Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-01-27
THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE.
BY I. M. Kalnes.

The "oflcial" county option bill has
appeared in the Senate and the Anti
Saloon League let Senator Peterson
of Moorhead introduce this "official
bill. Senator Peterson had previous
ly introduced a county option bill of
his own making to live up to a cam
paign pledge.
It Is said that all the Prohibition
members will vote for the county op-
ton bill as we'll as the Lobeck bill.
This will follow out the policy of the
Prohibition members in the House
when they all voted for Gordon for
speaker. "You don't have to tie a
tin can to us to know where you have
u.s." said one of the Prohibition House
members when asked If he would vote
for the county option bill.
Next to the prohibition question, the
most important issue in the present
legislature, up to the present time, is
the road question. The new road laws
are immensely unpopular with the
farmers of the state. From all parts
of the state, the complaints against
the workings Of the road laws adopt
ed two years ago are loud and insist
ent. A number of the members of
both houses were elected on the road
law issue. A. V. Anderson of Good
hue county who was formerly men,
Der of the House as Prohibitionist
and who came back under the nom
partisan law found that prohibition in
his campaign was not an issue after
the primaries, as his opponent also
declared for it, but he made one cam
paign pledge to his constituents which
was to introduce bill for the repeal
Of the Elwell road law the very first
crack. This pledge, he kept to the
letter. Senator Vermilya of Olmstead
county has introduced a similar bill
in the Senate. The road law question
Is an issue upon which the lines will
be tightly drawn. The city members
favor the present laws, but country
members generally are for repeal.
The Bob Dunn law is also being as
sailed and it will in all probability be
materially amended. Fighting Bob is
himself a member of the Senate, and
he wont see his pet child manned
without a fierce fight.
The Minnette telephone bill which
passed the legislature two years ago,
but was vetoed by Eberhart is again
on the boards. In the Senate it is han
died by Holmberg, Rockne and Ben
son. The one feature of this bill
which especially meets with popular
approval is that it compels the diff
ferent telephone companies to con-
meet so that messages may be trans
mitted over the lines of more than
one company.
Senator Campbell of Austin has in.
troduced bill for the establishment
of an emergency fund for use in aid
ing communities that are visited by
floods, fires, or even hog cholera. Sen
ator Gandrud has introduced bill 10
aid the City Of Benson, which was
swept by a. flood, followed by a ty-
phoid epidemic in 1914. The appro-
priation asked for in the Gandrud bill
10 PAC,VVVs
A large delegation of anti-suffra-
gists are spending most of their time
lobbying against the Sageng suffrage
bill. They seem to enjoy doing poll
tics in this way. Their big argument
against woman suffrage is that If wo'
men get interested in politics, their
homes will suffer as a consequence
Their actions prove their assertions,
unless they all have competent house
keepers at home. It is sometimes
pointed out, with hint Of grin, that
few women get as intensely interested
in politics as the ants.
Hog cholera is to be given thoro
study by a committee appointed by
Senator L. E. Potter, who was the
chairman of a meeting called for the
purpose of discussing the question
The committee consists Of the follow
ing Senators: Potter, Benson and
Steffen, and Representatives South
wick. Baldwin and Barten.