The Ely miner., 1911-01-27
Minnesota legislature
Proceedings at the Minnesota State Capitol for the
Past Week.
Past Week

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st. Paul, Jan. 1S-Planning the con-
struction of an intricate canal system,
which shall form complete network
over Minnesota. Representative l.. c..
| Spooner introduced a bill which may
have incaIcuable influence on the in
ternal development of the state.
Mr.. Spooner's bill calls for an ap-
preparation of $4,000 and authorizes
the governor. the attorney general and
the state auditor to investigate the
feasibility of the proposed plan.
This is what is known as the Mer-
shon system of canalization and was
first presented to the state legislature
by F. D. Mershon two years ago. 1t
| involves connecting the Lake of the
Woods with the Red River of the
| North, draining the Red River valley,
carrying the water to the Minnesota
river, developing the Minnesota river
from st. Cloud to the Twin Cities and
then connecting by means of the St.
Croix and other streams and the neces-
sary artificial channels with Lake Su-
| perior. 1t is planned to make this
channel deep enough to carry vassels
plying on the lakes. Connected with
| this idea Is a plan to develop the
Mississippi river from Minneapolis to
the gulf.
The explicit route of the proposed
system of canals involves connecting
the Lake of the Woods with Lake
Traverse at interstate crossing, con-
structing large canal connecting
Vermillion lake with Red lake and
developing water powers along the
line.
Then comes another barge canal,
connecting Red lake with the barge
canal first mentioned. A dyke or dam
| about 20 feet high is to be construct
ed near the interstate crossing, and
another dam is to be built near Gran
ite Falls, 80 feet high, in the Mime
sofa river, creating between the two
dams a permanent inland sea in the
valley Of the Minnesota river, while a
ship canal is to connect this sea or
lake near Sauk Rapids or st. Cloud
with the Mississippi river.
E Drainage canals are to be con-
structed to carry the flood or overflow
water of the surrounding country into
the barge canal, or into the inland
lake.
The plan calls for the construction
of an intercity harbor in the gorge
Of the Mississippi river below st. An
thony falls. The canal system north
to Lake Superior will run by way of
the Rum, Kettle and Snake rivers, run
ming northeasterly from ST. Cloud, con.
Meeting with the upper st. Croix river;
thence down the Bois Brule river to
Lake Superior, the ship canal to be
connected with the ST. Croix river by
q channel navigable for the river
boats.
Reapportionment hopes of Northern
Minnesota were advanced at the Joint
session of the house and senate reap
portionment committees.
Senator Hackney, chairman of the
senate committee, was made chairman
of the joint committee. He immedi-
ately asked Representative Congdon
to read three rules that the two had
agreed on as tentative means of limit
ing the field Of activity within broad
lines.
The first was that the maximum for
membership under the new reppor-
tionment should be 63 senators and
126 representatives. This would leave
the senate unchanged numerically, but
would increase the house by nine.
The second was that county lines
should be left intact as far as prac-
ticable. In Hennepin, Ramsey and
st. Louis counties the county lines
would have to be cut; or, where there
were cities like ST. Cloud, situated in
three counties, the county lines would
have to be sSvered, but whenever pos
sible the county lines should be kept.
The third was that, in fixing the
bounds of legislative districts, after
grouping of counties for the purpose
of allotting senators and representa-
tives on a population basis, each such
group should have the privilege, by it's
representatives, of suggesting to the
chairmen Of both house and senate
committees how the groups should be
divided into districts. The written
statement Of Mr.. Congdon said the
reason for this provision was that the
different sections understood the con-
ditions in their own parts of the state
better than anyone else could, and to
have each section of the state divide
itself would save the entire committee
lot of work.
J. A. A. Burnquisr, recently defeated
candidate for speaker of the house and
chairman of the committee on normal
schools, introduced his first bill for an
appropriation of about 100000 for the
maintenance of the five state normal
schools of the state. The appropria-
tion is to be distributed as follows:
Winona, $73,950; Mankato, $193, ,050;
St. Cloud, $161,350; Moorhead, $142,-
200; Duluth, $69,500.
Representative Fisher, of Minneapo-
lis, has introduced bill which would
restrict the expenditures of candidates
for election to state and county Of
| fees.