The Dickinson press., 1908-06-06
Station House BIZ.

Station House Bill.
Let us continue our analysis.
You refer to House Bill 90, Of the
session Of 1893, a bill providing for
the establishment of station houses
by railroad companies.
You site the fact that I was absent
from roll call on that bill as an evil
dence that I was lodging a vote up
on It.
Let me call your attention to the
roll call on that bill, found at page
$50 Of the Senate Journal Of 1893.
What other senators were absent
without leave?
John Burke, present governor Of
the state, and then a state senator,
John A. sorley, present prominent
insurgent and reformer, then a state
senator.
Is judgment to be rendered to all
men from Independent facts taken
from the record and set apart from
surrounding facts and circumstan-
ces?
If so, having sought to use this
roll call to my disadvantage, what
must be said Of other absentees, who
occupy, with reference to that bill.
precisely the same position that I
did.
Were they lodging, OF does your
compiler deliberately seek to create
a false impression?
Let US go on with the record, since
legislative records have been so much
invoked.
In the same session Of 1893 there
was, introduced House Bill 169.
This was a bill to compel railroads
to provide grain loading platforms
for the Independent shipment of
grain. It was a bill that railroads
opposed. because 1t imposed addition
al expenditure Of time and money
upon them, In the interest Of the in
dependent shipper Of grain, who had
thus q means of escaping the neces-
sity Of taking what price the local
elevator offered.
Every farmer. in the state was in
terested in that bill. Every railroad
in the state was opposed to it. If
you will see page 557. Of the Senate
Journal for 1893 you will find that
the bill passed by 16 votes-a bare
constitutional majority.
I was present and voted for the
bill. Had I been absent the bill
would have failed for lack of a con.
stitutional majority.
Whom do we find among the alb
sentees?
John Burke. present governor,
then a state senator.
John A. sorley, present I~nsurgent
and reformer, then a state senator.
Mr.. Burke was present at the roll
call Immediately preceding the one
by which the bill was passed.
Here was q case where absentee
ism meant. not merely a failure to
be recorded. It meant the defeat
Of q bill of vital interest to every
farmer in the state.
II we : judging men from indie
pendent facts from the record, let
our Judgment be extended by the
same rule to every member OF the
legislature.
! amsnot seeking to create preju-
dice against any member Of the state
senate, present or past. / do not
charge anything with reference tc
occasional absenteeism. except that
there are many occasions in the ex.
perieAce Of any senator when he Ii
uunavoidably, absent from a roll call
But I want all men judged alike,
from the same state OF facts.
Otherwise shall and with Justice
designate your compiler. as q twillful
fallisiffier ct the facts fromstay willful
perversionsfof logic and common
Sense. III
Az to Absenteedsm. tsE
The factsis that absenteeism upor
the passage 81 bills THAT are assured
81 passage ~ practically q unani
nous vote q not Significant.
/, y = absenteefsm where the voot.
is g close q to endangelr the pa,
ss Z s. \ pm I IS which the people a.
Interested especially that Il the test
desire to submit the record,
above referred to as = complete an.