The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1929-02-07
LINES ARE DRAWN
IN LEGISLATURE
Fight Between the Big Three
and State Senate Leaders
Well Under Way
ROCKNE LEADS WAY
House AdjOurns From Thurs
day Until MOnday-Ap-
preparations Cut Down
Ry Martin w. Odland

BY Mdrtln w. OQlanQ
Author of "The Life of Knute
Nelson" Special to the Sank Cen
tire Herald.
st. Paul, Feb. SIN the first OF
my series of legislative letters
predicted that this session of the
legislature would be fraught with
political significance = the for
tunes of numbers of aspiring poll
ticians of the state would be af-
fected by the course of events in
st. Paul this winter. 1t is now APP
parent that my prediction will
come true. During the past week
developments highly significant
from a political standpoint have
followed in quick succession. Lines
of battle have been drawn.
Chief among the actors, strate-
gists, statesmen, politicians, field
marshalls-call them what you will
lis A. J. Rockne, the veteran leg
islator from Zumbrota.
Many believed that Rockne's
prestige had suffered on account of
his unimpressive showing in the
senatorial primary of 1928 and
predicted that he wouldn't WELD
great influence in the capitol this
winter. But they were poor pro-
phets. When Rockne went about
the state extending the glad hand
and all that, he was out of his ele-
ment, for he isn't smooth political
artist, dispenser of personal mag
netism; and the speeches of ex-
pediency which he delivered lacked
punch and the ring of sincerity.
But in the senate and the senate
finance committee, of which he has
been chairman these many years,
the lion is in his natural habitat.
There he is formidable, dangerous,
and he stands today, as in former
sessions, the biggest man in the
legislature. By series of master
ly strokes, he has put the Big
Three on the defensive, and Cover
nor Christianson's reorganization
scheme now faces a storm of pop
ular disapproval. When Rockne
obtained from probate judges all
over Minnesota statements to the
effect that imbeciles and other UNI
fortunates committed to state in
stitutions from one to three years
ago are still excluded from those
institutions for lack of room or
the means of caring for them, and
when the senator drew from mem
bers of the state board of control
admissions that two years ago the
Big Three cut down their requests
for appropriations to remedy this
deplorable condition, he struck a
blow at the triumvirate which
those estimable gentlemen were
unable to parry or break the force
OF.
The interest of the lawmakers
and the public is centering more
and more on the University of
Minnesota. When the Big Three
attempted to control the finances
of that institution as you may re-
member, the regents appealed to
the courts, with the result that the
highest tribunal held that the Uni
versity is an independent institu-
ton, created by the constitution
and responsible only to the legis-
lature, which alone has power to
regulate its activities and select its
governing board. That decision
made the University independent
not only of the Big Three but also
of the governor, except for his We
to power over appropriations.
So, when the Big Three, in their
budget, disallowed the University's
request for 100000 per year for
new buildings and cut down the al
lowance for salaries and other ex-
penses, the regents and the chan
cellor ran up the flag Of battle.
First came Fred B. Snyder, Of
Minneapolis, a modern knight,
whose cause is higher education
and culture. With polished Ian
guage, every word of which count
ed, he infarmed the senate finance
committee that the University pro-
poses to stand on its rights under
the constitution and to ask the leg
islature for enough money to car
ny on it's work efficiently. He
spoke respectfully Of the Big Three
and proposed that they purchase
supplies for the University and let
the building contracts. Next came
Chancellor Coffman, another fin
ished gentleman scholar and mod
ern knight, with an exposition of
the handicap under which the in
stitution has labored in being un-
able to pay high enough salaries to
retain able, experienced profess
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