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

rescued from oblivion and liked III en-
during form invaluable facts pertaining to
generation now passing away, whose works
should not be left for comlnemoration to
those fleeing 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 i'll
convincing form the great i'm portance OF our
lumber interests.
In the First, or Saltwater District, the
total amount of logs scaled during the sea-
son of 1874 was 1879 9a4. 400 feet.
In the Second, or Minneapolis District. the !
total amount of logs scaled for that season ,
was 1875, 49,, $40 feet, and the estimated guam
tity of logs sawed but not scaled in that Dis (
trict is %, 984 600 feet. I
PRocRAsr1NAT1oS. /
The practice OF postponing most Of the /
important work of general legislation until |
the last few days of the session 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 craftly 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 Measures 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 OF
| the exercise of that corrective power which
the Legislature possesses, where he Is
deemed to have erred, as to the constitution
atty or expediency of the bills.
STATE CENSUS
By section % of article 4 of the COnStitu-
! ton OF Minnesota, the Legislature is required
| to provide by law for the enumeration OF the
! inhabitants of the State in the middle year
/ of each decade.
The object of this provision ofthe constitu-
ton is to ascertain the basis otlegislative ap-
portionment which is required to be made
every five years on the basis Of the United
States census and the State census alternately.
/ | may be permitted to suggest for your
consideration whether this duty, for which
all the machinery of census taking will be
requisite, does not with propriety invite US
to obtain at the same time by the same Off
GERS the leading industrial ana vital statistics.
The additional cost will be tritle, while
the result will demonstrate officially our mar
velous development since the census OF 1870
was taken. and will thus enable US to pre-
sent in an authentic form to those contem-
plating emigration from other countries and
States the superior inducements OF our own
state.
II 1t will he an easy matter to prescribe in
the statute which you will pass on this su b.
jeot, the form OF the schedule into which the
desired information can be distributively
stated. and at the same time to fix the cost Of
the undertaking.
THE PENALTY PoR MURDER.
By an act of the Legislature approved
March 5, 1868, the punishment Tor the crime
OF murder was subverslvely changed. The
) penalty of death was abolished as q genera
rule OF the law. This abolition is subject, how
ever, to the exception that, i'll cases OF muir
! mine by their verdict that the convict shal
suffer death.
E regard the principle Of this innovation
e as radically unsound. The punishment
which crime entails upon its perpetratol
c should not he uncertain Ii should be ex
! plcitly declared by the statute, and not let
l TO the caprice, to the mistaken sympathy, o.
/, | 70 the lear Oh VI lic JuIOlS
: Popular prejudice, or passion, or the neg
e alive influence Of an inefficient defense may
0 consgn one offender to the scafold, while hi
i equal in crime, possessing, perhaps, the mean
/, OF commanding undeserved sympathy
il through his domestic relations, or his owl
: personal qualities, or aided to this sympath,
: BY powerful defense, is sentenced only t
: imprisonment for life, leaving him the abid
: ing hope OF pardon within few year
The prison statistics show that the averag
e of life sentence is by pardon made less thar
! ten years Even when there is no disparity
J. in the presentation Of the cases there re
q mains the consideration that the temper
: and modes OF thought Of the juries may b
If different All this leads to uncertainty 0
= Justice. Several trials at the same term ma,
d exact the lite of one offender and remand
u another to the prison only. whsn in tn,
versed.
,ff There is another consequence Of tin stat
: ute which reflects discredit upon the admin
! istration o; justice In order TO infiict Ii
n extreme penalty Of the law, jury must b
!, verdict 50 direct. The ma
who commits q brutal murder, VIII
is caught red-h handed in the act, for who's
,.t defense no professional ingenuity can devif
10 plan either fact or in sympathy, can,
: this hopeless condition OF his case, a cond
~ ton caused by its incontrovertible pnblicii
:, and atrocity, plead guilty. The result
- this plea Is hat there can be no jury an
consequently no verdict that he shall suff
70 death.
IS In another case the accused may have
a. defense, and unfortunately be restricted
- his means for presenting it, and he Is pr
i sented by the statute with the alternative
N selecting his own punishment BY pleadir
= guilty, or to undergo the dreadful risk
- taking his trial before jury whose actie
he regarding his own life he cannot forsee.
=. 3 Irrespective of these detects in this statu
~ and its inequitable tendencies, there aris
10. under it . question Of far greater moner
hv IL is Tor the Legislature TO consider wheth'
=. the guarantees which the law now affords
human life are sufficiently absolute. II ca
=, not be denied that hornicidal crime has
ecr creased to 3 degree which has caused q
a. law for it punishment to he subject to I
-. seFerest popular criticism /: IL asked
- what value Is law which no person seer
, !. t. lear,
- You will doubtless consider these gu.
IN tions Of public justice and public safety vi
hearty disposition to make justice son
thing more than a name and safety reali
THE SCHOOL FUND.
-. desire TO present in explicit form
- considerations " hicn led me to advise in
- last message the submission to the people
= constitutional amendment which =
IL place entirely beyond the power of the l.
~ islature or Of any officer Of the Execut
-, Department. the school, fund, now actua
oA1 | II cre1$ and which ia destined In s-Su