The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-02-06
COUNTY OPTION
! MEETS DEFEAT
T ~
House Indefinitely Postpones
the Ware Measure.
LARGER THAN TWO YEARS AGO

majority Of Twenty-Five Against the
Measure This Year-Couns Asrl-
cultural School Bill Introduced by
L. II. johnson of Minneapolis
Amended and Passed by the House.
Ware Viii Present No More Bills.
st. Paul, Feb. 5.-County option was
defeated in the house for another two
years, and this time by larger vote
than two years ago. The bill was in
definitely postponed after the house
had adopted gag rule which prevent
cd any discussion of the measure ex-
cept when members explained their
votes. The final vote on the bill was
IS to A.
In explaining their votes many mem
lbers spoke strongly against the mo-
ton offered by R. J. Wells of Brecken-
ridge, which cut off the debate before
It started, and called it unprecedented
and cowardly. Of those who voted
against county option the following
voted against the motion which pre-
vented debate: Carley, DenZer, Henry,
Mackenzie, Perry, Thayer, Washburn,
white and Speaker Rockne.
The temperance committee reported
the bill for indefinite postponement
and it's chairman, G. A. Mackenzie of
Gaylord, moved the adoption of the
report. A minorit report was brought
in signed by five members of the CON-
mittee, John Saugstad, G. K. Melby,
Henry Rustad, c. J. Swendsen and G.
III. Hattson. Saugsrad moved that the
minority report be adopted His mo-
ton had precedence and the vote on
that was straight vote for or against
the bill.
Mr.. Wells said he thought every
member knew how he wanted to vote
and no debate could change any of
them, so he moved the previous ques-
ton. His motion carried-66 to 81
although several members in explain
ing their votes said they were opposed
to this kind of treatment of the mi
nority.
Ware BIames Steering Committee.
"A. K. Ware, the author of the bill,
accused the steering committee of be-
ing responsible for the gag rule. Mac
kenzie also spoke against it, as did
Lennon, White and Washburn.
On the roll call on Saugstad's mo-
ton w. H. Putnam of Red Wing, in
explaining his vote, said that third
of the people of the state wanted this
bill and 60 per cent of the people
wanted some kind of reform in the
liquor laws; that the opponents of this
bill "did not have the sand to let the
forty members of the house who favor
1t present their arguments"
Mr.. Ware, in somewhat passionate
statement, said that he was marked
man in the house; that any bill of his,
whether good or bad, would have no
chance, so he asked to have his two
bills-one on primary election and one
for a tonnage tax-withdrawn, and
promised that he would present no
more bills this session.
The house passed the county agri.
cultural school bill, introduced by l..
III. Johnson Of Minneapolis, after
amending it so that no school can be
established before submitting it to the
voters in the county.
AS the bill stands 1t permits any
county to establish a farm school, if a
majority of the voters say so. The
question shall be submitted at gen.
eral election whenever per cent of
the voters ask for it, but no county
can spend more than $4,000 for the
purpose.
The amendment requiring the sub
mission of the question to the voters
was adopted after considerable dis
cussfon. Many said that the bill was
not wanted by the farmers, but by
the villages which would get the
schools, and great deal of the oppo.
sition to the bill was overcome by
the adoption of the amendment which
left the question to the voters of the
whole state.
g School for Each District.
= Senator A. D. Stephens introduced a
bill dividing the state into nine dis
tricts and giving each school, the
one at CroOkston to be one of them.
With the fate of the county option
bill again decided, Senator G. J. An
derson Of Alexandria and Representa-
tive Elmer e. Adams Of Fergus Falls
are working on new bill for the con-
troll of the liquor license.
The temperance committee recon-
mended for passage bill which pro-
hibits minors from entering saloons
in addition to the present law pro.
hibiting them from buying drinks.
Senator Alderman's bill limiting the
number of saloons to one for every
300 inhabitants and his bill that the
licensing power shall Investigate the
character Of the man wanting g
license, were also reported to pass.
Radical inequalities in representa-
ton in the senate are revealed in the
maps now being prepared by the COM
mittee on reapportionment as the
basis for reapportionnlent bill. At
least ten of the smaller counties in
the southern part of the state have
one senator for each county, while
the population, according to the 1905
census, will warrant only one sena-
tor for two counties compared with
representation In other parts of the