The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-03-05
The New York SUMS Opin-
ion of the Minnesota
Legislature.
Bjorge's Two Cranky Meas
ures Disposed of with
Neatness and Dis
patch. ~
Shall There be Ono Great
City at the Head of the
Lakes, or Shall There
be Half a Dozen
Struggling Viii
lagos? ~
The Duluth Junketers and
the Gang of Camp-Follow-
ers-The Interest Bill De-
bate in the Senate
DOnnelly's Rage, Etc.
Union Special Correspondence.

The New York S,N in a recent
issue had an editorial paragraph in
which it was stated that if what
the Minnesota legislature didn't
know about making wise and ben
Efficient laws was collected together
and compiled it would form pile
higher than the Washington
monument and thicker than the
Stuffed Prophet. The criticism is
perhaps a little severe but it con-
tains too much truth for the people
of Minnesota to have any Just
cause of complaint or remonstrance
against New York's great Dem
cratic organ. Some, it is true,
are inclined to resent the structures
Of the Seua but the majority pre-
serve discreet silence and allow
the matter to pass unchallenged.
1t is probably true that Minnesota
never sent a clumsier or more in
experienced body of men to her
Legislative halls than those who
compose the lower branch of the
present legislature. With but
few exceptions, the members of the
house are ignorant not only of the
ordinary processes of legislation but
also of the commonest rules of par
liamentary practice. Under such
conditions it is natural that the
progress of legislation should be
extremely slow and the result at
tanned usually of doubtful expedi-
ency. Another impeachment to the
rapid dispatch Of business is the
fact that many of the members are
playing for records with their con-
stituents and for that purpose con-
sumo much valuable time in dis
cussing useless and absurd resolu-
tons and introducing bills which
they never expect to pass. The
speaker is also deficient in his
knowledge Of parliamentary prac-
tice and constantly entertains mo-
tons which are clearly out of order
and makes rulings in direct conflict
with the rules Of the house, thus
entailing much unnecessary delay
which might be avoided, if the
house had a more experienced pre-
siding officer. Mr.. Champlin
however, shows a disposition to be
fair with everybody and is always
ready to correct his rulings, if he
sees that he is in error. He is
probably one of the soundest men
IN the legislature, and it is safe to
say that the interests of the State
would be less likely to be placed
IN jeopardy if there were more
men like him and less like Donnellv
in the Legislative halls.
The features of the past week
have been the great debates in the
house on Mr.. Bjorge's bill abolish
ing capital punishment and Mr..
Boyds bill incorporating West
Duluth as city; and in the senate
the three days debate on the inter-
est q question. The capital punish
ment controversy is one that comes
up at every session of the legisla-
ture and in discussion probably &C.
cup1es from one to three days once
every two years. The bill this
time met the same fate which has
been accorded it in the past-that
OF indefinite postponement. It was
the special order for Thursday af-
ternoon and many set speeches
were made in the course of the dis
cussion. Nothing new, however,
was developed nor were any new
arguments advanced to show that
the substitution of life imprison-
ment for the crime of murder in
the first degree would in any re-
spect be beneficial to the State or
tend to protect society from the
criminal classes. The same hack
neyed arguments, which have pre-
vailed at ladies' sewing societies
from time immemorial, were adj
vanced, the essence of which was
a maudlin sentimentality for the
criminal, coupled with a denial of
the right Of society to take human
Life as a penalty for murder. The
patrons Of the ladies' sewing circle
were allowed to exhaust themselves
on this line, a noticeable feature of
the debate being that every man,
who seemed peculiarly fitted for
the crime of murder both by
natural instincts and the tendency
OF education and training, was
heartily in favor of the abolition of
capital punishment. The test vote
showed a very decided majority
against the passage Of the bill.