Red Wing sentinel. [volume] (Red Wing, M.T. [i.e. Minn.]) 1855-1861, 1860-02-04
THELEGISLATURE.

cessary work Of the session is scarcely COM
menced. It was supposed that Minnesota
had reached; pretty low deep in -lseisla-
tive imbecility and worthlessness. but this
Republican Legislature has attained still
lower deep. There is an utter want in it Of
industry and brains. A Republican caucus
controls and stultif1es the private judgmen,
Of the more intelligent Republican members
and renders utterly powerless the Demo.
cratic minority. A fanatical and ignorant
majority of.za majority, have strength t.
overpower union Of oil, the conservative
and intelligent Of the majority with the
Democratic minority. t:az.a .a s;4s.,,
An expenditure of $4,000 to $4,000
has already been incurred by this Legisla.
ture Of reform (?) professions. and nothing
done. The heavy weight of taxation must
Of necessity rest still heavier, and the PEG
pie must foot the bills From the dissatis
fed mutterings we. hear from every. class o
citizens, and especially the Republicans, We
are confident they would infinitely pro.
fer to foot the members. The argument q
poster;ori from cause to effect, is the only
enc that is adequate to reach the case. u
It il the duty Of the press to speak GU,
in regard to this matter, and bring to bea,
upon the Republican majority the full
weight Of their responsibility. It may be
said, that the Democratic press should not
interfere, but allow the Legislature without
question to triae with the peoples rights
No such want Of responsibility will suffice
We must arraign the Legislature before the
bar Of public opinion, and strive to avert
taxation if possible, for this is burden
borne alike by Democrat and Republican.
The offenses Of the Republican majority
arc grievous. They 60 to the very subver.
sion Of popular liberty, without the apology
Of precedent, or the justification Of right
or even the poor ecxuse Of political neces.
sity, the Republicans turned out Of both
branches Of the Legislature, Democrats le.
gally and rightfally elected. The Dakota
and Fillmore county election cases stand
before the people as the most unjustifable
and unwarrantable assumptions Of arbitrary
power, that have disgraced legislative &C.
ton anywhere. 49, f a-
The peoples money wantonly squandered,
is triaing offense compared with high
handed violation Of the ballot-box, and the
rights Of popular majorities. Such parti-
zanship disgusts even the Republicans. The
people demand reform in the reform Leg
islature. The expenses are daily enormous,
and unless the Legislature goes to work at
once for the good of the State-the sooner
it adjourns and its individual members sink
into actual insignificance, the better.
It is a public duty to expose their fanati-
cism. ignorance and Incidence, and it is the
only way to whip these Republicans to
work. We certainly entertain high re.
'pect for many in the Legislature, and we
dislike to speak thus Of body that con-
tains as many good men as the Lord prom.
sed if found in Sodom, would save that
doomed city. As body, the Legislature
richly merits castigation, and if they can
not with Christian fortitude I" kiss the rod,'
must do the next best thing.
What has become of the proposition to
cut down salaries, to retrench expenses, to
modify the present expensive system
If town and county organizations,
to smoke out the cloud Of Office. holders
that eat out the peoples substance, &c. O.
Such subjects are forgotten, and members
Journey to and from the capital to their
homes, to make = brokers profit on the sale
If $50, or $50, Of State warrants. Mem
bers who have not sense enough to talk OF
brains to think, should .sk somebody how
70 move the previous question, and how to
7ote, and then vote something up or down,
lad thus do the public business to the best
If their ability, If not, adjourn and 20
home.