St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-18
OIL IS DEPRESSED.
The House SlumberS Over the
Bills Reforming Inspee-
ton,
And Which Might Profit the
State and Not Office
holders.
Platt Walker and Maj. Strait
After the Same
Doodle.
Appropriations for State In
stitutionS Have a Good
Pool Formed.

BY system of peculiar double-deal-
ing. best known to what is called "the
lobby" in legislative parlance. the bills
of the senate and house of 1887, intro-
duced to reform the Oil inspectors
office, were killed, and H. B. Willis
left in the full enjoyment of an income
considerably larger than that of any
other state official. The defeat of these
bills was accomplished through purely
''lobby" influences, and the Oaths were
frequent and plenty from members that
the session of 1889 would not find them
sleeping in this matter. For this reason
it is surprising to many at the present
time that the house of the present legis-
lature seems to be falling into a de-
liberately set trap by which all
legislation on oil inspection is to
be killed again or new law
passed, if anything, more technical and
confusing than the old one, and
signed, at the least. to keep the presen5
oil inspector in the comfortable pos
session of salary OF about $4,000 per
year, Or 81, 900 more than the governor
receives.
The special committee On illuminating
bills-notabIy one from Representative
Haven, which practically trims the
office of its present excessive fatness,
and the Lane bill, weird, complex
document, which the Lord himself
would find difficult to analyze, and
which is said to provide for an annual
income Of $1,000 for the inspector. None
of the bills approach the simplicity of a
measure which would require the in
spector to deposit all fees in the state
treasury and give him $1,000 year and
his deputies $500 each.
On the opinion of several lawyers of
the house the GLOBE is assured that
the present monstrosity known as the
inspection law can be repealed and
simple, plain measure passed which
fixes reasonable salaries for the in
spectors and provides a good income for
the state from the fees for inspection.
AS the situation is now, the tendency
seems to be to cover up the oil inspec-
tion measures until too late to pass any
or to get through law which in truth
makes but few changes from the
present. An analysis of the Lane and
Haven bills is being prepared for early
submission to the house and which
may wake somnolent members up.
Col. Platt Walker and Mai. Horace B.
Strait conflict to a certain extent in
their ideas as to which of them secured
the passage of the direct tax bill in con-
gress, and by which Minnesota may
possibly receive S10S,0O0. Col. Walker
is proudly displaying to the members of
the legislature commission issued to
him in March, 1884. by Gov. Hubbard,
which authorizes him to act as the agent
of Minnesota in the direct tax LOBBY at
Washington. Col. Walker went to
Washington under this authority, and
sowed the seed of victory which Maj.
Strait garnered by virtue of commits
sion from Gov. McGill. Mr.. Walker de-
sires the legislature to compensate him
for his valOrous services, but it has
been understood that Maj. Strait was to
get the plum, which is TO be, it
is said, one-fourth of the total tax due,
or $4,000. Of course the legislature will
have to appropriate this amount if
Grover signs the bill and the state gets
her dues. 1t is very Interesting to note
Col. Walkers account of how he fought,
bled and died on terrapin at Washing
ton. and at the same time to consider
that Maj. Strait is not saying word.
~
Temperance legislation in the house
seems to have reached a state of in
nocuous desuetude. The committee has
not reported, and Chairman McKusick
looks solemn when asked as to when it
will. 1t is anticipated that all the bills
and resolutions pertinent to the subject
will be presented to the house this
week, and the floodgateS of debate
opened.
Representative Ed Davenport is very
much interested in the passage of his
bill taking the tax off of mortgages.
Mr.. Davenport feels that under the
present law premium is placed upon
certain kind of law-breaking-an
evasion of the tax assessor by the
wealthy. Besides, investors in mort
cages are more apt to lock their money
up under a system OF taxation than
when the law imposes no burden upon
them. Again also. where the tax is
paid upon the mortgage it almost in
variably falls upon the borrower in the
end and not the lender. These things
Mr.. Davenport considers to be in
justices needing immediate remedy.
Speaker Graves, in appointing his
committee on appropriations, uninten-
tionally perhaps placed upon it what
looks like pool in the interests of the
state institutions which want from the
state S2,OO0.O00, and of which sum over
sl,0Oo,0OO is asked for by the insane
asylums alone. Of the eleven members
of the committee, Lane represents the
state university: Fathers, the Roches-
ter insane asylum; Seymour, the
state prison; Elmquist, the state
capitol Diment, the Ovation
ma institutions, and Searle.
the st. Cloud reformatory and normal
school. Each naturally desires to get
for his institution all he can, and in the
shuttle of dividing up, roads, bridges
and the rest of the state. are very liable
to go into the soup as they have in the
past. Already the members of the
house have begun to talk of an increase
of the tax rate to 3 or cents, but there
is suspicious silence as to the reduc-
tion of appropriations. Gov. Merriam
will have an excellent opportunity to
use his veto.
Said Senator Edwards last night:
''The Duluth district has no more need
of another judge than cow has for two
tails in January"