The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-01-14
A 4 G0SSIPY LETTER
Present Legislature Gives Indication
Of Being Most Important in
& History of the State.
Every District Received Its Due in
the Shape of 'commltteeships
From Speaker Rockne.
Special St. Paul Correspondence.

Special St. Paul Correspondence.
January Ii, 1909.
One can not but feel that the present
legislature will show up the most i'm
portant in the history of the state.
There is a general air of expectancy,
q desire to make good and it per-
meates both house and senate. A
majority of the legislation proposed
is along broad and conservative lines,
and have every reason to believe
that little else will get by. Much of
course that is otherwise has and will
be dumped into the hopper, but this
is characteristic of every law-making
body and is to be expected. With
Tuesday both house and senate got
down to a working basis, the commit
tees of the two having been named and
from now on it will be work, and
hard work at that, for every member.
The long expected and much dis
cussed list of house committeeships
made their appearance this week, they
being announced Tuesday, as stated,
by Speaker Rockne. Outside of the
bills introduced the reading of the
slistswas the chief business of the ses-
sion and the interest displayed soon
took the form of an early adjournment
that the members might more leisurely
peruse the list There was not a men,
Der who did not scan and discuss
every line of it. Those who had
stood by Mr.. Rockne in the speaker
ship contest wanted to see if their sup
port had been substantially recog-
nized, while the opposition was just
as eager to see what punishment had
been melted out to them. OF the latter
there were few who could complain.
The; expressions as a rule, were of
general satisfaction. North, south,
east and west were taken care of &C
cordipg to its just deserts and the
cities could not be credited with hay-
ing ioover the country ia the distribu-7;
ton of the plums.
g i. + 4.
{ The Eighth and Sixth districts, which
are among the most vitality interested
in some of the important legislation
up for consideration this session, Jared
we'll in the committee distribution.
Frank T. White, as predicted, drew the
craftsmanship of the apportionment
committee and Henry Rines, of
Kanabec. that of rules. St. Louis
county was notably absent in the
chairmanships, but this was not be-
cause Speaker Rockne did not want
to recognize it but because of the fact
that st. Louis county members asked
to be excused. They were satisfied to
let others have the plums. There is
hardly committee but what has from
two to four representatives on it from
the Sixth and Eighth districts.
!. +. +
Salary raising bills have begun to
come in early, and the juiciest of the
lot is by Frank Nimocks of Mime
apolis, increasing the stipend of every
executive officer in the state capitol.
The governor starts Off with $4,000,
the attorney general follows with
S., 500 and in order comes the secretary
of state, treasurer and auditor, whom
Mr.. Nimocks thinks should have
$4,000 each. The sop to the governor
is simply added for the possible pur-
pose of getting the measure by the ad-
mirers of the present executive. An
other bill offered by Andrew Anderson
of Washington county adds another
supreme court justice to the list. He
with the others is to have $1,000, a
year. The two measures look like
jokes, but Nimocks as far as he is
concerned declares not. That there
will be some quiet boosting on the
part Of a number of capitol habitues
goes without saying.
:. + {.
Former Labor Commissioner w. b.
Williams of Minneapolis is the state
capitol sensation this week. Following
his retirement Monday, when her gave,
way to w. E. McEwen Of Duluth,
former state oil inspector. he hurled
9 broadside at the Kitchen abinet in
the shape of areport to the legislature
characterizing the department as q;
political dump-all and the democratic
administration as alone responsible
for such condition. Harvey Grim
mer and Frank Day, he said, had used
the department unfortunately in
caring for political henchmen, and as
q consequence good work had been
retarded. he had protested and his
dismissal had followed. That the re-