Morris tribune., 1911-01-13
PROCRESSIvES
IN MAJORITY
Control Important Committees
Of State Senate.
HOUSE JUST The OPPOSITE
Contains More "Conservative" Mem
bers Than the Same Body Did
TWO Years Ago.


senate is set down by those who pro.
fess to be wise as to it's true inward,
ness as more progressive" than the
last one, and the present house as
more conservative than its predeceS-
sor. This diagnosis is predicated on
the way each has been organized and
on the face of things there may be
some reason for assuming it to be
correct. The difference, however, may
be more apparent than real. Those
who control the organization do not
always direct legislation. 1t is well
known that in the last session of the
senate they did not do so. The ma
tority of the members of that body
were liberal in their views and when
ever occasion called for it did not
hesitate to take the management OF
things that mattered into their own
hands. Exactly what will happen this
year in regard to either branch it is
too early to say There are those who
predict, apparently with good reason,
that, when it comes down to the real
work of the session, the present ap-
parent alignment will not hold and
that measures of public interest will
be considered on their merits ire
spective of the wishes of the organi-
zation, which, it is sometimes charged,
is generally more concerned with the
patronage the legislature has at its
disposal than any thing else.
!. + +
Still it must be admitted that in the
senate this year progressive legisla-
ton will find more favor with those
who are in the majority on the i'm
portant committees than two years
ago. The personnel of the temper
ance committee will illustrate as we'll
as anything else what mean. 1t was
stated during the last campaign, and l
do not think the statement was seri-
ously disputed, that all but two of it's
members were opposed to county op-
tion This year all but two of the
members of the senate temperance
committee favor county option and
will no doubt recommend county
option bill for passage. Nevertheless,
no one expects that a county option
bill will find greatly more favor in
the present senate than in the last.
When the matter comes up the senate
will no doubt act its own pleasure
irrespective of what the temperance
committee may recommend.
The same thing is true of the SEN
ate committee on railroads. Two years
ago D. S. Hall of Renville county was
the chairman of this committee and
the majority of the members were of
his way of thinking with respect to
railroad legislation. The result was
that it was extremely difficult to get a
report on any bill which looked to the
more effective regulation of railroads
out Of the railroad committee, al
though when once out the majority of
the senate was progressive enough.
This wear Senator Sundberg, known to
hold advanced views on railroad reg
ulatiyU is chairman of the railroad
committee and associated with him
are such men as Clague, Gunderson,
eastman, Moonan, Johnson, DWinnell,
Saugstad and others who have in
years past taken an active part in the
effort to secure progressive legisla-
tion along this line. 1t is therefore
anticipated, and with reason, that no
stumbling blocks will be put in the
way of bills looking towards more ef-
fective railroad regulation by the rail
road committee which Lieutenant
Governor Gordon has appointed
An analysis of the senate commit
tees will show that the same thing is
true all along the line. Haycraft sue
ceeds w. w. Dunn on the committee
on elections; Wallace succeeds Sen
ator Smith as chairman of the COM
mittee on taxes and tax laws; DWin-
nell replaces Alderman on the COM
mittee on corporations; Clague fol-
lows Stephens as chairman of the
committee on finance and so on. In
fact, it is new deal all around and a
deal by which the so called progress
sives have been given generally, to
say the least, fully such advantage as
their numbers in the senate warrant,
in some cases, as on the temperance
committee, more than that advantage.
+ + !.
Still the assignments, changing en-
tirely as they do the apparent com
plexion of the senate, meet on the
whole with less criticism than there
was reason to anticipate. Naturally
those who had everything to say in
the last senate and now find that in
the new senate they must go way
back and sit down are little shocked
at the vigor with which the lieutenant
governor has exercised his preroga
tives, but after going over the situa
sion they don't see very well what
they are going to do about it. They
arc shrawd nOliticianS-thaSe NOR