The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-07-18
Committee Will Not
Urge Call Off Session
From Tuesdays Daily.

the ground that the committee was
exceeding it's prerogatives caused
the senate special committee on
public utilities, meeting at the cap
| itol Monday, to desist from its de-
termination to call on Governor Eb-
erhart mad ask him not to call a
special session, or if he has not
called it, to have it in January, in
stead of October.
The committee, after long hunt
| for the resolution under which it
was created, found that it was spe-
officially instructed to draw bill
for the regulation of all utilities,
and that it was without the discre-
tionary power given the house COM
mittee created under a similar reso-
luton.
1 The committee met at 10 a. m.
/ Chairman j. M. Hackney, st. Paul;
/ w. Cheadle, Duluth; w. S. OWN
nell, Minneapolis, and Ole Sageng,
| Dalton, were present. Chairman
Hackney read a letter from G. H.
| Sullivan of Saltwater, saying he
/ was in San Francisco, that he would
not be here until the end of the
month and asking that the meeting
/ be postponed.
The four constituted a quorum
and there was a general agreement
to adopt resolution, asking the
governor not to call the special ses-
sion, to call it next January if he
did call it at all, and to let the
committee know soon when he
could call it SO the committee could
fix it's hearings accordingly.
1 It's the Governors Business.
Just as they were ready to write
the resolution, Senators ]. A. Collier
of Shakopee and F. e. Putnam OF
Blue Earth came in: They were
| told what had been done
/ well, it's none of our business
to tell the governor what to do,''
said Collier. Putnam agreed with
him.
}. Dwinnell and Hackney suggested
they were only requesting" instead
of advising. Collier added that Oc-
tober was the worst month possible
for the session "But he's the gov
ernor and Pm not" he added.
Collier and Putnam agreed they
would join in a request that if the
session is called it be delayed until
January.
1--WE are instructed to prepare a
bill. We might advise him that
until next January is too short a
time to investigate so large a sub
ject,' said Chairman Hackney.
Wouldn't that be confessing in
competency" said Putnam.
, ct would rather be declaration
: that it is big subject" said Sag
eng.
t Has Been Threshed Out
"That might be true if it were {
; new subject" answered Putnam
; 'But the thing has been threshet
3 out in several other states"
D Putnam then moved that the com
Y mittee wait on the governor inform
! ally. Cheadle wanted a preamble
3 to the motion declaring that Their,
is no demand for an extra session
t 'We have right as individual
n to advise the governor on anythin.
|. we please, but as committee
p think we have no such right" Put
E nam answered to the demands tina
the committee ask that no specia
I session be called
From my standpoint / woul
J. rather see him call it in Octobe
e and get through in two days." sal
|, Cheadle, who is opposed to stat
n regulation of utilities.
t Senator Hackney said he though
k if they could not frame a bill b
n October all they could do was to te
IL the special session they were nc
e ready to report. They the commi
d tee decided to look up the resoll
@ ton under which it was appointed
S 1t was found to be a short par;
i graph of about thirty words, il
g structing the committee to bring i
A. bill for the control of public util
n ties at the next session
The committee then dropped bot
its resolution to the governor an
it's informal visit and decided I
- talk over the general subject of pu
lie utilities.
Series of Hearings.
Senator Dwinnell advocated
series of hearings at which peop
= who have studied the subject ma
: come in and give their views Sc
= ator Cheadle said that only peop
- who are directly interested wou
appear. Senator Hackney said tn;
y if only those who were intereste
? in utility plants would appear
was an indication there was no d
mand for legislation of this kind
Senator Collier said he would f
- vor either bill giving the munic
: palities and the state commissic
= current jurisdiction or else a bi
= giving the cities full control of a
> utilities wholly within the city. TIL
- started discussion as to where
- draw the line between intra-urba
and interurban utilities.
- ''The same company that owl
the Minneapolis General Electr
company has it's wires and supple
n light to the whole southern part
lie the state. We would not want
Mt give Minneapolis such control tn
at Its council could cripple the col
r. pany SO it would destroy our ser
IN ice," said Cheadle
T. The committee decided first