The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-11-07
HOT SPEAKERSHIP
CONTEST CERTAIN
ELIGlBLES ALREADY HAVE
FRIENDS AT WORK ON
HOUSE MEMBERS.
MAY AMEND PRIMARY LAW
TONNAGE TAX WILL BE BIG IS
SUE AT COMING LEGISLA-
TIVE SESSION.

81. raul, NOV. O.-lne question Oh
Who is Who in a Legislative way has
not yet been fully determined, but the
end of this week should see the prob
lem fairly we'll solved. Wednesday,
Secretary of State Schmahl began
listing the winners in the two Houses
and he expects to complete the task in
a few days. There were a large NUM-
Der of close contests. Interest in the
makeup of the next legislature is of
more than ordinary interest as there
are many elements involved, not to
speak of a fight for control of the
House, at least, which will be waged
up to the hour of converting. Vets,
Drys, Nonpartisans and what are
known as the Regulars" have in
mind some measure of control and
each is due to offer candidate for
speaker. AS noted in a previous let
ter, w. /. Nolan, of Minneapolis,
Theodore Christianson, of Madison,
and Charles H. Warner, of Aitkin, are
mentioned as the leading candidates
for speaker of the House, with Nolan
leading in the talk. Who the Nom
partisan crowd have in mind is not
known at this writing, but it is GER
tain that their choice will be on the
job. Past talk has run to an alliance
between the Vets and the Nonpart-
isans, but there is nothing to show
that such is on. There has been some
talk of Representative Parker, Speak
.ar of the last House, going after the
plum again, but he informed friends
a week ago that such was not true.
Many Republicans over the state, in
terested in seeing party restoration,
now that President Wilsan has seen
fit to throw down the partisan gaunt-
sNlet, hope that the two Houses this
winter will be subordinated to COM
mon sense and legislative efficiency.
They hope to see the Forty-First
Legislature accomplish something. In
fact they are going to lend every as
sistance in bringing that about.
Two years ago, friends of the sane
primary law all but put over line
of corrective legislation and similar
effort is going to be made this session.
The stumbling block two years ago
was the Anti-Saloon League and
while opposition may again come
from the same source, they hope to
overcome it this time. There must
be partial return to party lines as
far as the legislature is concerned
and there must be combination OF
primary and convention. The present
primary law they say has been tried
and found wanting, and if Minnesota
is to take it's rightful place among
the States of the Union, there must
be a change all down the line: With
all due respect to the safe and sane
men of past sessions, whose efforts
in behalf of progress have been
hampered by selfish minority in
sisted on playing their own game,
even at tn eexpense of state efficiency
Minnesota has not had legislature
worthy of the name in ten years. The
slump has been steady and while the
personnel of the present body is
largely in doubt, it is safe bet that
it is as mixed up bunch as of old.
There can be no cohesion, no harmony
while the present method of selecting
state officers remains on the stafute
books. Responsibility is lacking. x.
is not generally known that the pres
emit state wide primary and nonpart-
isan acts came out OF Hennepln
county. Minneapolis is responsible
for every late day election infilctlon
now on the statute books. Reminisc-
ing with yours truly the other day, an
up state newspaper man patted NM
self on the back for aiding in the pas
sage Of the original statewide primary
act. SHe said his part was in the in
terest Of newspaper efficiency as the
law and the compilation Of returns
made possible under it relieved the
over-worked newspaper reporters OF
that day and date of lot Of exhaust
ing labor. He forgot to say though
that the real author of the act later
was fitted out with a life job by one
Of the big Minneapolis Brewing COM
panies.
The second installment Of the pri-
mary law came in the shape OF the
infection of the nonpartisan feature
as it relates to county and city Of
f;cials. This piece of reform was for
the purpose of putting Van Lear, the
present executive of Minneapolis, out
of business. 1t did the work TO start
with, but failed miserably two years
later. A special session Of the legls-
! lature, called by former Governor a.
o. Eberhart, put the convention out
Of business. That act also came out
Of Hennepin county and was prlm-
arily for the purpose of delaying the
massage of county option. 1t would
hardly be fair to say that Gov. Eber-
hart called this particular session Tor
that purpose, it really being for the
purpose of assuring his return to the
governorship but it did the work just
the same. Two years later came the