St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-23
SAINT PAUL.
LEGISLATIVE TIPS.

If the Ramsey county delegation is to
get any legislation through the present
legislature the members will have to get
down to work. The legislature has been
in session over thirty days, and not
single bill of Importance has been
PASSED, notwithstanding all the talk
there has been for remedial legislation.
1t is somewhat singular that the cltl-
zcns of st. Cloud, having almost turned
"heaven and earth" to get the state re-
formatOry, should now protest that the
employment of conylcts was running
ihem9 Why was not this considered be-
fore the reformatory was located there?
What is the use of kicking" now?
They should make the best of bad bar
gain.
Oil Inspector Sam Nichols is not dis
posed to look upon investigating COM
mitteeS with friendly eye. The evil
dence before the senate committee DEM
onstrates that the oil inspection de-
partment deserves to be as severely
oyerhauled as it is proposed 10 round up
the prison managers. The mistake i'll
the management of these state depart
ments is that the officers consider them
selves bigger than the peOple-thelr
masters. Let us have a cleaning out;
the more the merrier.
Now that legislators are in an in
vestIgating turn of mind, why not tackle
the bureau of labor statistics? 1t would
be very Interesting to know the work
accomplished by this department since
its ordination, four years ago. Two re-
ports nave been published, but FOR what
matter of Importance they cover, their
publication could easily have been dis
pensed with. In fact, the state would
have been greatly the gamer if the sal
aries of the departmental officers had
been paid and the printing approprla-
ton not drawn upon for the publication
of worthless reports.
1t would also be interesting 10 know
if the state dairy commission is drawing
the appropriation to prevent the adul-
ITERATION of baking powders, liquors,
etc. and. if so. what is being done in
the detection of such fraud ? There is
a suspicion abroad that the commission
is consuming the appropriation and do
ing nothing to carry out the provisions
of the food adulteration act.
over 800 bills have been introduced
into the house and over 300 into the SEN
ate, and the cry is "Still they come"
The state constitution may require
amending in some particulars, but it is
very questionable whether the present
legislature will agree TO till calling
for convention to provide a revised
one Mr.. Bell, of Ramsey, is within
the mark when he opposes such con-
vention in the present state of the pub
lie mind There is an unrest abroad,
and until the questions cow unSettling
the people are disposed OF, a cOnstitu-
tionaI convention should be relegated
to the rear.
If all the bills now before the legiS-
lature for the regulation Of railroads
were passed it would be interesting to
know what powers would be retained
by the managers and proprietOrS of
roads.
Gen. f. NJ. Pope, of Mankat is so
deeply interested in railroad legislation
that he has been unable to refrain from
appearing before the house committee
on railroads and give his opinion upon
the anti-raIlroad bills. There is proba-
bly, no other man in the state, not Off
cially connected with railroads, who
knows as much respecting the workings
of railroads and railroad legislation in
this state and country as Gen. Pope.
The bill introduced by Mr.. Penney, of
Hennepin, providing for the execution
of condemned murderers at the state
prison, and amending the Smith mid
night assassination law by allowing
representatives of the press to be pres
ent, is worthy of more than passing at
tention. 1t is reform III the right direc-
ton. Many counties are totally unpro-
vided with Jail accommodation where
the dread penalty can be properly car
ried out.