The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-01-10
GORDON NEARLY
SHORN OF POWER
Coalition Of Senators Against
Lieutenant Governor.
FAILS FOR LACK OF TWO VOTES
Scheme Was to Take From Presiding
Officer the Authority to Name
the Committees.

st. Paul, Jan. 2-Lieutenant Gov.
ernor Gordon has not realized how
near he came to having the appointive
power taken from him by the senators,
so far as the appointing of the stand.
ing committees of that body are con.
cerned. Now and then he heard rum.
blings of wing-clipping, the rumbling
similar to that preceding past sessions
of the legislature. Alarmed at the
rumblings he would have one or two
of his reportorial friends on the daily
newspapers give vent to his alarms.
but even they were unable to ferret
out the real truth-serious in the ex,
treme-of the combination that was
being perfected, and which went to
pieces about 1870 o'clock of Wednes
day, Dec. %, 1910.
:. !. !.
The lieutenant governor had been
keeping mum regarding the announce
ment of the makeup of the committee
list This gave currency to the rumor
that cabinet, consisting of his secre
tary, ]. S. Arneson; his close friend
court, and Senators Clague of Red
wood and Putnam of Faribault, and
the official himself, would be the power
of naming the machinery of the 1911
senate. 1t was even told by one of
the officials newspaper friends that
Of
Sullivan, Dunn, Cook and others, were
to be relegated to the rear, taken from
the important committees over which
they presided in past years, and their
places given to the alleged reform ele-
ment of the senate. For instance, Put
nam was to replace Wilson as head of
the judiciary, Clague was to go to
taxes, and so on down the list, while
the committee on elections was to be
composed of men who, from the very
outset, would be opposed to the seat
ing of A. D Stephens and Ray Earring
ton in their contests for seats in the
senate.
i. !. !.
So serious became this report of the
framing of cabinet for the turning
down of what is known as the old guard
senators that two or three of the lat
ter held meeting two weeks before
the date given above. One of them
was finally delegated to see Senator
Wilson of Hennepin county with the
view of having the latter ascertain
just what attitude the senators from
that county would take in case coali-
ton was attempted. Another senator
was designated to see Senator Works,
the leader of the Democracy on the
floor OF the senate, as to what attitude
the Democrats would assume The
senator designated to interview Sen
ator Wilson received this reply: go
ahead and frame up; we apparently
can't do any worse than what is being
attempted; let the Democrats have all
the chairmanships if they will play it
out, and, above all, let Senator Schal-
Ter have my place as the head of the
judiciary" The senator agreed fur
ther to interview the other senators
from his county and ascertain whether
all, or any part of them, would play
the game out.
!. i. !.
In the meantime report came in
from Senator Works. Eighteen Dem
ocratic senators agreed to stand by
the coalition, with the understanding
that the chairmanships were to be
equally divided, the Republicans max
ing the first selection, the Democrats
the second, and so on. One more Dem
ocratic vote was promised in case Sen
ator harrington was seated. With
eighteen Democratic senators hitched
only fourteen Republican senators
were necessary, but fifteen was de
cided upon as safer number The
coalition leaders came to st. Paul
about the 9th, and commenced count
ing Republican noses. 1t was found
safe, providing Hennepin would add
two Republican votes. On the after
noon of Dec. 81 the Hennepin group
was called together, and it was after
that gathering that Senator Wilson
apprised his conferees that the group,
or no part of it, could lend its assist
ance, for the reason that they repre-
sented so many interests they could
Ill afford to have the presiding officer
opposed to them in their attempted
protection Of those interests. Further,
they knew nothing of what the official
purposed doing, and that they would
have to be content with any assign
ments he might give them. This little
information caused dismay among the
other attempted coalitionists, but the
next day they attempted to once more
find terra firma and organize without
the Hennepin assistance. There were
still fourteen senators willing to play
with the Democratic group, but one of
the coalitionists got "cold feet" at the
meeting, declared the chances too
great, and the whole attempt was
abandoned, leaving the lieutenant gov
ernor the supreme appointive power
and the mikado of the senate.