Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-27
vidsa for the taxation OF sleeping cars only
The substitute was adopted.

BILLS INTRODUCED.
By Senator matchmaking section 3,
chapter 80, general laws oil. 1876, relating
to the inspection of mineral oils. Reduces
fees of inspector about one-half. Read a
second time and referred to committee of
the whole.
By Senator Misunderstanding the
charter of the village of LIE Roy, Mower
county, relating so taxes. Passed under
sus pended rules.
By Senator J. B. Gilfllan-Amending
the statutes of 1878, relating to the sale of
liquors near the University of Minnesota.
Forbids the sale of liquor within one mile.
Passed under suspended rules.
By Senator Clement Regulating the
salaries and fees of officers of Rice county.
Passed under suspended rules.
By Senator Castillo establish board
of public works in and for the city of Still
water. Passed under suspended rules.
SENATE BILLS PASSED.
Amending the charter of Winnebago
City. Faribault county.
HOUSE BILLS PAssBD.
Authorizing st. Paul to issue $1,000
in bonds for widening and extending Da-
kota avenue.
Confirming city ordinances relative to
the st. Paul Street railway.
Regulating the fees and salaries of the
officers of Ramsey county.
SENATORIAL TENURE.
The following opinion of the attorney
general was transmitted to the senate and
read for its information.
To the Honorable, the Senate of the State
of Minnesota: have the honor to acknwl-
edge the receipt of the following resolu-
ton:
ResoEsed, THAT the attorney general of
the state be andis hereby requested to fur
nish his opinion for the use of the senate,
upon the question as to the length of the
term of the senators elected at the last
general election in 1882"
The terms of the senators elected in
1882 is fixed by the amendment to the
constitution adopted in 1877. By this
amendment the terms of the senators Was
to be same as heretofore prescribed until
the general election in 1878, at which
time an entire new election of such
officers was to be had. 1t then
goes on to provide that ''the senators
chosen at such elections by districts desig
mated by odd numbers should hold for
two years, and those designated by even
numbers for four years, and thereafter
senators shall be chosen for four years, ex-
cept that there shall be an entire new
election after each apportionment.
It will be seen by this amendment that
it is only such senators as are chosen by
II oGo ID Ia o1a of
1878, who are to hold for two years.
Thereafter there is to be no difference in
the term. All hold for four years. The
language of this amendment is too plain
to admit of doubt. The legislature pro-
posing and the people adopting. this
amendment must be deemed to have meant
just what the langage used clearly i'm
ports.
"Where law is plain and unambiguous
whether it be expressed in general or linn
tied terms, the legislature should be in
tended to mean what they have plainly ex-
pressed and consequently no room is left
for construction. Possible and even pro-
bable meanings when one is plainly de-
clared in the instruments itself the courts
are not at liberty to search for elsewhere
Carley's Constitutional Limitations, $3.50,
''We are not at liberty to presume that the
trainers of the consti tuition or the people
who adopted it did not understand the
force of language" says Mr.. Justice Bron-
son in People VS.. Purdy, 2 Hill, 35.
Mr.. Justice Johnson in Newell VS.. Peo-
pie, 1919, expresses the same idea in this
language: Whether we are considering
an agreement between parties, a statute or
constitution with view to its interpreta-
ton the thing which we are to seek is the
thought which it expresses. To ascertain
this, the first visit in all cases is to the
natural significance of the words employed
in the order of grammatical arrangements
in which the trainers of the instrument
have placed them. If thus regarded, the
words embody a defnitite meaning,
which involves no absurdity and
no contradiction between differ
emit parts of the same writing, then that
meaning apparent on the face of the in
strument is the one which alone we are at
liberty to say was intended to be conveyed.
In such a case there is no room for con-
tradiction. That which the words declare
is the meaning of the instrument, and
neither words nor legislation have right
to add or take away from that meaning.
l am therefore clearly of the opinion that
the senators elected in 1882, whether from
odd or even numbered districts, hold for
four years. Yours respectfully,
WILLIAM j. HAHN,
Attorney General.
A