Governor Joseph A. A. Burnquist with a military group, c.1916. Minnesota Historical Society
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At the beginning of World War I, the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety (MCPS) was established by the Governor to ensure public safety here in the state. This was a 7 member commission including the Governor, the State Attorney General and 5 other appointed members. This group had great authority and few restrictions on its actions. The Commission distributed food, controlled costs, and conserved fuel during the war. They also used their unchecked powers to trample the rights of some Minnesotans by deciding who was patriotic to the United States and who was not.
The Minnesota Commission of Public Safety targeted German Americans and the Nonpartisan League (NPL) who advocated for farmers in the state. The MCPS eliminated the teaching of German in schools and made it illegal for non citizens to be teachers. This group was anti-union and worked to deny the Minnesota branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union the right to assemble by closing many of the locations where meetings were held. They also made a law stating it was illegal for any healthy male over the age of 16 to be unemployed. If someone broke this law, they were subject to be fined up to $100 or up to 3 months in jail. |
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