Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-02-21
SENATE TAKES
QUICK ACTION
Endorses Constitutional Prohi.
bItIon without Debate.
MACHINE WORKS SMOOTHLY

Question sf Mode Of Procedure Dss,.
nitsly Settled Several Days 30.
fors Dill Came Up.
st. Paul-(SpeciaD-To the average;
mind anything savoring of a combina-
ton or involving deal is odious. es-
pecially 50 when politics or legislation
II concerned, but one his. compelled to
doff his hat when the senate machine
gets In motion. The senate compels
admiration when 1t gets busy and so
far its machine-if such q working
majority can be SO oalled-has been
used only in the interest of efficiency
and harmony. No better illustration
of this is to be had than on Thursday.
when with less than a half minute of
oratory and preparation it went to bat
on the house prohibition amendment.
passed the measure by a vote of 40 to
is and proceeded to take up other
matters as If nothing had happened to
disturb the routine of its deliberations.
The only change it made In the pro-
posed amendment as passed by the
house was to extend the wet period to
July, 1920. The lower body fixed upon
Dec. 81, 1919, as the date for the pass
ing of the saloon and the further man.
ufacture and sale Of intoxicating liq-
uors in the state. True to form the
senate leaders took up the question
of the amendment in the privacy of
their hotel several days before action
in the upper branch. The poll taken
showed a majority for the bill. with
the proposition of time limit only in
controversy. This was soon disposed
Of and without delay the making and
seconding of various motions were as
signed. What followed when the SEN
ate met on Thursday is now history.
In less than half an hour the whole
thing was disposed Of. Any canned
oratory in readiness never got a
chance. To some this method may not
appeal, but it did the business, so
what more can you ask. The house
has since given its approval to the
senate extension OF time and the ques-
ton of a wet or dry Minnesota Is now
up to the voters.
/. /. f.
Pending In tho house, with the
names of a half dozen or more men,
bers attached. is q bill making the
state dry by statute, but it Is hardly
likely that the measure will ever be.
come a law. It may pass the house.
but it will never get by the senate. a
majority of the members OF which
think they have about done their duty
in a dry way In the approval of the
constitutional dry amendment to be
voted upon by the people two years
hence. The bill making the state dry
by statute is the work of the Prohibi'
ton forces in the two bodies and is
an Offset to the activities of tho Anti.
Saloon league, which has put over the
dry legislation to date. The prohibi-
ton bill is a drastic affair and would
put Minnesota in the dry column at
once: w. G. Calderwood. who was the
Prohibition candidate for United States
senator last fall. is active in the inter
est of tho statutory measure, but he
admits that its chances are SLIM
Senator Duxbury Of Fillmore county
has offered for the approval of the
senate q bill designed to make labor
strikes impossible in the state. His
remedy 10 to make picketing and boy
cotting a misdemeanor. with heavy
penalty attached for violations. That
labor will put up 4 strenuous fight
against tho measure is certain. The
bill is unusually drastic, In that 1t
even prohibits the use of any Ian
guage, actions or printed matter cal
culatod to make any workman dissat.
isfied with his present employment or
those whom he is working for.
+ + +
A feature Of the annual meeting Of
the State Editorial association at St.
Paul was the marked absence of polit-
ical discussion and the side gossip
Characteristic Of such gatherings. It
was q business meeting from start to
finish, with the high cost of paper and
printing material the chief subject
How to meet the new order of things
called for serious consideration and
little time was given over to the i'm.
material. Many members Of the leg
islature and state ohicials hobnobbed
with the scribes. The meeting az q
whole was one Of the best In the his
tory Of the association.
! i. i. f.
To say that politics was entirely t.
booed at the editorial gathering 10 per.
haps wrong. Such did not figure In
the deliberations, but it was sidelined
in little gathering participated in by
Frank Day Of Fairmont, Fred Schilplin
Of st. Cloud, Harry Lamberton of WI
mona and others, who laid the plans
looking to future Democratic control
Of the state. Governor Burnquist's ad
ministration was roundly scored and
his reinforcement discussed.
f. + +
In addition to . dry constitutional