Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-03-29

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enough to add q few votes. The
brewery crowd knew that they had
votes enough to kill the bill in the
effective form in which it was in
PRODUCED and thew opposed every
vital amendment to make it less
effective through fear that it might
become so bad that some of their
men would vote for it. The peo-
pie ought to know that number OF
members who were a part of the
combination which opposed, the a.
doption of certain amendments
urged the failure to incorporate
these amendments in the bill as
their excuse for voting against i,
on it's final passage. Verify. "the
voice was Jacobs voice, but the
hands were the hands of Essau."
All these suggestions relate to
the roll call published above. which
defeated the progressive initiative
and referendum and ended the
first days fight.
The following morning the "spe-
cial order" was continued and the
brewery subterfuge was considered
1t is the opinion of the progessives
in the legislature and it is my opin-
ion that 1.-The Pfaender 35-per cent
bill" was presented largely for the
purpose of killing an effective
measure. This bill, as has been ex
planned in previous letters, was bad
at the beginning. But it was not
deemed sufficient that it provided
for percentages which made it
practically worthless. Its friends.
the brewery element, made it even
worse by amendments. They wanted
to make it so bad that the progress
sives would join with those of their
forces who were bold enough to op
pose any bill on the subject, and
vote against it.
First, MIR. Pfaender had adoped
an amendment which made it i'm
possible to initiate legislation with
less percentages than those named
in his bill.
| Then an amendment was adopted
which made it impossible for the
people to initiate constitutional
amendments as they could other
laws. This was aimed at such
questions as woman suffrage.
Next Mr.. Fowler championed an
amendment which provided a
further and almost insurmountable
handicap for the people by requir-
ing that each law initiated by
them must receive majority of all
votes cast at the election. instead
of majority of those voting on
that particular question.
AS final safeguard for the inter-
ests. two amendments aimed at or
ganized labor were voted into the
bill. The first, offered by Mr..
Hopkins, provided that the people
should not have the right to initiate
law unless it had been before the
legislature and had received at least
20 percent of the votes Of either
House or Senate; which would not
enable labor to use the law on many
of the reforms they are working
for, because a large number of their
measures are killed by committees
and never get even one vote on
their final passage. The other
amendment against organized labor
was offered by Mr.. Pfaender and
provided that the signers of an
initiative petition must be $50
distributed as to include at least
seven percentum of the legal voters
in each of at least three-ffths of the
counties of the state"
This 'wise" provision would
make it impossible for the Labor
element to initiate any law because
their forces are contested in few
centers.
With these many and ample safe
guards, the Pfaender bill was
passed by the following vote of 63
to so.
Those voting in the affirmative
were: A. V. Anderson. j. j.
Anderson. Boothroyd, Burnauist
Campbell, Clarke. Davies. Davis.
Ferguson. Fowler. Frankson,
Herzberg. Hillman. Holmberq,
Holten, Hopkins. Hurley, c. E.
Johnson, j. T. johnson, Just,
Keefe. Kelly, Klemer, Knapp,
KneeIand, Knutson. l. J. Lee. J. F.
Lee, S. N. Lee, Lennon, Lundeen.
McNeill, Mattson, Netting
Minnette, Morton, Nash, H Mel.
son, Nye. NyRren. O'Brien.
O'Neill. Palmer. Pfaender, Putnam,
Ribenack, Rice, Rines. Robertson,
Robinson, Rustad, Sampson
Schiller, Schwartz, Sulerud. Sulli.
van. Utecht. Voxland, Washburn,
Webb, White, Whiting and Wisni.
ewski-63
Those voting in the negative
we're: Aker, Andrew Anderson,
Bergen. Bouck, G. w. Brown, L.
D. Brown. Christie, Con|ey. Con.
verse, Denzer, Diessner, R. C.
Dunn, Edwards. Fuchs. Greene.
Hafften. Harding, Hauge. Hea,y,
HENSON. Jelinek, J. N johnson,