Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-02
WoRK FOR THE LEGISLATURE.


The legislature of the State of Minneso-
ia will meet next Tuesday. Its term of SER
vice is limited to sixty days. Brief as the
period is, it is sufficient for all legitimate
purposes, if the members but wisely employ
their time, such laws as may be enacted will
conduce to the benefit of the State.
Thereare many matters that will command
the attention of the legislature from the date
of its first assembling. 1t is necessary that
some law be enacted which shall take the
place of the national bankrupt law, abro-
gated on the first of last October. The
measure should be free from the defects Of
that law, yet stringent in its provisions. so
as to prevent the establishment of houses in
Minnesota without adequate resources. It
should be so designed as to protect every
merchant from seizure and every creditor
from loss. At present any person to whom
firm may be indebted for ever SO small an
amount, can pounce upon the unhappy debt
or and demand his pound of flesh. AS a
consequence each debtor is fearful lest some
other debtor should get ahead OF him, and
seizes the first opportunity to make a levy
and procure an assignment, and generally
the creditors who are most entitled to re-
turn are deprived Of it OF forced into itiga-
ton that is, besides being tedious, very ex-
pensive. What we need is law compelling
bankrupts, whenever they shall be proved to
be such, to show where their assets are,
and to consent to an equitable division of
them. But cases have occurred where mer-
chants have been forced into liquidation
when they were entirely solvent. It should
be the first effort of the law to protect such,
not only on their own account, but because
the credit of the business men of the State
is concerned Let US have we'll digested
bankrupt law which, while doing no injus-
tice to the creditors, shall work no hardship
upon the debtors.
Another matter should claim the early at
tention of the Legislature. Although Min
nesota is one of the youngest of the States,
she has been encountered with superabund-
ance of ot1ice-holders. We have too many
Offices and as consequence are cursed with
too many people who are clamoring for what
they choose to call political preferment.
We have in this State too many bureaus
bureau of statistics, bureau of railroads,
and of other things. There is no possible
necessity for the maintenance of these bu-
reaus. The duties that devolve upon them
are only such as can be performed by clerk
w. .,G tha al 49,
Take, for instance, the office of railroad
commissioner. 1t seems to have been
created as sort of infrmary in which de-
cayed politicians could find gentle easement
from prominence to obscurity. There is no
necessity for the existence of the Office what
ever. It is a source of considerable expense
to the State-an expense that might
be saved by turning the duties of
the Office over to one of the clerks
in the Office of the secretary of state.
It would not discommode even the busiest
of the clerks in that department to attend to
what little business the railroad commits
sioner has to do, and the salary of that
official, his incidental and Office expenses,
would be a clear gain. The Office ought to
be abolished without SO much as question
So with the office of commissioner of statis-
tics. That has no excuse for it's being and
ought to be abolished and It's duties given
to the commissioner of immigration.
1t should be borne in mind by the mem
bers of the legislature that is about to assem-
BILE that the people expect that they will dc
something towards decreasing the burdens
of taxation. The easiest way these burdens
can be lightened is by decreasing the number
of superfuous Office holders. Others than
those we mentioned can be dispensed with,
and the interests of the public be as well
served. The subject is worthy of considera-
ton by the legislature at its earliest conven-
fence.