The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-03-04

much breath can be wasted in a leg
islative hall to seemingly little avail.
Was there a vote changed in this
nine-hour debate?
There were some votes in doubt.
But the possesseors of these votes had
probably decided how they would vote
long before the debate opened and
kept silent.
Henry Stoezel, Stearns county rep
resentative, had lively afternoon.
He was absolutely opposed to the bill.
His desk is close to the reporters ia
BILE in the House. When the debate
for the bill grew too strong for him to
bear, Henry just naturally exploded
and turning to the reporters table
took the newspapermen into his con-
fidence.
"Humph," said he. listen to them
talk about the evils of the saloon. In
Stearns county we have had saloons
for many years. l defy you to show
me better county in which to live.
We have have the finest diaries,
schools of the best and law-abiding
citizens. Liquor does not cause
trouble in Stearns county because the
people there know how to use it prop
erly."
Representative Gunnar Bjornson
compelled hearty laugh when in re-
ferring to quotation from the Bible
in the House he observed:
~ have never found in the Bible
the words Thou shall not vote for
county OPTION"
A full gallery attended the debate.
1t was a gallery of interested specta-
tors. There were those enthusiasts
who see but the moral side of an issue
Those who fail to recognize the prac-
teal consequences of law. There
were those who had a great heart m
terest in the success of the bill; they
knew their jobs depended upon the
measure. Many men and their wives
that could get away from the brewery
offices stayed out those nine hours
only to see their hopes dashed to the
grounds, their jobs in jeopardy.
The bill had passed.
Frank E. Minette, Sank Centre rep
resentative, is p happy man.
His. telephone bill passed the House
withHa vote of 1913 to 0. Few are the
bills that have not some few solons
against them, but this bill proved to
be the exception. The Minette bill
was vetoed two years ago by Cover
nor Eberhart. The most interesting
features of the bill are those requir-
ing physical connection between diff
ferent systems and the regulation of
telephone rates by the railroad and
warehouse commission.
Amendment No. 9 proved a bonner
ang for the State Forest Service.
Their budget was sheared down by
the Senate committee on finance from
$4,000 a year to $4,000. This
amount will be barely enough to keep
the service alive.
But to get back to No. 9. The
drums were beaten long and loud for
the passage of this amendment. 1t
was the only one that did get it's ma
jority. That was because of publicity
which before election threatened to
cause its defeat. AS more posters be-
gan to appear throughout the state
and more newspaper articles were
printed telling of the benefits that
passage of the amendment would
mean, the people began to get suspic-
ious. They did not "fall for" the ex-
travagant claims made by supporters
of the amendment that it would re-
duce taxes and provide employment
for thousands of people and not cost
the state cent.
"Who is paying for this publicity"
said many man. That members of
the Legislature got it into their heads
that state funds were used to boost
the amendment was evident at a pub
lie hearing on the forest service bud
get. So they cut the budget.
William T. Cox, state forester, has
claimed all along that the publicity
campaign for No. 9 was paid for by
private subscription. He has said the
amendment would not cost anything
and then turned around and suggest
ed soil survey be made of the state
before No. 9 could go into affect.
That soil survey will cost some
thing, don't you think?
x**
Governor Hammond kept the word
of his Red Wing speech when he said
that the governor must bow to the
will OF the people expressed through
the Legislature and signed the coun-
ty option bill.
Governor Hammond never said di-
rectly that he would or would not
sign the bill but intimated the course
he has pursued.
The old jinx number "23" was at
tached to the law by julius A.
Schmahl, secretary of state, who
numbers the laws as they come in.
The county option law will be chapter
% of the laws of 1915.
wonder if 49, spells trouble for
the bill? 2" Cyrus Stone.