The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-04-04
STATE LEGISLATION
Especial Correspondence,

(Speclal correspondence
ST. Paul, April 3-The Minnesota
house of representatives is a loaded
mine. It is likely to blow up at almost
any moment The Klemer episode has
been settled, for the tine being, but
the motives which prompted the out
break are still alive Representative
Klemer, the man who precipitated the
trouble, is not the kind of a man to
lead revolution. He is a mild and
| soft speaking individual, but was ap-
parently disappointed in his committee
| assignments. He made the charge of
packed committees without apparently
| knowing just what he was doing and
without a proper appreciation of what
| the charge meant. After he had made
| it he was willing to apologize, but he
/ was prevented from doing so upon the
advice of friends who were glad to see
the matter stirred up. Later he did
apologize for his unparliamentary Ian
guage.
!. !. +
The dramatic incident of the occa-
| SIOn OC1ulI WnSu, d1lCl WI. IAICI11Cl
had made his apology for using unpar-
liamentary language, Speaker Dunn,
| from the floor, and after Representa-
i tive Fowler of Minneapolis had been
| called to the chair, demanded that
Representative Klemer and Represen-
tative w. T. Stone of Hubbard county
who had Joined in the charges, be
called to the bar of the house and be
asked to state specifically what com
mittees they regarded as packed and
with what members they regarded
them as being packed. Previous to
that a resolution of censure had been
passed on Representative Klemer
which incorporated the language of
the apology which he had intended to
make. The debate over the PROPOSE
ton occasioned some hard feeling and
Robert G. Dunn, losing his temper, ap-
piled the supplementary term of
miserable whiffet" to Representative
Clinton Robinson of Winona. Mr..
Dunn later said he "humhly apollo
gized' for his unparliamentary Ian
guage, but Representative Robinson
refused to accept it, saying its set
too long," and the laughter which fol
lowed mellowed the tenseness Of the
situation.
When hailed before the bar of the
house neither Representative Klemer
nor Representative Stone had any def
mite charges to make. Representative
Klemer, when questioned by Represen
tative Spooner did not even know that
Mr. Spooner is chairman of the house
committee on appropriations, the most
powerful committee in the body. The
two men took refuge in the excuse
that they had not had time in which
to prepare their charges. Representa-
tive Klemer and his friends still
threaten to make specific charges ant
demand an investigation.
!. i. !.
Back of all the trouble in the house
it is said, is an effort to split the Re
publican party on the issue of insur
7 gency with view of securing the
Minnesota delegation for La Toilette
in the next national convention anC
against the continuation of Presiden
! Taft in office The Eberhart admin
istration forces are aligned on the
] side of Taft Speaker Dunn ha!
shown disposition to be regular Al
j. factions claim to be progressive, bu
:. without an issue the La Toilette
forces would be left in bad way ant
their only hope is in raising the issue
of "reactionaryism" in Republican pol
/ tiles The Democrats are CAREFUL!
q watching the situation and Throughout
the session have been playing an ex
cellent game of politics
:. i. =
Speaker Dunn, since the eruption
G in the house, has been a very sicl
man. The speaker had touch o
ptomaine poisoning, complicated wit
: threatened typhoid, and all in al ha
been having a hard time of i.
Reapportionment is still margin
fire in the senate Senators Rockn
and Clague were ready to introdlc
their new bill, giving Hennepin count
one extra senator, St. Louis count
~ one extra senator and distributing tn
other four in the Red River yalleJ
= on Thursday During the week a
{ effort to secure the passage of cor
ii stitutional amendment to the effee
h that the number of senators should
limited to four from each count
struck snag and was finally pros
10 ressed The Rockne-Clague bill is sti
y pending.
\ :. J.
Strenuous efforts are being made I
f. defeat the Keefe bill, passed BY L
house. providing for the adCD,.on {