New Ulm review., 1913-03-19
81. Paul Letter

ST. Paul, Mimi.
Northern Minnesota counties are
up in arms over r. c. Dunn's good
roads" bill which has passed the
house. 1t is neither more nor less
than legalized pork barrel; re-
turn to the deplorable conditions
which the state highway commission
was supposed to correct. Is Mr..
Dunn trying to find new waters
upon which to launch a guberna-
torial boom? Is Henry Rines. speaker
OF the house, former county au-
ditor, seeking to start his political
craft by connivins at one of: the
worst forms Of pork barrels? It is
we'll known that he wants to become
state auditor and that he must get
support over the entire state, but
to try to get it at the expense of
this kind of legislation will prove
costly to him in the extreme.
Under the Dunn bill each county
gets one per cent of the new one
mill, or good roads tax. Irrespective
of size, condition or necessity each
county is put on a parity. This
means that Sc per cent of the good
TOduS luuu 10 OloLllUutSu C4u1AlJ
whether the county has few or many
townships, whether it is in need of
roads or not. That one per cent
will be put at the disposal of the
county boards to spend as they see
fit.
That is the kind of road legisla.
ton the "keen" progressive republi.
can leaders of the house are try
ing to foist upon the state. II the
bill is enacted into law by passing
the senate and Governor Eberhart's
veto the mill tax will be squandered
in patch road work.
But what of those large counties
to the north Of the twin cities, where
roads are of pressing necessity?
They will only receive one per cent
of the tax the same as the counties
in Southern Minnesota where road
development has reached more
advanced stage and where the devel.
opment of the country itself is not
retarded because Of lack of high.
ways.
The Dunn plan is the gang plan.
It reeks with politics and opens the
way for squandering public funds.
Mr.. Dunn has not lost hope of being
governor of this state. 1t is hope
he will cherish until the end. 1t
is pitiful to see political consider
ation wrap a measure of such vi.
tai Importance to the state as the
of the one mill road
tax authorized at the last election.
No fair minded man believes that
the North or South, East or West
should be Disseminated against in
this matter. The money should be
spent where it is most needed and
under rigid supervision. The road
scandals in this state under the
present system are too we'll known
and their banal effects too we'll ap-
preciated to warrant the opening of
a bigger pork barrel
r. G.. Dunn has posed as the father
of good roads. He has fought val.
iantly for good roads in the past.
His measure. however, is a step
backward. No doubt the good dem.
ocrats in the state will see the evil
effects of the Dunn bill and prevent
a legalized pork barrel.
Opposition to the amendment to the
state primary law which will make
the progressive party legal po
litical organization has developed in
the house. The opposition is head
ed by C. N. Orr, Ramsey county
member. chairman of the judiciary
committee and one of the floor
leaders of the Rines' organization.
It is significant that the opposition
should come from the progressive
wing of the republican party. The
have nothing to fear
and everything to gain in the legal
izing of the progressives. Putting
aside all political consideration, how
ever, it is only just and right that
the progressives should be recogniz
ed. If the Rines organization ap-
plies the steam roller now, it will
only boost the progressive cause.
Denial of recognition will give the
slogan it will also
attract thousands to their standards
who believe in fair play in politics
as we'll as in games of sport.
I. A. Caswell, clerk of the su-
preme court, one of the sharpest
thorns in the flesh of the Smith
Eberhart corporation, is said to be
interested in putting his office on
a salary basis and making it an ap-
pointive berth. There is bill be-
fore the house fixing salary and fees
and making it the duty of the SUI
preme court judges to appoint the
clerk. Probably Mr.. Caswell, who is
one of the best of political prophets,
sees ahead two years. He knows
that the republican party is hopeless
1y split and there is no prospect
that the breach will be healed in two
years There are the stand-patters,
the progressive republicans, the anti
Eberhart regulars and several other
shades of antis. 1t would be i'm
possible to classify the different
shades of republicans and near re.
publicans in Minnesota. Caswell
knows what is in the wind. He
has had a moistened finger tip to
the breeze for several months.
One of the best brazen bills be-
fore the legislature is that fathered
by Charles e. Keller, state fire mar