The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-12-16
SENDS WARM
LETTER TO yOUNGDAHL
SUBJECT MATTER PERTAINS TO
THE SPEAKERSHiP.
Refers to the Activities Of Superin-
tendent of Anti-Saoon League;
Discusses Mr.. Burnquist and De-
clares He Does Not Believe the
Statements Attributed to Mr..
Dunn of Albert Lea.

Lewis c. Spooner, representative
from Morris, has forwarded the fol
lowing letter 10 p. ]. YOungdahl, SUI
perintendent Of the Anti-SaloOn
league:
morris, December Is, 1910.-Su-
perintendent p j. Youngdahl, Mime
apolis, Minnesota. Dear Sir: Until
| read your letter now received |
understood and believed you sought
only to secure the selection OF q
speaker sure TO appoint temper
ance committee whose report upon
be of a character to entitle the same
to place on the general orders of
the house for fair and honest and
deliberate consideration and dispOsi-
ton by the whole house sitting in
committee of the whOle-as it is
called in legislative parlance--but
now ! clearly see that | have en-
tirely failed to comprehend the un-
derlying purpose of your herculean
activities during the past two weeks,
lOl IOW 1 oCC Sot SiNtti ~ otty 'it'''
you are seeking to secure something
entirely beyond n county option
speaker or q speaker reasonably GER
tain to give county option bill full
and fair consideration, to-wit; you
want the county optionists to stand
together so as to get control of the
house organization and you say
that if BurnQuist is speaker, the
county Optionists will dominate the
house organization and | rather
think so. too. that is to say, they
will for little while-and you also
say, correctly | think, that there is
no other hope of our controlling the
house.
Spooner Has His Doubts.
What you say Dunn has said
about sending county optionists to a
distant place, | don't believe. My
blood never gets so heated as to
paralyZe my Judgment. | think yours
does. Controlling the organization
other or different, in this connection,
than appointment of the committees,
selection of the chairmen, appoint
ment of the committee clerks, ste
nographers and other employees, or
other related things, and if that is
the underlying purpose to be secured
under the guise of efforts ostensibly
put forth to select a suitable speak
err, then You have appealed TO the
wrong party for assistance.
you say that BurnQuist is coun-
ty OptiOnist. Well, have never
heard him say that he is, or that
he is not, and nothing that he has
written me indicates either that he
is or that he is not a county option.
list, and you say that he is a progress
sive (what0 and he may be but |
know of nothing affirmatively indi-
eating that he was, in the last ses-
sion, progressive in the direction of
legislative wOrk-nor was he OBJ
structive.
There is some doubt in my
mind whether what you have sent
me as your last appeal, was really
intended to be sent me-but, be that
as it may be, ] am not disposed to
further NEEDLE in the so-called
speakership controversy. Yours very
truly, Lewis c. Spooner."
The speakership situation is un-
changed. 1t is conceded by those
on the inside that Dunn has a ma
jority of the votes pledged to him.
Seven of the nine republican house
members in the fourth congressional
district have signed a statement that
they will vote for Dunn for speaker.