Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-31
Special LEGISLATION


past eight years aud not found wanting.
1t needs no argument to convince any
man of intelligence of the evils of special
legislation. The legislature has now been
in session since the 7th day of january
twentyfour days. In that time there have
been introduced in both Houses a
total of about two hundred and ninety
bills. Fully three-fourths of these have been
private or local laws, having relation only
to some specified locality. Among them are
perhaps dozen to rebate the penalties on
the purchase money of school lands in the
several counties, an equal number for an ex-
tension of the time for the payment for seed
grain, about score for the establishment of
State roads or for defining the boundaries of
school districts, an equal number author
'zing counties to issue bonds for various
purposes, principally to fund their indebted
ness, and at least hundred others for yari-
GUS other purposes, principal among which
are bills to change the names of individuals.
to protect fish in the several lakes of the
State, and to prevent cattle from running at
large. None of these subjects are such as
require special legislation. All could be
provided for and included in some general
law, which would give to the persons desir-
ing such regulations as are contemplated in
the bills the full power to decide as to the
expeaiency of the restrictions OF authority
granted By them.
It WAS argued by several gentlemen on the
floor that there might arise emergencies
under which special legislation might be
nscessary-such, for instance, as a county
desiring to bond itself to an extent greater
than that allowed by law for purposes of
internal improvement or for the encourage
| ment of railroads. We hold distinctly that
the State ought to place bar upon any
| such extravaganza. Take the case of Mil
waukee which, in the year 1854, bonded her,
self to the extent of million of dollars in
aid of railroads. The railroads were neye,
built-were never even surveyed-yet the
COUNTY has been obliged to pay every dollar
Of the obligations then incurred. Macoupiu
county, Illinois, asked the legislature to per-
nit the county to bond itself to q greater
amount than was authorized by law for the
purpose OF building court house
The request was granted, the court
house built, and the result has been the
practical confscation of all the property in
the county to the contractors. We insist
t lat it is the duty of the legislature to pro.
tect the people against themselves as much
as it is to protect them against enemies on
the outside, and that they should not be al.
lowed to contract debts which it is self-evi.
dent that they will never be able to pay.
But emergencies will seldom arise which
cannot be provided for by general law
The legislature which meets next after the
adoption of the constitutional amendment
proposed would be charged with the duty OF
framing general laws covering each subject
that now requires SO many separate and dis
tinct bills. A general law would have to be
| framed regulating the penal and charitable
institutions of the State; another regarding
| corporations; still another regarding coun.
| ties, towns and cities; another regarding
the militia; yet one upon taxation-a gen
eral revenue law, such as Is in
force in Illinois to-day; and per-
haps two or three others. These
could be made comprehensive enough to
cover all possible emergencies. At least
these general acts, in force in Illinois, did
not prevent the legislature of that State
from extending aid to Chicago at tue time
of the great fire, and it is difficult to con-
ceive of greater emergency than that.
The fact of the matter is the State is cursed
borne down and oppressed-by spesial leg
islation. The majority of the privileges the
people of any section may desire can be af-
forded them under general laws, without
forcing upon the Legislature the labor of
passing three or four hundred bills
at every session. It can do no in
justice to any section of the State
to amend the constitution as is thus pro.
posed. In the first place it will give to every
city, town and county the privilege of local
self-government under the restrictions of the
general lava privilege not to be lightly es-
tlmated. Next, it will prevent the clandes-
tine passage of measures affecting the inter-
ests of the people in any special locality, and
it will relieve the Legislature of a great mass
of purely local legislation that takes up
time that ought to be devoted to the con-
sheraton of measures affecting the welfare
of the people of the whole State.