This document is made available electronically by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library as part of an ongoing digital archiving project. http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/lrl.asp The 'Minnesota Legislature C. J. BUELL Author of "The Minnesota Legislature of 1913" "The Minnesota Legislature of 1915" "The Minnesota Legislature of 1917" "The Currency Question" "Industrial Depressions, Their Cause and Cure" monopolies and Trusts" This Book is not Copyrighted Quote as Much as you Please But Give Credit. 8 Photo by Nelson Bros.. 187 E. 7th St., St. Paul. W. I. NOLAN, Speaker of House, 1919 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter I-The Author's Point of View ......................... 7 Conflicting Elements ........................................ 8 The Greatest Disturbing Cause ....,. ........................ 10 The Evil of Bonds .......................................... 10 Chapter II-The Issues of the Election .......................... 1.2 Prohibition, Eclual Suffrage. etc............................ 12 Non-Partisan League Platform and Conventions ............ Organized Labor in the Election ............................. Chapter III-The Speakership ................................... Nolan and His Qualifications ................................ Non-Partisan League Candidate ............................ The Committees ............................................ Chapter IV-Contested Seats .................................... Lauderdale-Swenson ............................. .r .......... Sullivan- Wilcos ................................ : ............. Chapter 1'-"Improving" .I'>lection Machinery ................... The Warner-I-Iompe Bill ..................................... Senator Lenroot Upholcls the Primary ........................ The Roclme Bill ............................................. Chapter VI-Equal Suffrage for Women ......................... Memorial .to United States Senate ........................... Suffrage Amendment to State Constitntion ................... Presidential Suffrage ......................................... Chapter VII-Co-ope~tion and Marketing ...................... Tbe Willtinson B~ll.......................................... C'o-operation in Denmark .................................... The Grain Market ............................................ The Bulk Sales Bill .......................................... Oleomargarine ............................................... Trading Stamps ............................................. Chapter VIII-Banking Laws ................................... Minnesota Banking and the Gnamnty System ................ Bills in Interest of Bankers ................................. Chapter IX-Taxation ........................................... Two Kinds of Tases ......................................... Iron Ore Tases .............................................. Labor Repudiates Its Representatives ....................... Tasing .Mining Royalties .................................... Lower Tases on Hopes ancl In(1nstrg ........................ Taxing Gross Earnings ..................................... Chapter X-Pnblic Utilities ...................................... The Warner Street nailway Bill .............................. The Red Wing Local Control Bill ............................ Chapter XI-Labor Legislation ................................. Worlrers and Esploiters ..................................... Industrial Insurance Bill .................................... Eipht-Honr Day ............................................. Cnapter XII-Military Matters .................................. The Motor Corps Bill ........................................ l'he Military Code ........................................... Cl~apterXIII-The Safety Commission .......................... A Study in Mass Psychology ................................ Chapter XIIT-Reform or Repression ............................ 7lwo 7 Theories of Government ................................ The Nimoclts "Red Flag Bill" ............................... The Siege1 Bill to Protect Personal Rights and Liberties .... Chapter XI7-The Program of the Prohibitionists................. Ratifying the Federal Dry Amendment ...................... The Dry Zone Bill ........................................... Two Per Cent Beer .......................................... Chapter XVI-Medical Matters ................................... The Chiropractors dre Legalieecl ............................ County Boards of Health .................................... Curbing the Meilirs ........................................... Do Germs Cause Disease? Dy. Frazer's Ch@enge ........... Chapter XVII-The Public Do~naln ............................. Drainage and Flood Control ................................. Game and Fish .............................................. Good Roads .................................................. IMPORTANT MEASURES PASSED. Federal prohibition amendment ratified. Drv law enforcement bill. ~resident~alsuffrage for women. Memorial to U. S. Senate for woman suffrage. , Plan for hard surfaced roads submitted to the people. State income tax submitted to the people. Requiring railways to pay for street improvements. State department of agriculture. Laws to encourage co-operation. ' New fish and game code. Authorizing state fishing. Legalizing chiropractors. State board and commissioner of education. Free tuition for returned soldiers and sa~lors. English language only in all common schools. Improved drainage laws. Many amendments to workman's compensation law. Budget system for Minneapolis. Beparate city election for Minneapolis. Unification of Minneapolis Public Welfare laqs. Increased appropriation to State Forester Cox for fire protection and making him also survey,or. of logs and lumber. Deep waterway commission to co-operate w~thCanada. Captions for constitution amendments. Placing stockyards under Railway Rr Warehouse Commission. Court to certify recount in election contests. PASSED BY THE HOUSE-KILLED OR FAILED IN THE SENATE. Five per cent tax on iron ore royalties. Neuman bill reducing taxes on homes and industry. Increased taxes on telephones. Workman's insurance administered by state. Guaranty for deposits in state banks. Abolishing Public Satety Commission. State budget commlsslon. Medical freedom bill. Warner-Hom e convention bill. Rulk sales bii to prevent fraud. Motor Corps bills. PASSED SENATE-KILLED OR FAILED IN THE HOUSE. Rockne convention bill. Land colonization blll. Resolution for a League of Nations. Limiting party campaign expenses to $10,000. FAILED TO PASS EITHER HOUSE. ~ilitar; code bill-Killed in the Senate. All tonnage tax bills-Killed in the House. Siege1 bill to protect personal rights and civil liberties. Warner street railway bill-Killed in the hpuse. Eight hour day for women workers--;Lost m the House. Free ass bill for leg~slators-Killed In the House. ~oubinglegislators' salaries-Killed ir ,the House. All soldiers' relief bills except free tultlon. All war memorial bills. Welch bill to crush butter substitutes. Boyd bill to destroy trading stamp business: VETOED BY THE GOVERNOR. Prohibiting butter substitutes in state institutions. FOREWORD. For the sixth time a brief history of the work of the Minnesota legislature is offered to the public. Like its five predecessors this book is made possible by the financial support of those public-spirited citizens who united their efforts eleven years ago to finance the first of these undertakings, "The Minnesota 'Legislature of 1909," and to the many others who have since become interested in the work. During that eleven years many changes have taken place. Mr. Lynn Haines, who prepared and published the books in 1909 and 1911, went to Washington in 1912 to engage in somewhat similar work as Secretary of the National Voters League, and the present writer was asked to take his place. The personnel of the legislature has greatly changed. Only nine of the house members of 1909 are members of the house in 1919,-Adams, Bendixen, T. J. Greene, Haug- land, Hinds, J. G. Lennon, Nimocks, Putnam and Roden- berg-and only Greene and Putnanl have served continuously. Senators Peterson, Sageng and Geo. H. Sullivan were then members of the Senate, while Senators Carley, Hand- Ian, Lee, McGarry and Nolan were then House members. Great as has been the change in personnel, greater still has been the change in ideals There has been a great im- provement in earnestness, intelligence, moral character and sense of obligation. In 1911 the legislature was made non-partisan. Since then the party boss and the party .caucus have been less in evidence. Members have been more free to use their individual judgment. Whether or not this has been an improvement depends largely on the intelligence of the individual member. An ignorant or dishonest member may be held in line by a caucus for either good or bad. "> .i" ,411 honest, intelligent member is better off without a party boss or a caucus; and it is safe to say that the non- partisan election has resulted in a better and more inde- pendent group of men coming to the legislature. It is not generally true, as some have charged, that more self-seekers have come to the front; just the opposite: there has been a different sort of cooperation among the voters, and a better sort,-less party, more principle. Some of the same questions are still with us-equal suf- frage for women, temperance legislation, tonnage tax, pri- mary elections, corrupt practices acts, local legislation under the guise of general laws, especially