The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-01-14

year Of its existence. It has
been most successful in these important Ia
bors by which it has collected its library and
rescued from oblivion and fixed in en-
during form invaluable facts pertaining to
generation now passing away, whose works
should not be left for comlnemoratlon to
those feeting sources Of information in
whose disappearance perish utterly the me-
MORALS OF the pioneers.
LOGS AND LUMBER.
The reports Of the Surveyors General OF
the First and Second Districts present in
convincing form the great importance OF our
lumber interests.
In the First, or Saltwater District, the
total amount of logs scaled during the sea-
son of 1874 was l89, 1874. 466 feet.
In the Second, or Minneapolis District. the
total amount Of logs scaled for that season
was 49,, 49,, $50 feet, and the estimated guam
tity of logs sawed but not scaled in that Dis
trict is %, 984, 600 feet.
REORGANIZATION.
The practice OF postponiny most OF the
important work of general legislation until
the last few days of the sessi on ought to be
abandoned. To say nothing Of the objec-
tons to this manner of doing business,
which inhere in the fact that under
such circumstances the Legislature is COM
PEELED to act hastily, without full discus
sion, and that the success Of deserving meas
ures is often craftily implicated in measures
which Ought-not to succeed, the Governor
is entitled to sufficient time to consider tie
bills upon which he is to act. This he has
not under the practice which has hitherto
prevailed. The legislative work OF sixty
days is poured upon him during the last ten
days of the session. It is his duty to con-
slider each measure, "a duty which cannot
always be properly performed within such
narrow limits Of time. Many important
acts necessarily remain for his consideration
after the adjournment In case of doubt, he
| is deprived of the counsel of the members,
| and when those doubts result in disapproval
Of the measure, the people are deprived q
the exercise of that corrective power which
| the Legislature possesses, where he i
deemed to have erred, as to the constitution.
atty or expediency of the bills.
| STATE CENSUS.
By section @ of article of the Constitu
ton OF Minnesota, the Legislature is required
| to provide by law for the enumeration OF tn
inhabitants of the State in the middle yea
of each decade.
The object of this provision ofthe constitr
ton is to ascertain the basis oflegislative ap
portionment which is required to be mad
every five years on the basis of the Unite'
States census and the State census alternately
l may be permitted to suggest for you
consideration whether this duty, for whic
all the machinery of census taking will b
requisite, does not with propriety invite u
to obtain at the same time by the same off
GERS the leading industrial ana vital statistics
The additional cost will be triie, Will
the result will demonstrate officially our MAJ
velous development since the census of 1877
was taken. and will thus enable US to pre-
sent in an authentic form to those conten
plating emigration from other countries an
States the superior inducements Of our ow
I State.
81 1t will be an easy matter to prescribe
/ the statute which you will pass on this sui
r desired information can be distributive
. stated. and at the same time to fix the cost
E the undertaking.
THE PENALTY POR MURDER.
i. BY an act of the Legislature approve
e March 5. 1868, the punishment for the Grin
8 Of murder was subversively changed. II
5 penalty of death was abolished as q gener
rule OF the law. This abolition is subject ,ho,
ever, to the exception that, in cases OF mu
b der in the first degree, the jury may dete
Il mine by their verdict that the convict sh:
S suffer death.
e regard the principle Of this innovati
e as radically unsound. The punishme
which crime entails upon its perpetrat
&c should not be uncertain 1t should be e.
y plicitly declared by the statute, and not Il
|, to the fear Of responsibility Of the jurors.
Is Popular prejudice, or passion, or the ne
e alive influence Of an inefficient defense m,
10 consign one offender to the scaffold, while
u equal in crime, possessing perhaps, the mea
;, OF commanding undeserved sympath
81 through his domestic relations, or his ov
l. personal qualities, or aided to this sympatl
l. by powerful defense, is sentenced only
l. imprisonment for life, leaving him the ADJ
r ing hope OF q pardon within few yes
ir after ali interest in the case has passed ava
The prison statistics show that the avera
lie Of life sentence is by pardon made less tn
l. in the presentation Of the cases there ]
" mains the consideration that the tempe
= and modes OF thought Of the juries may
Of different All this leads TO uncertainty
= justice Several trials at the same term m
OF enact the lite Of one o9cnder and renal
IL another to tkA prison only. whSn In t
stictest justice thss- positions sis6uld Be ]
versed.
I'll There is another conseq~ance Of tlan Il,
i istration O: justice. In order 70 in1ic& I
m extreme penalty Of the law, . jury must
~ ~ verdict so direct. The =
!. who commits brutal murder, Y
= is caught red handed in the act, for VII
;, defense no professional ingenuity can dcy
~ plan either fac; or in sympathy, can,
- this hopeless condition Of his case, a con
"a ton caused by its incontrovertible public
a and atroci.y, plead guilty: The result
-, this plea is that there can be no jury /;
consequently no verdict that he shall 50
- death.
he In another case the accused may hav
No. defense, and unfortunately be restricted
~ his means for presenting it, and he IL !
~ sented by the statute with the alternative
~ selecting his own punishment by plead
- guilty, or to undergo the dreadful risk
;1 taking his trial before Jury whose &C,
n. regarding his own life he cannot 6rsee.
-. 3 Irrespective Of these defects in this sta
III and its inequitable tendencies, there ar
l;s' under it question OF far greater MON
=. Il is Tor the Legislature to consider whet
the guarantees which the law now afford
human life are sufficiently absolute. II I
;or not be denied that bomicldal crime has
c. creased to . degree which has caused
So Law for it, punishment to he subject to
- severest popular criticism. /. il aske
IN what value Is law which no person &c
!, !. - lear!
tts You will doubtless consider these q
in. tons Of public justice and public safety
hearty disposition TO make Justice q
thing more than name and safety rea
IL THE SCHOOL TUxD-
,.a,t desire to present in explicit form
~ considerations hich led me to advise II