Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-03-10

scenes ever witnessed in the Mime
sofa House, the matter was postponr
ed and a vote avoided.
Initiative and Referendum.
, March 3rd, the House passed good
initiative and referendum bill, with
only II votes against it. Only twelve
who were willing to go on record as
believing that the legislature is al
ways wiser than the people who elect
them, and that the people who elect
be trusted with any direct power in
their own hands.
And there were no efforts to spoil
the bill by amendments, as was the
case two years ago.
Many Of the reactionaries Of two
years ago had been relegated to priv
ate life and most of the others had
learned wisdom.
The discussion was brief but rath-
or warm, and the bill passed with on
ly twelve votes against it.
Nine of the twelve opponents are
new men. The people should be able
to get some Of them at the next elec-
ton.
It will be we'll to remember these
twelve men who regard it their duty
to save the people from themselves,
lest they wreck the State thru their
ignorance.
Here are twelve apostles who took
it upon themselves to save our sacred
institutions from the anarchistic spoil
ers who would pull down the pillars
of the temple and bury us all in the
| ruins:
Larimore, Lydiard. Harrison, Con-
don and Girling of Hennepin; Roden-
berg of St. Paul: Bouck of Morrison;
Carmichael of Dakota, Gerlich of Blue
Earth, Gilman of Stearns; Papke of
Waseca and Schroeder of Martin.
Equal Suffrage.
Equal Suffrage was killed in the
Senate March 4th. The vote was very
close 80 to "a. A. S. Campbell of Aus
tin could not be found for some time
and the vote was tie. He was final
ly found and voted with the reaction
aries.
Three Senators, Gross, Hilbert and
Adams voted against the bill who had
written letters practically pledging
their votes for it. But these letters
were written before election. After
election it was different matter.
The only question before the Sen
ate was the plain proposition to refer
to the voters of the State and let them
denote whether or not women should
be granted the right to vote.
1t is hard to understand the frame
Of mind Of the man who is not willing
to trust the people to decide such
great questions.
Who are you, Senators, that you
should assume that you, and you
alone, are the people, and that wisdom
will be sure to die with you?
| Repeal Of the Elwell Road Law.
In the Senate the Elwell road law
was repealed by vote Of 80 to Is af
ter long discussion that pretty thoro
ly thrashed out all the good and bad
features of the law.
i Several Senators announced that
they had been convinced by the argu
ment that the law should be repealed
tho they had expected to vote against
repeal. VIM. A. Campbell of Mime
} apolis, was the only city senator tc
vote for the bill.
Land Boomers and Their Methods.
o Patriotism, what crimes are com
mitted in thy name!
Under the present law even one
member Of County board can pre-
vent any County money from being
used to boost the work Of the so-callet
development Societies." that are or
ganized to develop" the "county's re
sources"
Now strictly speaking the County
does not own a dollars worth Of re
sources. All the resources are owned
by private land spectators, and they
should be permitted to pay their owl
advertising bills.
: But they want the county to help
: and so they try to let down the bar.
; and change the law so that it will on
ly require a three-fourth's vote to take
. county money for their private
: schemes.
r Carmichael, Stenvick, Minette ant
, Erickson strongly supported the meas
, ure. Under the spurious plea Of help
ing to develop the county resources,
J they were most vigorously opposed b,
| Adams, M. Johnson, Morken, Bjorn
) son, and Christensen, who laid bare
the whole proposition to raid thu
r county treasures for the benefit O.
. private land speculations, and thu
7 scheme was defeated GO to 30.
All schemes of this kind ought t
: be defeated.
However honest their promoters
: may be land we need not charge then
with dishonesty they certainly have
a very incorrect idea of what public
T money is for.
T Public funds should never be useG
for private advertising schemes, anC
the present law that permits it by
even an unanimous vote of the county
, commissioners should be repealed.
Mr.. Christensen declared he would
bring in a bill to repeal all such stat
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