The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1913-02-25
Reapportionnnent
Passes the House
Northern Minnesota Wins in Fight
For Fair Representation in The
Legislature
H. H. DUNN FOUGHT MEASURE
Tonnage Tax Laid to Rest-SenatOrs
Favor Nom PARTISAN Law For
County Officers
|. H. DUNN FOUGHT MEASURE
by Grove E. WILSON,

RedppOT IlOIlHlent 10 IoW W NC 1ouSAI
out in the Senate.
A bill reasonably fair to all parts OF
the state passed the house Thursday
by big majority.
The vote followed one of the bitter
est fights ever waged in the Minnesota
legislature, marked by recourse to
every conceivable resort to delay, a.
mend or defeat the committee bill.
One of the leaders in the fight on re-
apportionment was II. H. Dunn of
Freedom county, former speaker of
the house. He was assisted by w. H.
Wescott, first lieutenant in the house
two years ago and C. M. Bendixen of
Redwood county.
The attack on the committee bill
went to the extent of introducing a
substitute measure fathered by Mr..
Dunn, Mr.. Wescott and Mr.. Bendixen
and others. The bill was so drafted as
to perpetuate the present unfair ad-
vantage held by the southern part of
the state. It's passage would have
meant the unbroken sway of certain
Influences not favored by the people
of the state.
Upon a test vote the Dumb endixen
amendment was defeated by aVote of
~ to As. Thus was effectually laid to
rest in the house the long drawn out
fight for life waged by certain inter-
ests.
Of course there will be hard fight
against reapportionment in the senate
but there has been prevalent during
the present term disposition in the
senate to be strictly fair on all mat
ters that come before it. If this Spir-
it continues and dominates the re-
stricting fight there is every reason to
believe that bill satisfactory to a
majority of the districts of the state
will be passed.
Victor l.. Johnson, chairman of the
senate reapportionmenr committee
contends that a careful checking of
the members of the upper house shows
that the bill as passed in the house
will 60 through the senate. Efforts
will be made to head off any amend
ments so that the measure will not
have to go back to the house.
The fight in the house on this ques-
ton was one Of the most spectacular
in years. The contest lasted for hours
and it was not until after the shades
of night had necessitated the lighting
of the electric lights that the vote was
taken. 1t was case of assault after
assault, flank movement following
flank movement but always the enc
mics of the bill being driven farther
and farther back from the goal of
their hopes.
The fight was longer drawn out than
that ON tonnage tax but was not so
tense. The vote on this measure was
close and the result really seemed in
doubt until the roll was called. Cleon
7. Knapp, the brilliant young member
from Chisholm, lead the fight against
the bill and so successfully did he
: marshall his forces that the measure,
loudly tauted to pass, lost by narrow
margin.
The leading feature of this scrap
was the castigation administered for
mer attorney general Young. Some
one referred to him as an authority
= and in an instant Knapp and Lewis C.
Spooner were after Young's record.
They cited a number of instances of
failure on his part to render opinion
later upheld by the courts. 1t was of
course bad form to drag Mr.. Young
into the debate but the defenders of
the measure first alluded to him and
thus invited the attack.
Sam Y. Gordon of Browns Valley
former president of the senate visited
that body Monday and was invited to
addre% +he senators. He spoke very
briefly lying that he was glad to
again have an opportunity to look
down upon the senator's since the peo-
pie of the state had refused him the
right to look up to them.
Mr.. Gordon was in town to attend
he annual convention of the state edi-
porial association. 1t was Mr.. Gordon
Tho placed in nomination for the
presidency Gunnar B. Bjornson Of
iinneota, whose election was predict
d in The Gazette of last week. Mr.
jornson was elected unanimously and