The representative., 1893-05-31
ANOTHER OUTRAGE.
An Attempt to Head off the Ma.
tiOnal Coal Combine Confer
ence.
WHAT DOES 1T ALL MEAN?

"It never rains but it pOurs."
PlutOcracy has got on it's fighting
irons. John J. Rhodes and the coal
combine escapes Indictment; the At
tOrney General of Minnesota nullifies
the state elevator law; the supreme
court of the United States holds
that railroad employe cannot leave
his work, any more than a black
slave, before the war, could leave his
masters plantation; and the same
court declares that the common law
of England, our boasted heritage of
immemorial liberty, does not apply
to the citizens of the United States
as such citizens; and that the laws of
the states have no binding force in
the courts of the United States; and
that thus, being freed from both the
shackles of common law and statute
law, there is nothing to pre-
vent them from using their
tremendous powers in the in
verest of Plutocracy, and over
throwing republican institutions, at
their own sweet will.
The last legislature of this state
made call, through the governor,
for national conference, to be held
in Chicago, of ten delegates from
each state in the Union, to consider
the coal combine and other trusts;
and all the states except three have
assented; some out of sympathy with
the movement, and some, we fear,
with purpose to block it. An apprO-
priation was made of $1,5O0 to pay
the expenses of the delegates from
Minnesota. The Rings felt that the
devil was about to be let loose, and
determined to head off the cOnven-
tiOn, if it was possible. And so they
had recourse again to our charming
Attorney General, the same gentle
man who recently decided that the
state elevator at Duluth could only
be built by charges on wheat going
into it after it was built-to be col
lected before it was built! On the
principle of the chap, down east, who
moved that the new jail should be
built out of the material of the old
jail, but that the prisoners were to
be kept in the old Jail until the new
Jail was finished !! The fellow is con-
ceded to have been an ass. He
should however have moved west and
studied law and he might have come
in time to be an Attorney General.
And just as our beautiful railroad
commissioners submitted the ques-
tiOn of the power to build the state
elevator at Duluth to the attorney
general, so that charming state
auditor of ours, (whOse acts the legis-
lature directed the governor to have
investigated under charges of gross
fraud, preferred by the Hon. Mr..
Dunn, of the House, refuses to pay
a voucher for the coal combine ma
tional conference. He wrote the at
torney general as follows.
Hon. III. w. Childs, Attorney Cen
eral-Sir: There has been presented
to me a voucher for the payment of
expenses of coal combine confer
ence which is be held in Chicago
some time next month. In looking
up the appropriation for the payment
of these expenses, find that it was
made by resolution.
Section II of article of the cOnSti-
tuition of this state provides that no
money shall be appropriated except
by bill, and section 8 of article 9 pro-
vides that no money shall ever be
paid out of the treasury of this state
except in pursuance of an apprOpria-
tiOn by law. Section 13 of article 4
provides how all laws of this state
Shall commence, which is as follows:
'Be it enacted by the legislature of
the state of Minnesota"
Although | do not see how more
than one construction can be put up
on these plain and concise provisions
of the constitution, your indOrSe-
ment of it would, no doubt, give the
opinion of this Office more weight and
force and be more satisfactory to
parties interested or concerned in the
resolution. Very respectfully,
A. BIERMANN,
State Auditor.
The whole thing was prearranged.
The auditor wants the attorney gen.
eral to help him smash the appropri-
ation;- nothing to be presupposed in
favor of the people or against the
rings-and he thinks cit would be
more satisfactory to parties interest
ed or concerned in the resolution" :"
to have the law officer of the state
put his knife into it also. And there
upon the attorney general rises to
the occasion and replies in a long
winded opinion the essence of which
is contained in the following pas
sages:
The provisions of the constitution
pertinent to the inquiry are as fol-
lows: mo money shall be paid out
OF the treasury of this state except
in pursuance of an appropriation by
law" (SectiOn 9 of article 9)
mo money shall be appropriated