The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-04-02
Interesting Legislative Letter
Written By r. w. Hitchcock

he was born, is concluding twenty
years of. service in the legislature,
concluding it as speaker of the
house. Speaker Swenson was 81
years old one day last week. The
house put flowers on his desk and
said nice things to him in a resolu-
ton. In the evening the chairmen
Of the forty-six committees of the
house threw party for him. There
were after dinner speeches, of
course, and Mr.. Swenson was prais-
ed to his face. One of the speak
ers said that he made a flair, i'm
partial, able" speaker. Another
got up and declared that he would
not go quite that far, but that he
would admit that as q Speaker Mr..
Swenson was "fair-just fair" A
pleasant feature of the birthday
party was Representative Harry
Montgomery, of Hennepin, hale,
hearty and young at three score
years and ten, who came with his
SEVENTEEN birthday to make the
birthday party doubly enjoyable.
It might surprise Representative
Emil Youngdahl of "blah-blah" so
cialist fame to know that at this
Swenson Montgomery birthday
party, where forty-six reaction
ary chairmen, as he might call
them, thrust and parted at each
other in fun and earnest, his name
was named, and he was charaster-
lied by a distinguished guest as "a
valuable member of the legisla-
ture," and that this declaration
brought out very pretty handicap
ping. ....
What VIII the Harvest Be?
AS the final three weeks of the
session begins we can only guess
at what will be the fate of the ma
jor issues of the session. The road
bond issue will probably be settled
when this is read, the semi-finals
Of the conservation program will be
under way with a special order on
the one-man-commissioner bill
brought out by the public domain
committee of the house, the tussle
between the railroads and the
trucks will be beginning, with the
people already getting bruised by
both sides, the new eight per cent
occupation tax proposal will be
fighting for a foothold, reapportion-
ment, deep in the doldrums, will be
struggling frantically to get out,
the income tax will not be making
much progress, $45, 100000 worth
of appropriation bills will be drawn
and a flock of sacred little local
bills will be scurrying and lodging
in and out among the bigger meas
ures seeking a wee, snail place in
the sun.
Policies of Importance to the
state will perhaps be settled in
these three last weeks. The politi-
cal future of many a member Of
the legislature will surely be made
or unmade in these three weeks.
Pretty much everybody in the legis-
lature believes in the $15, 40O, 900
road bond proposal but the senti-
ment back home is not so unani-
nous. It's the rich that are trying
to escape the income tax, cries one
faction; it will be just another tax,
just another burden, declares the
faction. We are unani-
nous in demanding reapportionment
but we are of ten different minds
asn to what reapportionment. A
onHiman commissioner for the de-
partnent of conservation Is, sane,
sound, sensible, will fix responsible
ity and bring efficiency unanimous
ly declares the committee on pub
lie domain in the house. Better no
conservation program at all, insist
the good ladies of Minneapolis,
than a program lacking govern
ing commission of seven. Seven we
want, and seven we will have, or
we will wreck the whole works. So
the ladies say. All these, and many
other things, we have been talking
about for several months. We set
tie them in the next three weeks.
$500 Acoustics of the House
Now that the session is almost
over, some of us are beginning to
what we can do to improve
the acoustics of the house cham
Der. Representative J. Adam Bede
has a plan. He is going to take
out every one of these 131 n.ahog-
any desks, which at this time of
the session are piled so high with
books and papers. In their place
down in front, he will put opera