Warren sheaf., 1910-07-28
MIR. STEINER
SONS RECORD
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME OF
THE WORK OF OUR REPREsEN-
TATlvE IN CONGRESS.
From the Frazee Free Press

From the Frazee Free Press
HalVor steenerson missed being a
native Of Minnesota by about a. wear.
But at that he has been in the state
much longer than most of US. being at
the present time fifty-eight years old.
His father came from Wisconsin and
settled id Houston county nine years
before the civil war, and our present
congressman's earliest education con-
sisted in learning to milk the cows.
remove weeds from the garden and
pilot yoke Of oxen back and
forth across the farm. After having
done these tasks a sufficient number
OF times he concluded that the study
OF law would interest him and in
1913 he graduated from the Union,
College Of Law, in Chicago. Two
years later he located in Crookston,
and from that time until he was elect
ed to congress be was the most con-
spIcuous figure around the court
rooms of every county in the valley.
Because Of his fondness for taking up
the fights Of those who had but little
money to reward him with, he became
known as the poor mans lawyer"
and when the 1umberjack, railroad
employee Or farmer Of small means
got into trouble their tracks usually
led straight to Steenerson's office, and
he has the record of never turning
down anyone for lack Of money to,
His reputation along this line became
so great that some of the big COM
panies offered settlement as, soon as
Steenerson had the case. He could
have made a fortune as a corporation
attorney, but he is fighting man
and any prospect of becoming the
hired man Of some corporation AND
earning big money never appealed to
him. The many people he had thus
tice we're the ones who secured him
his first election to congress. His
fame as a lawyer and a champion Of
the people was first established in his
conduct Of the celebrated grain rate
case, begun in 1893, and finally dis
posed OF seven years later by the Su-
prene Court. It was the original in
stance where the rate-making power
of a state over the railroads was ju
dicially determined, and has been cit,
ed and used as a leading case and a
guide in such matters, both in the fed
eral courts and in congress-, as we'll
as in the various states Of the Union.
But he has now been in con gre So fol-
eight years. and his record as a con-
gressman is becomming as we'll estab-
Hshed thruout the district, as was his
former record as an attorney, altho
the great mass of his constituents
have not the facilities to keep cor
rect tab On those things. This hap
given some peopIe-and it is notice
able fact that most of them are new
arrivals in the district-an opportun-
ity to misrepresent him, and to make
the voters believe. things about him
that are not so. The Free Press has
taken the trouble to look up the main
points in his congressional record
and We will try to give them to the
best of our ability:
His most Important committee ap-
pointnent during his first three terms
was on the post office committee. In
this place he was the main fighter for
the reduction of railway mail trans
portation, and during the seven years
OF his service there the cost was de
creased from 30 to % IL per cent of
the whole expense of the mail SER
vice, which difference makes saw
ing of $40, 0,0O1,000 per year to the gov
ernment. He spent much work in get
ting the free rural mail delivery sys-
CGQ1 pS1lGSISu, dl1u LII WeAS= ILL A1o
move that the pay of rural mail car
riers was raised from $500 to $500
per year. Now, you understand, MIR.
Steenerson did not do these things all
himself, but he took the lead in get
ting them done which is the most
anyone can do. He took the lead in
fghting the several railroad subsidies
until they finally disappeared from the
annual post Office appropriation. This
appointment was taken
from him at the beginning OF the last
session, by the speaker, because he
refused to be dictated to by the Cam
non organization and was a strong
advocate Of so reforming the rules OF
he House as to reduce the power OF
he speaker which has been recently
accomplished
His work IN other directions has al