisla-
ton will fail utterly. cNhat holds
| three-fourths of all the NNs back is
the carrying of an appropriation, as
/ ONOAy bAAA WIN OH 0ppA oPA A0IlOA III ILlC
house must go to the committee on
appropriations before it can come up
! for final action and in the senate it
must go to the finance committee for
similar purpose. The legislature
must knew how much money is called
| for before it makes the appropriation
or otherwise the treasury would be
emptied twice over A joint meeting
of the finance committee of the senate
and the appropriations committee of
che house has been called to consider
what bills carrying appropriations will
be allowed to be acted upon on their
merits. There are undoubtedly hun
dreds of bills which will never be
heard of again after this joint meeting
of the two appropriation committees.
While the legislature has progressed
as rapidly as it's predecessors usually
have it has piled up bigger volume
of business than any legislature has
had before it in the history of the
state. A loss of a great deal of this
will not be any damage to the public
and will undoubtedly save many hun
Greds of thousands of dollars for the
state.
Hill Before Sunbera Committee.
The most spectacular event of the
past week. has been the testimony of
James ]. Hill, president of the Great
Northern railroad, before the Sunberg
committee. This committee was APP
pointed at Senator Sunberg's motion
to ascertain the cost of the railroads
in the state, the intention being to fix
freight rates on a basis of paying in
terest on what the roads have abSo-
lutely cost and eliminating all the wa
tered stock Mr.. Hill has been a very
willing witness and has given them a
great deal of information. His exam
ination has attracted so much atten-
ton that no committee room coIid &C
commodate the throng. Senator :. in
berg therefore secured the large room
on the third floor set apart for me art
department and the hearings OF Mr..
Hill have taken place in that room
with large audience present. l went
to Senator Sunberg prior to Mr.. Hills
arrival and told him | wished to OBJ
tain for my correspondence the cost
of the railroads in the state fHe5said
they have not gotten their report any
where near ready. He thought the
average cost would be about $4,000
per mile. Mr.. Hill in his testimony
placed it at 500, 900 per mile, but even
then he claimed that the roads were
not so constructed but that they would
have to be continually rebuilt.
Manahan Does the Questioning.
During the late political campaign
Mr. Hill was subpoenaed before the
railroad and warehouse commission to
give testimony. Mr.. Manahan was
present as the legal representative of
the Minnesota Shippers association.
The attorney general of the state did
not feel it proper to have Mr.. Hill
''unduly badgered" by an attorney and
he accordingly rebelled against Man
ahan having anything to do with the
business. He raised the question that
the railroad commissioners were en-
tlrely competent to conduct the inyeS-
tigation and the the attorney general
was their proper legal representative
He argued that an outside attorney
like Mr.. Manahan had no standing be-
fore the commission and did it so sue
cesSfully that the commission barred
Mr.. Manahan out and refused to let
him question Mr.. Hill at all. When
the Sunberg committee was appointed
Mr. Manahan was employed as the in
quisitor for the committee 1t was
really quite interesting under all the
circumstances to see Mr.. Manahan on
the opposite side of the table facing
Mr.. Hill and plying him with ques-
lions and he made the most of his OPP
portunity. Mr.. Hill answered ques-
lions freely, but when the report is
printed, as | suppose it will be, doubt |