Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-04-10
LEGISLATIVE Letter.

amendment got onto the boards this
week in good shape. Mr.. Higgins had
requested the Speaker to refer the bill
to the Elections committee instead of
the Temperance committee. That CON-
mittee, however, had been stacked
against anything even looking like
temperance. Shakespeare in poetic
ecstacy exclaims 'What's in name?"
That thought has evidently been in the
minds of the presiding officers in most
of our Legislative bodies when they are
making up the Temperance" commit
tees. So far as modern observ alton
wouldllead one to presume, the proper
appellation for our Temperance
committees would be ''Booze' commit
tees, for they industriously look after
the interests of that industry - but,
again,
what's :;;,; in name" That which we call
By any other name would smell as rank
Thus with our sO-called "Tempe-
rance committees, their name fails to
sweeten them. But to return to the bill
The Elections committee promptly
reported the bill out for indefinite post
ponement, which was all that Mr.. Hig-
gins had hoped. He sent it to the Elec-
tions committee because the Tempe
rance committee would never have re-
ported it at all but would have dropped
it in the waste basket. Mr.. Higgins
brought in a minority report bearing
three signatures, and moved its adop-
| ton. Mr.. Lobeck took the floor and
for twenty minutes laid before the legis-
lature in way they probably had ne
yer heard before, the criminal relation
of the state to business that breeds
evil and does violence to every legiti-
mate purpose of government. His
speech was interrupted by vigorous
applause and hearty laughter as he
made his telling points against the
traffic. Mr.. Higgins made no extended
address, but spoke three times briefly
and directly to the points of the oppo-
sition, and those who are acquainted
with his decisive and business-like
style will understand that he left no.
thing to be desired in the complete I'M
horsing of his opponents arguments
of non-enforcement, hostile public SEN
timent, the increased sale under prohi-
bition, etc.
Most of the dailies of the Twin Cities
scareheaded the scrimmage at the head
Of their legislative news, and the vote
of 80 for the passage of the measure
was a splendid compliment to the i'm
preston that our men have made upon
the House. There were 81 negatives,
| and the measure is dead.
The bill introduced by T. E. Noble
for non-partisan election to clerical
offices was referred back to the author
by the committee, which means that
unless some now unexpected exigency
arises, the bill will be heard from no
more. However, in the event of the
failure of certain other measures to
pass, it may be possible that the bill
will be advanced.
Mr.. Mobiles bill for clean advertising,
of which these columns have already
| given full details, was defeated on
final passage by a narrow margin, the
bill unfortunately coming up at time
when many members were absent. The
measure received substantial major
ity of all members present and voting,
but failed to receive the sixty votes
required by the constitution.
The bill defining alcoholic liquors
to be any which contain one-half of
one per cent alcohol by volume seem
ingly stands no show of passage.
The bill will probably be favorably
acted upon by the Public Health and
Pure Foods committee to which it was
referred in order to dodge the hostile
Temperance committee, but with less
than three weeks of the session remain.
ing, and with more than 900 bills
struggling to get through the gateway,
it is very evident that the measure will
never get to the calendar unless under
suspension of rules, which requires a
two-thirds majority. With good
bunch of legislators in their vest peck.
| cts it may be written down as a histor.
ical certainty that the liquor interests
| will not let the bill go through unless
! by fuke it makes an end run unno.
ticed. But even then it still must
chute the chutes, loop the loops, bump
the bumps, jump the steeples,. ford the
creeks and climb the mountains in the
senate.
Mr.. Higgins was again given q very
practical compliment in being asked
to help plan and carry through q Wig
orous campaign that is being made
Ifor theinitiatiye and referendum. 1'hi.