The Sauk Centre herald., 1911-01-19
GORDON GETS EN-
Makes His Committee Appoint
mentS to Suit Himself
Mr.. DUNN DOES WELL
Legislative Wheels, fabricated by
St. PauI's Hospitality, Be-
Gin to RevOIve
(st Paul Special to the Herald Jan. 10

est. Paul Special to the Herald Jan. 10
Senatorial courtesy was given a
black-eye and precedent was stripped
up the back'' generally in the APP
pointment of the senate committees.
The lieutenant governor followed a
most unique method in their selec-
tion. He took particular pains to
find out what position each senator
wanted and then gave them some
thing else. The appointments
can hardly be said to give general sat-
isfaction; general dissatisfaction is a
better term. This in itself is evil
dence of impartiality in appointment;
for when men get something and are
disappointed in what they get it is
prima facie evidence that there has
not been any partiality in the be-
stowal
The task of appointing these COM
mittees was specially difficult this
session. The senate was largely COM
posed of new men and the lieutenant
governor was new to public life. The
senate is exceptionally able and the
task of selecting heads of committees
from body of men who were all, or
nearly all, capable of heading any
committee is no easy one. There is
no question but the lieutenant COVER
nor himself is satisfied with his own
selections, and that he is pleased with
his choice. If he had tried to satisfy
everybody, there probably would have
been as much, or perhaps more dis
satisfaction than exists now, and he
himself would not have been pleased.
A man who has appointments to make
is ''chump" to bestow them on men
who are not satisfactory to himself.
The committee chairmen are all
senators of ability and whether or not
they are well qualified to perform
the special duties they are called up
on to exercise can only be determined
by their service.
The Importance of committees and
presiding officers in both national and
state legislatures is tremendously
overestimated by inexperienced legis-
lators and the general public. They
are not ''the whole thing" A COM
mittee report is of no value unless
sustained by majority and presid-
ing officer without majority to back
his rulings is the most helpless official
in the world.
A legislator who will support a
measure he believes is corrupt simply
because a committee has reported in
it's favor is indeed pitiable creature
and one who will sustain presiding
officer in a ruling he knows is wrong
is a Weakling who has no business in
legislative body. In this legislature,
unless it greatly bellies it's appearance,
measures must pass on their merits,
and rulings stand or fall on their JUS
tice.
Speaker Dunn announced the ap
pointments for the house committees
Jan. 10 and the house promptly ad-
journed to digest them.
Of course, everybody was satisfied.
A speaker who could, or would try to
satisfy everybody in matter as i'm
portant as this would not be worth
much as speaker or anything else.
One can judge public official better
by his critics than by those that laud
him. Taken as whole, while there
are some misfits, the house committees
are strong and well balanced. 1t has
been many years since either the sem
ate or the house has been so strongly
and capably organized as the present
one.
The present legislature promises
great things.
Already the political alignments of
the next campaign begin to shape
themselves in the legislature. It
does not take-a political prophet to
foresee that in two years we will be
in the midst of one of the most pic
turesque, and hotly contested politi-
cal campaigns ever carried on in this
state. Slowly, but none the less sure
", two well defined factions are crys-
talizing into shape. The line of dis
tinction is somewhat hazy and nebu-
lous at present, but it is there.
Strangely enough it is not based on
state issues but its foundation is laid
along national differences and distinc-