The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-10-30
Mr.. LaMoure Railroad Committee for last Ten
Years; on judiciary Committee but Three Times In
Twelve Years. 500 Railroad Bills Introduced Since
Statehood. 81 Railroad Bills In I9O7..-Eialf Doz.
en- Passed.

OF the whole 81 bills only six or eight
became law. This is the record of only
one session. Since statehood there have
been nine sessions of the legislature, and
at the same rate there must have been
over 500 bills affecting railroad corpor-
ations introduced in tho various sessions,
and there are about the Same proportion
ate number of bills on the statute books
to-day-say about fifty.
But the theory and statements of the
Chronotype writer would be to the effect
that Judson LaMoure is responsible for
the defeat of the odd 450-though by
the same token it appears that two
thirds of tho house bills are killed in
the house-"die a bornin' so to sneak.
long before it is possible for Mr.. La.
Moure to get at them with that awful
''big stick"
ONLY TWO BILLS LOST.
In nine sessions of the legislature, how
ever, in which there were about 500 bills
introduced, the Chronotype Hired Man
has found but nine railroad bills (by
tisle) against which Mr.. LaMoure voted,
and two bills passed when he was absent
from the session. Out of these eleven
bills all but two were passed. Hence his
vote evidently did not do much real
damage, even from the Hired Mans
standpoint. Where does the awful
power of Mr.LaMoure show up on these
specially selected specimens of railroad
legislation?
But the Chronotype writer, failing in
finding any very awful record in the re-
corded votes-though he raked from the
sessions of 1890 to 1907, either in number
or quality, then dives into the deep and
darksome recesses of the committee
rooms. This makes him much meat, and
he chews the cud and gnaws the bones
with much salivarous solicitude, Hear
him-"As chairman of the committee of
railroads he has killed more anti-rail-
road legislation than any other one man
who has ever been member of the state
senate" "It is doubtful if Mr.. LaMoure
has ever bad an equal in the state at
committee work-the killing of good
bills-unless it was Mr.. Little. The lat
ter gentleman has been chairman of the
senate judiciary committee at every ses-
sion since statehood, Mr.. LaMoure has
generally been ranking member of this
committee. 1t was at all times within
his power and province as member of
the judiciary committee to force report
on these bills. ETC.
NOT ON RAILROAD COMMITTEE FOR LAST
TEN YEARS.
Let us see. Gas chairman of the rail-
road committee etc." Well, as we said
we haven't gone into very ancient his
tory, but honest now, wouldn't you
naturally think that Jud had smothered.
squelched, and otherwise buried whole
graveyard full of railroad bills in that
railroad committee of which he was
chairman? But if he did Mr.. Hired Man
of the Chronotype evidently couldn't
find even a monumental stone to their
memory. He don't mention single such
bill therein smothered or squelched. Per-
haps the real reason might be found in
the fact that the last time that Jud was
chairman of that committee, or even a
member Of it, was in 1897 and 1899, ten
years ago. What relation he had to that
committee in the sessions before that We
have no record at hand. But as the,