St. Paul daily globe., 1891-10-03
REEVE MAY EXPLAIN.
Minnesota's Constitution Says
The Worlds Fair Com
mission Must Go.
Everything That 1t Has Done
Must Be Done All Over
Again.
Bergman Weeps While Wait
ing to Be Arraigned for
Murder.
Jacob Buda Identified as a
Nov XJha KiIIad uiC Rpnfh
Jacob Buda Identified as a
Man Who Killed His Broth
er-in-Law.

c. Nee. Reeves worlds fair commits
sion for the state of Minnesots3 merits
an apology from the gentlemen who
have so ungenerously spoken of the
members of the commission. The COM
missionerS have been done grievouS
wrong. The men who have perpetrated
this wrong will now, no doubt, step to
the front and explain. in all humility
that they meant no harm when com
planning of the inaction of the commits
sion. The reason for the apology that
will probably come lies in this: The
commission has been criticised for doing
nothing, for showing no disposition to
do anything. 1t is now learned that the
commission had no right to do anything.
Perhaps the commission knew that. If
it did, therein lies the excuse of the
commission. The reason the commits
sion had no right to do anything is
found in this provision of the conStitu-
ton of the State Of Minnesota, article
4, section 9, to wit:
No senator or representative shall. during
the time for which he Is elected, hold any Of
flee under the authority of the United States
or the state of Minnesota, except that or
postmaster; and no senator or repre- sentative
Shall hold an Office under the state which has
been created, or the emolumeuts OF which
have been increased, during the session OF
the legislature of which he was q member,
until one year after the expiration of his
term of Office in the legislature.
That is explicit enough. 1t could not
be palmer. The present worlds fair
commission for Minnesota is an ille-
gally constituted body. Three of its
members offend against both of the
provisions of the state conctitutiOn here
reproduced. They are Reeve, Furlong
and Ladue. Ali three were members
of the legislature. In Minnesota mem-
bers of the legislature are elected for
two years. None of these gentlemen
has served one year yet, so their terms
have not expired. They have no right
to hold any office under the authority
of the United States or the state of Min
nesota except that of postmaster. Men,
bers of the worlds fair commission are
not postmasters. and they do act
under the authority of the state of Min
nesota. They so act in violation of the
law.
Again. this same provision of the
constitution says that no member OF the
legislature shall hold any Office created
by the session of the legislature of
which he was a member, until one year
after the expiration of his term of office.
If the commission were legal under the
first provision, it would not stand under
the second. Even admitting that the
terms of the members expired with the
adjournment of the legislative session
last spring, they would be still debarred
from holding Office on the worlds fair
commission. This office was created by
them, and the requisite year has not yet
nd no
mission is not commission in the
sight of the law. Not one of its acts
will hold in a court of law. There is no
question of legality here to be decided
by the supreme court, as against the
constitution. 1t is a constitutional
question. The constitution decides and
the commission must obey.
This explains why the gentlemen who
have been criticising the commission
should be sorry. The commission should
not be blamed for not doing that which
it had no right to do. The commission
did perfectly right in refusing to run
counter to the constitution of the state
and do lot of work that would all have
to be done over again.
In view of this provision of the con-
stitution it looks very much as if the
worlds fair commission would have to
carry out its threat to resign. Mime
apolis people will not be sorry. They
never did have much use for that COM
mission. They think that it savors too
much of Merriam. There is a growing
impression in Minneapolis that the com
mission 'was appointed and is being
manipulated as an adjunct to Merriam'S
coach. The men who feel that way will
not be sorry to see the commission dis
appear from earth and new one ap-
pointed. They will make an attempt to
prevail upon the governor to lose sight
of politics for once and appoint new
commission that is little more repre-
sentative and little more energetic to
carry out the work of the people whose
money they are handling,