Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-04-12
E:!GIS I !! ! lJR
Ol 191 /
by LYNN HAINES

= ~ -
by LYNN. Hal
~~~~~~~~~~
Those twin infamies. senatorial
courtesy and tory tradition, have
individually and dually decreed that,
it is unparlimentary for a member
of any legislative body to tell the
truth concerning his colleagues.
Accordingly. when F. l. Klemer Of
Faribault charged that the commit
tees Of the House were packed for
the special interests" he started
something-which the people will
finish.
You know all about the incident
and its consequences down to date.
Every citizen of the state has heard
of Klemer long before this. So it
remains for me only to make few
interpretations Of the situation.
It happened when the judiciary
committee were astraddle one Of
the most important measures Of the
session and were slowly, surely
strangling it into insensibility.
This was. the C. L. Sulerud bill
granting to the people of Minnesota
the right to change their own con .
stitution by a majority Of the votes
cast for any amendment. Support
ed by the aforesaid senatorial
courtesy and tory tradition. which
supplied both protection and pre-.
cedent, the administration forces
had pummelled almost the last ex-
piring gasp from the helpless bill,
when Mr.. Klemer. mild and un-
armored, entered the arena.
John G. Lennon, who lives legis-
latively by virtue of senatorial
courtesy and tory tradition. had
just reuttered that convenient senti-
! ment. ALWAYS and forever the refuge
Of the reactionary-''st stand by the
committee, we must stand by the
report of the committee Then
Mr.. Klemer arose and in q soft
gentle voice. reminded him that
the committees were packed for the
special interests. The howell that
went up proved that his charges
were true If they had been un-
founded, and 'spoken only in the
heat Of debate they would have
been laughingly cast aside. That
would have been an excellent way
for the reactionaries. But Klemer
touched a tender spot. They were
guilty. ..>.
Here is another reason for 1.-THE
tempest in a. teapot. MIR. Klemer
is slender gentleman and very
very meek. His face is kindly and
his voice exceedingly sweet and
tender in all its tones. That was
why the reactionaries blundered. Up
to that epochical period Klemer had
stood consistently with the insur-
gents but had said little.: He was
mild and it seemed safe, perfectly
safe, for the administration
machine to proclaim their political
purity at his expense. Others had
made statements more unparli-
mentary than his. W. l. Nolan of
Minneapolis had asserted that the
brewers were busy as bees in the
present legislature. Special inter-
est members will stand for almost
any accusation rather than that they
are subject to the INSCRIPTIONS
brewery combine. But they knew
that Mr.. Nolan was experienced
and forceful and fearless. It was
different with Mr.. Klemer. He
didn't look loaded, so the bull
doing brigade proceeded to make
an example of him.
L. C. Spooner, Bob. Dunn, John
G. Lennon, Moriariyt, ct al.
simply could not restrain their
righteous indignation" and with
a display of voices and fists and
teeth intended to induce the mild
hammered. Mr.. Kllemer to retire
thru the keyhole. they demanded
that he apologize. Next Speaker
H. H. Dunn hied himself into the
clustering business and threatened
physical restitution for the insult.
Mr.. Klemer, still meek and mild.
arose to reply-and of course to
apologize. But he didn't. The
clustering had been overdone.
Instead. he reiterated his charge.
Whereupon the blnffing began
again and Bob Dunn moved the
appointment of a committee Of
three to inquire into the Klemer
incident. Speaker Dunn appointed
Bob Dunn, L. G. Spooner and Albert
Pfaender, which certainly gave
Mr. K1o,ooo,. Grounds f1~ h;o oho~cro