Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1915-01-06
1hirty-ninth Session Assemblies
= at St. Paul.
WOULD CHANGE PRIMARY Ma Law
Conference of Republican Leaders Op:
rosed to Recent "Fads" Put
Over by Lawmakers.

st. Paul-(SpeciaD- week the
Thirty-ninth Minnesota legislature il
assembling and it's organization is be-
ing watched with interest. For the
first time in it's history those compos'
ing the two lawmaking bodies are OF.
ticially without political utilization.
The two are nonpartisan. When this
letter was written the house was. bat
Ting on the question of who would be
speaker and the senate was in the
throes of fight over the distribution
OF patronage. Altogether it was an
eventful week. Perhaps at no time
in it's history has the Minnesota house
OF representatives been confronted
with a speakership fight with the floor
of the house as battle ground, while
as to the cutting up of the jobs in the
senate only on one or two occasions
has the contest been carried right NJ
to the time of converting. g Both are
burning propositions this time anc the
outcome is being awaited with inter
est. For over eight weeks now the
speakership of the house has been in
the balance, with H. H. Flowers OF
lie Sueur and S. Y. Gordon Of Browns
Valley, former lieutenant governor,
each claiming the plum, and when the
session opened Tuesday each was as
confident as ever regarding the out.
come. Gordon had known backing
of sixty-three, but Flowers was un,
willing to make public the names on
his list. While the principle scram-
BILE for jobs is in the senate, where
two factions are fighting for the mas
terry, the house is by no means free
from trouble of this kind. Several
weeks will likely be necessary to
make the distribution. In the house
ten of the positions, like clerk and
sergeant-of-arms; are elective and the
plan up to the time of converting was
to apportion them by. districts. Not
in years has the number of applicants
for the5hundred or more jobs at the
command Of theztWo houses been SO
nu nlesaas " -. - - Sc
AS you probably know the old guard
In the, senate fell by the wayside in
the recent election and this fact has
| made the apportioning of the usual
( jobs rather difficult. In the old days
! only those in the combine we've favor
ed, but there is no combine now and
| hoe 1<>l %o
| creation of one with the few old sen,
ators remaining and the old house
members elected to the senate this
year. This would provide the neces-
sary majority for the controlling of
the patronage. but when the upper
body met Tuesday faction headed
by Senator Sageng of Otter Tail coun.
| ty gave it out cold that they would
fight the proposition to the bitter end
The scheme for the control of the
patronage is backed by Senator Sui
livan of Saltwater and Senator Wise
OF lie Sueur county. There are about
fifty Jobs at the command of the sen
ate and the majority of them q
quite desirable
| X !. !.
The proposed rehabilitation of Il e
Republican party in Minnesota was
responsible for a large gathering of
the faithful in st. Paul and if plans
outlined are carried out a big Repub
lican rally will be held either in Min
neapolis or St. Paul some time next
July. 1t will be in the nature of 4
convention and it is possible that
candidates FOR state Offices will be en-
dorsed and a platform adopted. While
the old guard was heavily in evidence
still there were many present inter
ested in the return of the state c. O
P. to it's old form and as a result OF
their efforts an. organization to be
known as the Republican League OF
Minnesota was perfected. w. r
Verify of Wadena, who issued the
call for the meeting, was named Us
it's first president. Organizers were
selected for each county.
!. !. !.
One significant feature of the gath
ering was the unanimous opinion thai
: if the Republican party is to agar
|. control in Minnesota the statute books
must be rid without delay of mum
Der of primary and election "fads,
products of the last two legislatures
{ The direct primary law and the nc n
= partisan features of the same, was
vigorously assailed. 1t was pointed
out that both had we'll nigh put the
party out Of business in Minnesota
/, That bills for the repeal Of both ant
the substitution of legalized convt !,
ton will be offered at the present ses
81 sion of the legislature is certain, blu
i, that they will pass is hardly, likely
I The Demo catic members, who have
profted by The direct primary and tht
nonpartisan feature Of the law, vii
T not permit it and there. is a #possibis
ity@ that if The repeal Of the two wa:
brought tout Governor l# Harmon
would prevent#it With his veto..sss.1} % IA
b Democrat ant he non partisan Sst
Sifact ext ended To- the stat & offices .ASs5I