Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-04-21
ROOSEVELT
TALKS PLAIN
MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE Ap-
vIsED As TO ITS DUTY ON
DREADED TOPICS.
PENDING LEGISLATION HIT HARD
Former President Addresses Joint
Bodies Of Assembly on Issues
Conservative Progressive
Stand Taken.

0'' FauI, April 15.--Styling himself
II progressive and mounting souarel,
upon progressive platform. Theodor.
Roosevelt, former president Of ths
United States. advised the Minneso+s
legislature as to its duty. Addressina
the Joint bodies Of the assembly and
speaking with the clear enunoiatiou
which is his custom, and talking with
out notes or manuscript, the forme,
president discussed pending lexisla
ton, preached his doctrine Of duty. >
discussed the duty of representative
and urged cleanliness in politics.
He declared for the direct election
OF United States senators, but by in
ference. though without saying so, in
timated that the arrangement of such
plan might be left to the national
congress.
He approved the progressive legisla-
ton Of the Minnesota legislature. but
aligned himself with the more copser.
vatfve progressfves of the state rather
than with the radical element.
Favors Initiative and Referendum.
He declared for the initiative and
referendum, but decried the low per-
centages which would have been at
tachd to the bill as was urged by the
more radical members of the Mime.
sofa house. BY inference. he approved
the bill as it was finally passed by the
house with high percentage. He
would see the percentages governing
the invoking Of either the initiative or
referendum SO high that it could not
be lightly or frivolously used.
He failed to go on record as favor
ing the recall, although by inference
he did approve 1t, but specifically in
sisted it should not apply to the judi
ciary. He qualified this also by say
ing that judges should be in touch
with the needs. q the times, that q
Judge was . public servant, and that
some measure q recall or Of ending
. judges service should be evolved,
and recommended that plan should
be evolved which would make it pos
sible for majority Of the legislature
to remove q fudge from ONCE.
He declared himself in favor Of a
direct primary, bot insisted 1t should
be accompanied By . stringent cor
rupt practices cot, because without
such an accompanying act, he said, 1t
would encourage the lavish expendi-
ture Of money.
Speaking Of tie duty Of represen-
tative. he insisted . representative
should represent the sentiment Of his
constituency, but qualified this, also,
by saying that he owed Z higher duty
to his conscience. and II he thought a
measure was wrong he should oppose
it, even If his constituency demanded
1t. He urged that a constituency owed
. duty to its representative.
It was a Enthusiastically Roose-
veltian address. It abounded in senti-
ments Of high ideals in politics. ex-
pressed at times with daring and orig
inality and at other times clothed in
the language Of platitude and --LATEST
truism.
Occasion . Notable One.
The occasion for the address was as
notable as the address itself. The
president was the guest Of the
state of Minnesota. He had been in
vited to stop OF on his way homo
from the West, to address both houses
Of the legislature. Arriving in st.
Paul he was at once escorted to the
Saint Paul hotel by the committee
which had been appointed from both
houses and which included Governor
Eberhart and Hugh T. Halbert of the
st. Paul Roosevelt club
The address was staged in the
house chamber. The speakers desk
was empowered in flowers and every
seat in the chamber and in the gal
eries were filled, while every bit Of
available space was used for extra
chairs.
Members All Present.
Practically all Of the members of
he house and senate were present,
Speaker Dunn was notably
absent.
Colonel Roosevelt spoke for nearly
IN hour and afterwards was taken to
lis train, stopping first at the Saint
PAUL hotel for an informal reception.