The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-01-10

make openly a losing fight. There Ia
some talk of their forming combina-
ton with the Democrats in an insur.
gent movement, but this is scarcely
likely to result in any thing more than
talk For one thing Lieutenant Gov
ernor Gordon has been extremely lib
eral with the Democratic members in
making committee assignments and for
another there is a generous sprinkling
of Democrats who would not act with
the old Republican leaders in any
event They find the progressive con-
tingent favored by the lieutenant gov
ernor more to their liking.
AS / write / have not yet learned
what faction of the house the speaker
Is the more likely to favor. l am told,
however, that r. G. Dunn, who would
have preferred to be on the roads
committee, has, because of his greater
knowledge of the subject incident to
his holding the Office of auditor for SO
many years, been drafted for the
Craftsmanship of the committee on
taxes and tax laws. L. C. Spooner
they say, will be chairman of the com
mittee on appropriations and W. A.
Mckenzie of Gaylord chairman of the
judiciary committee. 1t has not de-
veloped who will be chairman of the
temperance committee; whoever he is
he will be county option man and
those in the confidence of the speaker
assure me that in the house, as in the
.enate, county option bill will be
reported for passage whatever its ulti-
mate fate may be.
!. !. !.
Speaking of the committee on ap-
| preparations the appointment of Mr..
Spooner to its Craftsmanship, if indeed
he has been selected, will be an indi-
cation that in it log rolling will be
likely to find small favor. In this re-
| spect Mr.. Spooner is quite uncompro-
missing. Moreover, conditions this year
| under the new rule adopted will have
tendency to Illustrate the jobs which
under the old omnibus method it was
| comparatively easy to push through.
! This year there will be no omnibus
bill The regular appropriations will
be made under three heads. There
will be the educational appropriations,
/ the appropriations for state institu-
lions and the appropriations for state
maintenance-that is, the fixed
charges incident to the government of
the state. Other appropriations for
special or local purposes must here
after be made on their own merits,
each such appropriation to take it's
chance as a separate bill In this way
1t is hoped to head off unwarranted
raids on the state treasury.
The only other change of impor-
lance made this year in the rules
and it will govern proceedings both in
the house and senate-is designed to
prevent the pigeonholing of bills by
the committees. They must report
them out either favorably or unfavor
ably within twenty days unless fur.
Their time is granted. This is an ex
pertinent and in some quarters there
is considerable skepticism as tc
whether any improvement will result
The first furry of the session was
occasioned by the attempt of the ad
vanced progressives to introduce q
more radical rule They wanted tc
place members of committees on rec
ord as SUCH They sought to do it by
demanding that committees take a rol
call on all bills as they are reported
out and that such roll call be record
ed in the journal of the house This
was favored on the ground that the
people had right to demand the full
est publicity as to the actions of theil
representatives. If a bill was killed
in committee they had right to know
who was responsible for the slaughter
The argument was made that opposi
ton was often more effective in com
mittee than out of it and the people
ought to know where it came from
The proceedings of committees ought
it was claimed, to be as public as pro
ceedings on the floor.
!. X K
The rules committee took tn,
ground that desirable as it might b.
to put members on record while il
the discharge of their duties as mem
bers of committees the plan advocates
was impracticable on several grounds
First-If members knew that thei
votes were to be recorded many woult
find an excuse for being absent from
committee meetings and thus the prog
ress of legislation would be retarded
Second each representa-
tive is member of several commit
tees. These committees frequently
meet at the same time He could no