Morris tribune., 1912-06-07
ATTACKS EBERHART.
Gordon Defends His Record and
Compares 1t With Governors.

hl0N'' 0oN' D. L HoEuOH, HOW d
candidate for governor. makes a Wig
orous reply to Gov. Eberhart's at.
tempted criticism of his record. He
says: -
was nominated by Progressive
following. upon Progressive plat
form, With ii jealous eye upon
every Progressive measure. ! set
about early in my career as lieutenant
governor, to guard against every in
trigne of the old guard of reactionaries
to which Governor Eberhart then be-
longed and in whose bed he has ever
since slumbered. 1t is easily within
the memory of every man who reads
that bis political adherents vainly
threatened me with the taking out of
my hands of the appointment of the
senate committees. / rejoice now to
say that did appoint the senate COM
mittees myself. Here was where my
personality was felt. if at all, and
about here is where my duties ended;
but these committees were at all
times terror to the reactionary
crowd. and I now commend them to
the governor as among the most active,
conscientious and effective organiza-
tion of men who have sat in the leg
islative halls of this state since
date before his term as lieutenant
governor.
mean to stand responsible for
their work, and now charge that
the governor attempts to hide from
the notice of the voters his own re-
cord upon these matters as we'll as
th& record of these committees upon
the subjects of reapportionment and
primary elections. Let US see if they
dealt fairly and promptly with these
matters.
HISTORY OF BILL.
The first reapportionment bill, H.
F. ATT, passed the house and reached
the senate on Feb. 27, being referred
to the senate committee on reapportion-
ment.s Within a period of one week,
on March 8, the bill was reported
back With the recommendation that
it do pass. See Sen. Jr. PIP. 1885,
-533.
n,April 6, S. F. 912 was intro
duced by Senator Hanson and on April
10 this bill was reported back and
recommended for passage. Jr. of
Sen. PIP. 1O50-1129-1131.
And now as to the direct primary
bill, known as S. F. 6O3: On March
z, this bill introduced by the commit
tee on elections received it's first and
second reading and was placed on
general orders. On March 13, the
bill was made special order, and on
March 25 the bill was put on its final
passage and passed the senate by a
vote of 49 to 8, and the record will
show that most of the consistent
friends of the administration in the
state voted against the measure.
The bill was later amended in the
house and conference committee ap-
pointed by me on April II. 1t will
be noticed that the body over which
/ presided passed the bill on March
25. and that it then remained in the
house and did not return to the sem
ate for further action until April II.
This delay had much to do with the
defeat of the bill, for the measure
would surely have been for the unfor-
tunate incident which resulted in the
premature adjournment.
A COWARDLY ATTACK.
The go ernor reference to what
he terms ga forced adjournment"
amounts to an unwarranted and cow
andy attack on man who is defense
less because he is now dead. / refer
I'd the clerical error made by the late
W. A. Simonton. editor of the Glen
wood Gopher Press, who called the
roll on adjournment and handed to
me the roll call with the figures tran
slosed, thus causing me to ann ounce
the adjournment Of the senate. Mr..
Slmonton was in state of physical
exhaustion due to many nights of
hard and exacting labor, and he was
fully exonerated by myself and the
members of the senate after full in
vsstigation of all the facts. No one
| regretted the unfortunate incident
| more than did Mr.. Simonton, who was
! tie first to call my attention to the
error, and he himself worked heroi-
c3lly in assisting me in the futile at
tempt tore convene the senate.
i / have never assumed the role of
dictator to the state senate, but
want to add that the speed with which
my committee appointees dealt out
righteousness was a terror to the un.
washed.