The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1911-04-20
VOLUME XXXV. NO. IL

VOLUME XXXV. NO. II
ty party will center about one candi-
date. The result is that the majority
party's vote is scattered, while the
minority party's vote is concentrated.
It means, assuming these conditions
to prevail, that the minority becomes
the majority and the fewer people
dictate the election of q United
States senator to the greater number.
The democrats in their plan. to
adopt the Oregon scheme, it is under
stood, received the approval and aid
OF men like c. A. Congdon, Frank B.
Kellogg, T. B. Walker, and others
who are expected to become candi-
dates for the United States senate two
years hence, and in whose pathway of
ambition the hardy Morse figure of
Knute Nelson looms in large proper
ton. 49, /
Governor Eberhart has given no
sign that will indicate whether he will
sign or veto this bill. The measure
will probably be the test of nerve and
courage which the present executive
may or may not possess.
Probably the measure upon which
the legislature will be- judged, and
with special reference to the upper
body, is reapportionment. The re-
publican party pledged itself to reap
portion the state on the basis of popu-
lation in accordance with the consti-
tuition. This pledge was for immedi-
ate reapportionment, which meant
that the senators voting for it would
vote themselves out of Office. The
Congdon bill was introduced in the
house and largely through the infu-
ence of Speaker Dunn was passed by
an overwhelming majority. When it
came to the senate trouble commenced.
Governor Eberhart, elected on the re-
publican platform, used every effort
to carry out the pledge of that plat
form. The senate organization was
opposed to him at the outset. Men,
bers from the cities and from northern
Minnesota protested to be for reap
portionment, but with two or three
exceptions few of them were heartily
or sincerely for it. Senator D. M.
Gum of Grand Rapids is a notable
exception to this hypothetical in
dictment. Senator Gum was heartily
and wholly in favor of reapportion-
ment and had all the reapportion-
ment senators been as sincere as he,
the platform pledge would have been
adopted. Most of the democratic
senators, comprising the ssbrainiests
portion of the upper body, are from
southern Minnesota. They we're
heartily opposed to any reapportion-
ment and succeeded in lining up re-
publican senator's with them. The
Congdon bill was defeated on the
ground that it was unfair, but the
real reason was, more likely, that it
would vote the senators out of Office.
After having gone on record in this
way, the senators could not con-
sistently see their way clear to vote
any kind of a reapportionment bill to
take effect now or later. Senators
Moonan, Duxbury, Haycraft and
Weis then introduced constitutional
amendment which would limit the
number of senator's from any county
to six. This was introduced largely
for the purpose of giving the senator's
an opportunity to allege as an excuse
for not voting reapportionment that
the constitutional amendment was
pending and therefore they would not
be justified in passing reapportion-
ment measure until the people had de-
cided the question for themselves.
Governor Eberhart, anticipating
this move, secured the Introduction of
a bill in the name of Senator Hanson
similar to a measure which purported
to be under discussion, through the
authorship of Clague and Roekne, but
which had been unaccountably de-
layed. The only difference was that
it declared for immediate reapportion-
ment. Contrary to the usual courtesy
extended to bills emanating from the
executive, objections were made that
day by Senator Collier on the ground
that the time had passed for the intro
duction of bills and the objection was
sustained by Lieutenant Governor
Gordon. That night the anti-reap-
fportionment senators met and de-
cided to push the constitutional
amendment. They brought it up the
nextsday and passed it, later killing
the Hanson reapportionment bill by
viva voce vote. The bill then went to
the :: house, which had previously