The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1913-01-30
Hundreds Of Bills Before the
State Legislature.
PROMISES: TO Be THOROUGH
investigation Of Various State DEPART
ments Proposed by Repre-
sentative Spooner.
Especial Correspondence.)

st. Paul, Jan. $3.50 far the Min
nesota legislature has put only one
law on the statute books. and if an
act taxing the voters of the state
100000 for expenses incidental to
what it intends to do, but this need
not be taken as indicating that it is
going to fall down on the lawmaking
job. It has plenty of material to
work on. To date the sixty-three
members of the senate have supplied
the committees with no less than POS
bills to work on, while in the house
nearly 300 measures covering as
many subjects have been dumped
into the bill hopper The session is
now only fifteen days old and if the
supply keeps up those in charge will
be swamped in another month Why
this deluge is the natural question,
which is easily answered when it is
known that as far as the house is con-
cerned over half the members are
new. to the game and each must make
good on promises made during the
campaign: Then, too, there is the pro-
gressive movement, which has called
forth many needed reforms, and no
member DESTROYS of future political
preferment feels safe if he does not
at least father something along this
line. One of the most active in this
respect is DR.. w. T. Stone of Park
Rapids. That DR.. Stone desires a re-
turn to the legislature is perhaps
about the least of his troubles, but he
is so constituted that he is not happy
unless he is reconstructing some Of
the things that are. He works night
and day and if any expense is in
volved he pays the bill out of his own
pocket. There are a dozen others
just like him in the two bodies and it
is they who are providing the heavy
grist. They regard day of idleness
as practically theft. They always
answer to roll call and no committee
meeting is without their presence.
!. i ::
One of the long demanded reforms
advocated by Governor Eberhart in
his messages to the several legisla-
lures and repeated at the opening Of
the present session was a reorganiza-
ton of the present, governing bodies
OF the state The consolidation of
some of the, boards and the possible
wiping out of others he has repeated
ly suggested. Last week Senator
MOOnan of Waseca came to the gov
ernor's aid with a resolution pledg-
ing both bodies of the legislature to
the reforms demanded. It fell down
in the house through the interference
of Representative Spooner of Morris
and it now looks as if some of the
boards in question and Governor
Eberhart, who is responsible for those
composing them, were in for a bad
half hour. Mr.. Spooner proposes in
vestigating the various departments
first to the extent of seeing what they
have been doing toward earning their
salaries and the quiz that Mr.. Spoon
er will make will no doubt bring out
some interesting if not embarrassing
things
That the Morris man has no love
for the present administration is ap-
parent. In his campaign for govern
or, which was unsuccessful, his one
claim was that those serving under
Governor Eberhart and holding their
Jobs by reason of his generosity were
in. the handling of the.
peoples money and it is reasonably
certain that he is going to make good
his claim as member of the COM
mittee on accounts and expenditures
He has promised a thorough probe of
every department and the public can
be certain that nothing will be over
looked by Mr.. Spooner in getting at
the facts. In opposing the Moonan
resolution without first investigating
the departments which Governor
Eberhart desired consolidated or
as the case might be the
Morris man was bitter in his remarks
and practically intimated that the SEN
ator from Waseca was pulling chest
nuts out Of the fire for some one else.
In his remarks he did not even digni-
fy references to his excellency by Civ
ing him his official title. He spoke
Of him as that man Eberhart''
\ !. :.
There have not been any knock
down or drag out scenes so far !his
session, but former Speaker H. H.
Dunn of Albert Lea pinched several
toes last week and incidentally came
near causing a riot when, in com.
upon the reform propensities
of some he knew, he said: s'They
preached reform behind red nose
and shady past Representative
w. I. Nolan of Minneapolis, who in
the old days trotted with the boys and
had as high a speed record as any,
took the remark to himself and de-
manded an apology, which was as
promptly given by Mr. Dunn The
Albert Lea man. by the way. has
the sharpest tongue of any