The Princeton union., 1911-02-09
COUNTY OPTION BILL
Continued From PaRe J

O'o Ouo AoolHs Uuo general principle OF
equal reward for equal service, by
giving the railroad commission
authority to modify the rates in such
cases. Mr.. eastman has expressed
himself as willing to submit to such
an amendment if it can be framed
without destroying-, the equal rate
effect OF the law. However, it may be
taken for granted that no amendment
will prove satisfactory to twin city
interests which does away with dis
ordinations in their favor as at
present practiced. They will simply
change their point of attack. It is
possible that, even with the amendment
l have suggested, it will be impossible
to pass fair bill at this session.
That sentiment is growing in favorof
such change in railroad rates as
will give industries chance to live
in the interior cities of Minnesota
there can be no question.
.s.j..-
The much talked of county option
bill was defeated Tuesday in the
house of representatives after an ex-
haustive debate by vote of SO to so.
The bill was promised by the speaker
full and fair hearing. It got such a
hearing. Everyone talked On it as
long as he wanted to. The roll was
only called on the bill when every
member who wished to speak on it
had been heard.
!. + 4
The widest latitude was allowed the
/ speakers. There we're no unseemly in
terruptions. And it may be said in
passing that the debate reached a
high plane. The speeches generally
were evidently carefully prepared; ;
some of them we're extraordinarily
good. Without detracting from the
merits of others this may be specially
said of the speech delivered by Mr..
Burnquist of St. Paul in favor of
county option. 1t was easily the best
speech yet delivered at this session,
clear, concise and to the point His
diction could scarcely have been i'm
proved upon, and the delivery was
that of an orator of no mean parts.
At it's conclusion a large number of
his colleagues took occasion to COM
pliment Mr.. Burnquist on his effort.
! 4, =. =.
It would clearly be beyond the
limits of this letter for me to give any
intelligent abstract of a debate which
occupied at least four hours. It may
be said, however, and I think this
criticism is fair, that generally the
arguments made against the bill were
directed rather against prohibition
than against the principle of a
measure designed to give the people
of the several counties the right to say
whether or not the licensed traffic in
intoxicating drinks should be carried
on within their county. The county
option bill is not prohibition
measure. Its enactment would not
necessarily close single saloon in
the state. All that it does is to make
the county the unit to which the
question of closing the saloons may
be submitted. This may be good
policy or it may be bad policy: and
to whether it is good or whether it
was bad, rather than to whether the
drink habit is good or bad thing,
or whether the effects of state prohi-
bition are good or bad, the debate
should have been addressed. Those
who favored county option addressed
themselves as a general thing much
more closely to this question of the
policy of submitting the question of
option to the people of the county
rather than the township, village or
municipality than those who opposed
it. The representatives from your
district, Messrs. Davis, Dunn and
Morton, all voted for the county
option bill.
The tephens-Saugstad contested
election case was the special order for
Tuesday in the senate. The night be-
fore Mr.. Stephens friends got busy.
Up to recently they have been claim
ing that they had enough votes to
seat Stephens, anyway. At that time
it was anticipated that the committee
would be divided on the question.
The unanimous report of the commit
tee in favor of Saugstad, however,
proved facer for them: Still they
did not give up. The plan was to
join the Stephens forces with the
forces friendly TO- Mr.. Farrington-
that is q a:coalition, between democrats
and republicans to seat them both.
Monday! evening they were specially
active getting their friends in line.
and Senator Smith, who had been
called in to direct the engagement.