The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-04-18

the instrumentality of Senators Clague
and Roekne. Although definitely prom
ised the rnea sure never made its APP
pearanee. Governor Fberhart inducedl
Senator Hanson 10 Introduce a new
BILL. This Measure would have taken
fs e senators from the oyssr represented
section, giving one senator each toI
Ramsey, Fcnner'n ana St. Louis coun-
ties and two TO the Ped River Valley
district. This was delayed one day on
a ruling by Lieutenant Governor Cor
don, giving the opposition time to in
troduce and pass proposed constitu-
tional amendment limiting the number
of senators from each county to six
This gave the senators their desired
opportunity and excuse for voting
against the Hanson bill and when i'll
cane up last week it was voted down
without a record vote.
!. + =
Governor Eberhart has decided not
to call an extra session in the interest
Of reapportionment At the meeting
of the Northern Minnesota Develop
ment association at Brainerd he had
said that unless a sincere effort was
made on the part of the senate to pass
a reapportionment measure he might
call an extra session. He has decided
that no kind of reapportionment bill
could pass the present senate and that
to call an extra session would be futile
and would merely involve extra ex-
pense to the state. The result is that
reapportionment is dead
!. 70 ).
The Spooner waterways bill seems
to have struck snag. The bill has
been generally regarded as too drastic,
although there was a general feeling
that some such legislation is desirable.
Last week the attorney generals Of
fee gave out an opinion to the effect
that the bill would be unconstitutional
if passed. This is expected to mean
the final defeat of the bill in the clos
ing hours of the session. The accom-
panying Spooner bill, calling for an
appropriation of $4,000 for an inves-.
tigation of the feasibility of canalizing
the state of Minnesota, is regarded asl
fantastic and if passed by the senate
would probably be vetoed by the gov
ernor.
!. !. :.
The eastman distance tariff bill, un-
der new name, originating in the
house. is one of the important meas
,1-;th ioh ho mill
in it's closing hours. When this letter
was written it was not expected the
bill would pass During its original
discussion in the senate the attorney
general wrote an opinion, bolstered up
by similar opinions from former At
torney General Edward T. Young and.
former Justice of the Supreme Court
Thomas d. O'Brien, that the enact
ment of the bill would nullify the rate.
eases which were then in litigation.
The defeat of the state as registered in
the opinion of the week before by
Judge Sanborn aroused considerable.
feeling over the matter, and this, with
the speakers personal influence, Sc
cured the passage of the bill in the
lower body. The feeling in the senate
was that the state should not be moved
by pique or indignation over the out
come of the first round in the fight.
The state has spent a great deal OF
money in prosecuting the rate cases
and they are yet to go before the SUI
preme court 1t is felt the state can
afford to wait until the case is def
nitely decided by the highest tribunal
before changing its attitude relativeI
to rate regulation. Senator Moonanl
| offers resolution appointing a conf
mission to work without pay to invest
tigate the workings and effects of theI
Iowa distance tariff law, upon which
the proposed Minnesota law is based,I
to report to the legislature two years
from now.
!. - !.
Theodore Roosevelt appeared beforel
the legislature Friday night and ad
vised that body as to its future ccurseI
of action. He announced that he was
progressive and favored the initia
| tive and referendum, the recall, the
direct primary and the direct election
of United States senators. He quail
fed each statement so that both sides
on these questions believe the former
president was with them. In declaring
for the initiative and referendum he
insisted the percentages necessary to-
invoke the use of either initiative OF
referendum should be SO high that
they could not be invoked lightly or
| friyolously The radical element il
| the house had insisted on a low per-.
centage, while the more conservative
| progressives had insisted on a high
percentage. A measure of the latter
class was passed. 1t is now in the
senate.
i. :. :.
Relative to the recall the former
| president intimated he believed in the
recall, but stated positively it should
not apply to the judiciary. The house