Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/757

 I1ISTOKY OF GOODHUE COUNTY 659 paign of L892 found Mr. Grondah] an active worker in the < publican ranks. Two years later he became ;i candidate for the legislature to represenl Goodhue county in the lower bouse. A bitter fighl against the "boy" candidate ended in his election by a large majority, he being one of the youngesl men ever given a seal in the Minnesota Legislature. He was successively reelected for two terms, serving six years in all, and declining a fourth nomination, grateful for his political experience. bu1 feeling thai he had made all the sacrifices of time and energy in public of- fice which a young man starting ou1 in life could well afford. The real importance of his work in the legislature can besl be judged by the future. In 1895 his refusal to accept passes from the railroad companies while a member of the legislature, and his subsequent position on this and kindred matters, was the beginning of the ant i-pass legislation, state and national, which has since been enacted. It is needless to say thai so radical a departure from prevailing ideas would naturally bring a storm of opposition and ridicule, and many were the wiseacres at home and abroad who shook their heads and questioned the young man's tad in calling attention to and questioning the so-called courtesies which corporations so freely extended and which public officials so freely accepted. There was a diversity of opinion among the press of the country, but many of the newspapers of the East, as well as the West, particularly the New York "Sun," heartily concurred in the young Legislator's action. This stand, however, did not cost him the loss of the good will of fellow members nor did it impair his influence or usefulness as a legis- lator, as some had predicted. On the contrary, it made him many staunch friends, with whom he afterwards cooperated in secur- ing progressive legislation. Mr. Grondahl has had the satisfac- tion of seeing men, who scoffed at his attitude then, sit in legis- lative bodies since and by their votes enact law r s against receiving- favors from the railroad corporations, as demanded by the people and a result of the agitation which had its origin with him in 1895. He was the leader in the campaign for a better system of caring for the chronic insane in this state and, while his efforts did not result in the adoption of a modified and improved copy of the Wisconsin cottage plan, which lie advocated, it called at- tention to the need of better methods than those in vogue and resulted in some beneficial changes. While he was not the author of the law establishing the "piece price system" at the state prison, to replace the antiquated and cruel contract system, and one big step in the direction of still better laws, he nevertheless bore the brunt of that successful fight and received the appre- ciation of free labor, with which prison made goods came into competition. He had charge of training school legislation and