The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-04-15
NEARING THE END
Tonnage Tax Bill rlay Pass Senators
at Heart Against 1t But Are
Afraid of Constituents.
like Thinks Senator Joseph n. Hack
ney Would Make an Excellent
Lieutenant Governor.

Lieutenant Governor.
Special ST. Paul Correspondence.
St. Paul., April l4.-With the next
issue of the U MON the Thirty-sixth
Minnesota legislature will be but a
memory. At high noon Thursday,
April %, the finish will be reached
and the lawmakers will seek their
homes. Already the signs of dissolu-
ton are apparent and no one, unless
it be the members of the "third
house," whose per diem will cease
with the announcement of adjourn
ment, seems sorry because of the ap-
preaching end. They generally
welcome it. The members of both
houses feel that they have earned
rest, and they have.
With the next few weeks following
adjournment the press of the state
will be given over to telling what
Minnesota lawmakers have done and
what they have not done. Of the
latter there will undoubtedly be a
surfeit, but right here I want to antic;-
pate any activity in this respect with
the declaration that if any praise is
coming to the members of the Thirty
sixth it should be for what laws they
have failed to burden the statutes
with rather than what they have sent
to the governor for his signature.
TO those who have demanded an
imaginary cure in the shape of law
for every i'll the state was heir to, in
Guiding number of their own crea-
ton, this argument will not find favor,
but it is true nevertheless. With them
it is laws and laws, and nothing is
exempt in their insane desire to con-
troll and to regulate. This has been a
session where sanity prevailed. True,
the bills so far enacted into laws
have not been many, or unusually i'm
portant, but there is one thing to be
said in their favor, the majority OF
them are Of a character that contain
little of the element of blight. No
industry has been wrecked and, as for
the morals of the people, the indi-
vidual has been left to work out his
own salvation as his better nature
dictates.
Advocates of the Bjorge tonnage
oax bill, which passed the house some
weeks ago, are now preparing for the
final round, and the battle of ballots
in the biggest thing of the session is
due for Friday at the latest. If pos
sible it's supporters will force the issue
sooner, but the prospects are that it
will be delayed until then. Honestly
at this writing hold out little hope
for the gallant band of Range bust
ness men who are giving their time
and their money in an effort to show
those favoring the bill the unjustness
sof the whole thing. Yet something
may happen that will bring victory to
their banner. At least I hope so.
Last week the senate, which has pos
session of the bill, practically fore
casted the future when by a majority
vote it forced from the committee the
measure, and that despite the fact that
public hearing had been arranged
for the Tuesday following. Ole
Sageng, the populist senator from
Otter Tail county, headed the demand
for the bill, and many republicans
answered his call. The best the
senate leaders would give the bill up
TO Tuesday in the way of indefinite
postponement was Is votes, but Col.
Weiss and others of Duluth, who we're
working like Trojans in an effort to
convert some of the opposition, con-
tended that this figure would be topped
several votes. They were enthusiastic
enough to declare that the finish
would see victory for their side.
Tuesday evening the senate tax CON-
mittee gave a public hearing to a
large number of business men from
what is known as the Cayuna range
and it was one of the largest attended
of the session.
i. -.
One has to be on the ground floor
to appreciate the difficulties attending
the settlement of statewide question
like the tonnage tax bill. IN
acquainted with the embarrassing
things that constantly beset men in
public life and Office, we of the north
look upon the tonnage tax advocate
as one catering to prejudice and
jealousy, while those of the south re-
gard the opposition as simply the
tools of predatory wealth and the
greatest octopus in the world-the
United States steel corporation. If a
majority of the members Of the senate
we're free today to voice their own
cont 90 I.