The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-03-22
Bill Providing for Non-Partisan
Nomination of Supreme and Dis
trict Court Judges Favored.
GOV. AND PENDERGAST CLASH
Eberhart and Bemidji Man Have Spat
Which Causes Resignation, to
Take E fleet April l.
(By 2. A. WILSON,
senlidji Pioneer Legislative Buro

(By 2. A. WILSON,
sen,idji Pioneer Legislative 3uresa
St. Paul, March 22.-The power
of one vote was dramatically illus
trated in the senate, yesterday after
noon, when the Putnam bill provid-
ing nOn-partisan nomination for
supreme court justices and district
court judges, was passed after a
dramatic ten minutes during which
the fate of the bill was in the bal
ance. 1t takes 80 votes to pass
bill in the senate The roll was
called Oh the Putnam Dill and the
vote stood 80 to 81 in favor of it's
passage. During the call the SER
geant at arms and pages were scour-
ing the capital for Senator Schaller
of Hastings. He could not be found
and all the senators present were re-
corded, with Schaller and one vote
still missing. Lieutenant Governor
Gordon refused, however, to close.
the vote until every effort to locate
the Hastings senator had been made
and just as he poised his gavel, the
bang of which would mean the death
knell of the measure, the figure of
Senator Schaller slid through the
side door of the senate chamber.
"Schaller," shouted the reading
clerk.
Here responded the senator, and
a wave Of laughter ensued.
How do you vote on Senate File
l77?" queried the clerk.
Aye" yelled Schaller as the
friends of the bill broke into ap-
plause which quickly subsidized when
Senator Glotzbach shouted: Il
change my vote from aye to no.
This again left the bill in dire
need Of one more vote. Its author
and it's friends had accepted the YER
dict as final and the reading clerk
was verifying the roll call when
Senator A. c. Olson of Window,
Jackson county, arose in his seat
and saved the bill by quietly remark
ing: Il change my vote from no to
aye
The Putnam bill. which now goes
to the house for its sanction, was
presented at the instance of the
board of governors of the state bar
association and provides that on
Tuesday, five weeks before any gener-
al election at which a justice or judge
is to be elected, there shall be held
in each judicial district a judicial
convention, provided that if no SUI
preme court justice is to be elected,
district judicial conventions shall be
held only in the judicial districts in
which district judeg is to be elect
ed for the purpose of nominating can
didates for such district judges.
The Putnam bill came up as a
special order of business at 1870
yesterday afternoon together with
primary election bills presented by
the committee on elections, Senator
Nelson and Senator Moonan.
The committee bill was taken up.
1t provides for an extension of the
primary system to include state Of
fcers Senator Moonan proposed
several amendments which were
adopted and the measure was still
under consideration when the SEN
ate adjourned at 5 o'clock.
x x X
Subscription, voting, guessing
and riddle contests may be continued
by the newspapers of Minnesota so
far as the legislature is concerned,
the house having voted to kill the
bill seeking to make such contests
unlawful. -. ss...
XXX
News of the death of Representa-
tive W. A. Fisher of Minneapolis
was announced when the house con-
vened yesterday and that body i'm
,mediately adjourned out of respect