The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1929-02-14
BITTER FIGHTS in
MINI. LEGISLATURE
Move to Replace Member Rel
alive Employees with Ser
vice Men Starts Trouble
LEGION MEN ASK ACTION
Controversy Between big
Three" and the University
Attraction of Senate


BY Martin w. Odland, author OF
ssThe Life of Knute Nelson"
Special to The Sank Centre Herald
st. Paul, Mimi, Feb. 12-The
reporters at the state capitol are
happy now, for they have had in
teresting things to write about
red hot fights in the house of rep
resentatives, with angry voices fill
ing the chamber, fierce waving OF
arms, charges and counter charges,
ridicule, denurciation, challenges.
The first outbreak of hostilities
occurred Tuesday afternoon, when
Representative S. A. Stockwell, OF
Minneapolis introduced resolution
ordering the speaker and the rules
committee to remove all house en-
ployees, related to members by
blood or marriage, and appoint in
their places needy eX-servicemen,
recently discharged from hospit-
ais.
"A unique Floor Leader Norton,
of whom you have heard so much
in recent years and of whom you
will hear and read still more, !
dare say. He is a slender, almost
girlish looking fellow. You
wouldn't take him for a fighter, a
"boss," "czar," or "Mussolini, "
if you saw him.
Of course, he knew that Stock
wells resolution concerned him
deeply and he Immediately accept
ed the challenge. Moving that the
resolution be rejected, he blandly
described it either as "joke" or
a gesture" ana wanted to know
why Stockwell had waited till II
days after the state had hired the
relatives of representatives. To
discharge them now, he held, would
be a breach of faith. Then he
took a shot at Stockwell's anti
war stand ten years ago and sug-
gested that his concern for the
eX-servicemen wasn't exactly gen.
uine. In that connection he laud-
ed the eX-service and said that
out of the 103 house employees
Exclusive of the experts and the
chief clerks office force) Is are
ex-service men.
Stockwell sits just in front of
Norton and when he rose to reply
he shook his finger under the long,
aqualine Norton nose, and solemn
1y declared that his resolution was
neither gesture or a joke. He
launched a series of thunderbolts at
the practice of appointing wives,
sons, daughters and other relatives
of members to positions in the leg
islature, saying that such a practice
leads to corruption and under
mines democratic form of govern
ment. "The fault is not the speak
er's or Mr.. Norton's alone, but al
SO of the members who ask for the
appointment of relatives" he thun-
dered, as he swept his eyes over his
colleagues. Norton tried to bother
and rattle him by frequent inter-
ruptions to ask questions, but al
though the silver-haired lion was
disconnected at times he stood his
ground well and gave intense Joy
to handful of house progressives
or radicals by denouncing his Min
neapolis colleague as "szar" and
a "Mussolini." Others spoke also,
both for and against the resolu-
ton.
Of course the resolution was vot-
ed down overwhelmingly, but
Stockwel and accomplished his pur-
pose-that of drawing public at.
tention to a practice which he con-
siders an evil-a growing evil
which should be stamped out-an
evil wasteful of the taxpayers
money.
The second outbreak of hostili-
ties came Thursday afternoon,
when Representative Youngdahl,
author of a bill to repeael the fam
Gus Brooks-Coleman law, moved
that this measure be recalled from
the committee on general legisla-
ton and referred to the committee
on cities of the first class, his con-
tention being that it is st. Paul,
Minneapolis and Duluth which are
chiefly interested in this street rail
way question. The debate which
followed was exceedingly bitter,
with Norton, Dilley and other con-
servatives opposing the motion,
and several radicals from the cit
les, reinforced by few others
from there, backing up Youngdahl.
One hundred and twenty-six mem
bers voted on the roll call-halt
for, the other against, so the mo-
ton was lost. It is expected that
the bill will be given an unfavor-
able report by the committee on
general legislation, but the minor
ity members will bring in dissent.
ing report and the fight will break
on the floor Of the house, and it is
COUGHS STOPPED
AI M0ST INCTANW y