Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1891-05-01
From the Rrainerd Journal III. c. Stivers.)
The Course of LEGISLATION.

The legislature has adjourned, and
the people who feared that its acts
would be 50 radical as to seriousl y in
lure the interests of the state are
pleased to know that nothing Of the
kind has happened. That there was
a very strong radical element in both
branches Of the legislature is beyond
question, so strong that with shrewd
leaders the radical members could have
enacted every law they desired. For
tunately for the people these members,
like members of their class in all the
states, found themselves with leaders
who did not understand thoroughly
the question at issue, and who, ap-
parently, had no knowledge ofhuman
nature and no understanding Of the
process of reasoning by which their
opponents reached conclusions. On
the other hand they were contending
with men who understood all these
things. and who aimed from the start
to lead the radical members by slow
and almost imperceptible stages into
different ways Of thinking so that in
the latter part Of the session their
views would have not only undergone
a change, but would have diverged
even among themselves, so that they
would be unable to agree entirely on
what they wanted. The result was
that in due time all proposed radical
legislation was killed and duly hurled.
The session ended with credit to the
members and benefit to the people.
Wise and conservative laws were enac-
ted, and everything was done as we'll
rs could have been done, with the
possible exception Of the passage of
the appropriation bill. The appro-
priations are undoubtedly to high in
some particulars, but as this was
wholly the fault of the Alliance men,
bers, neither the Democrats nor the
Republicans will be blamed. The
combination that was made between
the Democrats and the Alliance for the
purpose of organizing the house and
senate resulted in the Alliance getting
control of the committee on appro-
priations in the house and the finance
committee in the senate. H. P.
Bjorge, an Alliance leader Of Otter
Tail county, was made chairman Of the
former committee, and J. B. Hompe,
another we'll known Alliance leader Of
the same county, was made chairman
of the latter. The matter Of finance
and appropriations was therefore very
largely in Alliance hands. The re-
suit was thatthe general appropriation
bill was held back until the last days
of the session, and was not finally acted
upon by tie house until the night of
the last day on which bills could be
passed. There was much dissatisfac-
ton with the bill, and it came near be-
ing defeated in the house, but many
members who were displeased with it
thought that it would be better to pass
the bill as it was than TO kill it at
that time, because the defeat Of the
bill, or an amendment at so late an
hour, which would have had the same
effect as defeat. would have compel
led the calling Of an extra session Of
the legislature, costing the state prob
ably about $4,000. If the bill had
been reported, as it should have been,
at least two weeks earlier, it could
have been amended 30 US to cut out all
Objectionable features, but it was re-
ported 30 late that this was impossible.
In dealing with this matter it was
found that 1 deficit from the appro-
priations Of the previous legislature
Iexistei to tho amount Of about $780,
loco The approp r,sti.l IS the 81, az