The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, February 8, 1917, Page 9

Z e — “Z_F auess We HAVE A _Z_| FEW_FAITHFULS LEFT, CRAFTY OLO Bovy ! ALL OPPOSED TO HOUSE BILL 44 i S 7 [ , - Y \ W\ N N / 1727,/ ;77 N NN N \\\\3&%\ Ni There was no consideration of House Bill 44 in the senate. It was rushed to defeat without consideration and with no debate except a few words in its defense got in here and there on the various motions of League senators. Big Biz gave the order to the old gang, the strings were pulled and the senate dummies voted against' it. The senate voted exactly as the big business interests that oppose the farmers’ program wanted them to vote. The senate voted on this 8 exactly }l thg 'same senators did twe years ago on the terminal elevatoL bill. e ) How “Plutes” Run M'innesotaiUniversity - Bill in Legislature Would Correct It and Give People a Chance to L - Name Regents—Other Minnesota Legislative Grist By Special Correspondent T. PAUL, Feb. 3.—Probably be- cause of the fact that the prohi- bition amendment bill was dis- cussed, cussed, rediscussed and finally passed by the Minnesota house, this body 'has been rather groggy lately. The only bill that has received any real serious attention is one to substitute the feet in place of the heads of gophers, crows, etc, as evidence of having killed such animals for the purpese - of receiving bounty for tho same. A The subject of adjournment-is also receiving more attention than hereto- fore. © Some members even go so far as to state that their constituents are watching them, which is alarming, and that, ' therefore, they ought to start doing something. Some have even had the temerity to suggest that they work on Saturdays, but this was of course too strong and was promptly voted down, but the over-ambitious ones are persistent, and have succeeded in" get- ting the. house to meet on Monday af- ternoons: instead of beginning their week's labors on Tuesday evening at 8. o'clock p. m. as at first, which is a very hopeful sign. ; Apother sign is the resolution by the grain .. and . .warehouse committee, memorializing congress to build termin- al elevators: at all terminals in the - United States where grain is handled extensively. While at Fargo recently Magnus Johnson, in speaking of the success of the North Dakota farmers in their, political efforts, said Minnesota would go 'North Dakota one better. Mr. Johnson 18’ chairman of the grain and’ warehouse committee, and this resolution would lead” one to believe that Mr. Johnson was trying to do his part;s . < HOWARD GETS OFF A PRETTY GOOD ONE In speaking on the Knutson bill, to tax sales of grain. futures, Mr. Asher Howard of Minneapolis said that be- cause he represented the Ch#&mber of Commerce he had the right to ‘speak for the farmers of the Northwest, whom he said Minneapolis had provid- ed with the best grain market in:the world. This market he'said, wag pay= ing an average of six cents per bushel more for grain than any other market. Undoubtedly this news will be hailed with great delight by the thousands of grain farmers of this and other North- western states. m B - The house has also passed the Teigen resolution providing for an exhaustive investigation of the Chambers of Commerce, Boards of Trade, the Live Stock exchange at South St.” Paul and terminal marketing conditions in Minnesota in general. The opportunities of such an investigation are practic- ally unlimited. What good will re- sult remains to be seen, depend- ing on who" will be appointed to the committee, the funds allow- ed, etc. The bill by Representative Carl Malmberg of Forest Lake provides for the election of the board of regents of the state university by direct vote of the people, one member to be elected from each congressional district. Un- der the present system these men are appointed for terms of six years by the governor, but, sad to relate, because of the fact that the farmers and workers in general have not been organized, Big Business has always named the governor of the state.. The governor has reciprocated by appointing Big Business men to this board. SOME BIG ONES ON THIS BOARD The present board consists of the following: Fred B. Snyder, Minnea- polis, president of the board. Mr. Sny- der is a son-in-law of John S. Pills- bury, is a noted “sassiety” club man; is member of the Minneapolis Automobils club with its palatial home at Bloom- ington on the Minnesota, the Minne- washta club, the Lafayette culb, the Minnikada Golf club and-the Minnea- .polis Atheltic club; he is director of ' the First & ‘Security, the Washburn and Soo road Bank of Minneapolis, and interested in and' attorney for other large financial interests in the Mill City; George H. Partridge, Minnea- polis, of the firm of Wyman-Partridge, wholesale drygoods and” director of the Northwestern National, the Chamber of Commerce and Hill Road Bank of Minneapolis; Milton M. Williams' of Little Falls, ex-rdilroad contractor and later general manager of the Little Falls Water Power company, vice- president of the First National bank of ittle Falls. $ e Probably the only man that could not be classed as a Big Business man, and who has at different times shown his fairness, is Mr. A. E. Rice of Willmar, president of the Bank of Willmar and president of the Bank of Svea. John G. Williams of Duluth, multi- millionaire, mine owner, attorney fo: vast interests and vice president of the Northern National bank of Duluth. a half-million dollar corporation; Charles G. Sommers of St. Paul, member of the firm of G. Sommers & Co., whole- . sale, mail order and general merchan- dise, and treasurer of the Sommers Realty company; Pierce Butler of St. Paul, reactionary corporation attorney, retained by several of the big railroad companies and a number of the largest financial interests of the Northwest, chief counsel of the railroads in the famous rate cases against the state of Minnesota a few years ago—he thinks so much of the state university that he sends his own children to eastern col- leges to get their education. .MOVED MEDICAL SCHOOL AWAY Dr.W. J. Mayo of Rochester, the celebrated millionaire surgeon, who, while not spoken of as a Big Business man, certainly showed his Big Biz cleverness when he swung half of the University Medical school to Rechester and made it a private institution. Then there used to be B. F. Nelson of Minne- apolis, millionaire lumberman and president of the Leech Lake Lumber company and Hennepin Paper company and Northwestern National Life In- surance company, and director of the “Northwestern National bank. But when Mr. Nelson’'s term expired last _ spring the farmers were demanding at least one farmer member and as the political campaign was on at that time Governor Burnquist tried to appease this demand by appointing Charles W. Glotfelter of Waterville, who speaks of himself as a farmer, but who, upon closer investigation, proves to be furni- ture manufacturer and president of the Security State bank of Waterville. True, he owns a farm, but his farming operations seem to be more on a Jim Hill order and more of a hobby than & serious enterprise. Besides these men the governor, the state superintendent of public instruc- tion and the president of the univera sity are ex-officio members. No wonder that with a Board of this kind they select as presidents men who represent the Rockefeller foundations, allow the Carnegie educational board to dictate the curriculum, appoint men as Deans and professors who are con- stantly showing their contempt for the farmers in the Agricultural department, as well as allowing the rotten condi- tions in general to exist in this sup- > NINE - / ’ . posedly ideal institution. We might add that these conditions will be fully discussed in a later issue. TWO RESIGNED; THAT HELPED SOME That the most offensive of these men, namely the president of the university, George E. Vincent, and Dean A. F. ‘Woods of the agricultural department, have resigned, is very gratifying, in- deed, to the many friends of this great institution. If the Malmberg bill becomea a law, the regents being elected by the people, will.be responsible to the people them- selves. True the people may occasion- ally misplace confidence in a man, yet they would have no one else but them- selves to blame, and could rectify their mistakes when these men would come up for reelection. 5 Another advantage of the bill would be a more equitable distribution of the regents throughout the state, as it will be noticed by the above list that most of the present board live in the Twin Cities and Duluth at the present time. The bill has the indorsement of the Minnesota State union of the American Society of Equity, and while it will be strongly opposed by Big Business, yet the chances for its passage are very good. A LEAGUE IN CANADA M. Wellsch of Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan, was a visitor at the Leader office the other day and told of the organization of the Nonpartisan League of Saskatchewan, a Canadian organization along the same lines as the one on this side of the boundary. “We already have 2000 members, each of whom has paid $15 for one year’'s membership, about twice as high as. your fée of $16 for two years,” said Mr. Wellsch. “We have six automo- biles in the field with organizers and farmers are joining almost to a man as fast as they can be seen. I get the Nonpartisan Leader and wouldn’t .be without it. Our League also publishes a paper which goes to all members.” Mr. Wellsch stopped in Fargo on his way to Rochester, Minn., for a surgical operation and decided to have the operation at Fargo. He was pleased at the treatment he received from peo- ple on this side of the line and com- plimented Fargo hospitals. His broth- ers, his father and himself farm a big tract and three of them are members of the Nonpartisan League of - Sa- skatchewan.” R T——— A T