St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-17
sIxrY-DAY SESSIONS.
The Eaton Bill Opened the Flood
Gates OF OratOrY.

The Eaton Bill Opened the Flood
Gates OF Oratory.
At11:3O Senator Tawney was called
to the chair, and the senate took up gen.
eral orders in committee Of the whole.
Senator Eaton's measure fixing the
length of sessions OF the legislature
headed the list of seventY-four bills.
This is an act providing for the return
to the primitive sixty days ses.
sion Of the legislature. The bien-
NAL system, however, is preserved.
Tne author took occasion to point to the
change of conditions since the enact
ment of the ninety days law. The con-
stitutional amendment abrogatng the
special law provision of the statutes, he
insisted, had greatly reduced the neces-
sary- labors of the sessions. Senator
Eaton produced an array of statistics in
support of his hypothesis. At the last
session, he stated. there were y65 senate
files introduced, and of these $50 were
general laws and 366 special. The house
introduced 1,267 bills. OF these ST were
special measures and $50 general. Thus
far in the present session 324 senate files
have been introduced and SO house bills.
He even charged tine two past sessions
of the legislature with making an eX-
travagant Interpretation of the biennial
sessions law. He aVerred that there
was no doubt in his mind that the spirit
and intention of the law was to sit ninety
days only, and to draw per diem for
that time. Still the law had been so
construed that the sessions have been
prolonged tn 105 days, and pay has been
stretched accordingly. He characterized
this as taking advantage of mere
techncality in the wording Of the law.
Senator Lienau pronounced in favor
of short session, but he deprecated any
ironclad-rule that would prevent neces-
sarv legislation. The senator from Ram
sey suggested the adoption of law
similar to that in vogue in many of the
Eastern states, as we'll as in congress
Of paving members of the legislature a
long as they wish, or until the needs of
the state have been subserved. In the
event of prolonged senatorial election
contest, business would be o6-
structed, and under Senator Eaton's
bill the legislature would be
forced to adjourn without accomplish
ing anything. Senator John Day Smith
found an opportunity to vent his views
on the amendment prohibiting special
legislation. He said the cities of the
state find themselves in a serious di-
lemma, from which coterie of lawyers,
| with patriotic impulses, are endeavor-
Ing to eXtricate them. They are labor
| ing night and day with the rec0ndite
problem of drafting general law to
! provide relief Tor all municipalities.
| But if they succeed it will only be in a
partial way. He considered the amend
ment a great misfortune to the com
monwealth. He advised his coadjutorS
to go slow with the bill under consider
| alton.
DOnneIly Opposes.
Senator Donnelly sent an amendment
to the Secretary's desk. 1t struck out
the word biennial and inserted annual,
and he then proceeded to argue the OBJ
| ject at length, and recalled the days of
| 1861, when he was lieutenant governor,
| when the territory was a small com
munity. For economic reasons, Gov.
Ramsey conceived the idea of SlXty-day
| sessions. and it was adopted. Since then
| the state has grown WOndrously, and
! the legislative means have increased
| prOportiOnately. He had known seS-
| sions adjourning with hundreds of bills
that could not be acted upon because OF
the Limitation of the session. The rail,
way companies find the sessions ex-
pensive. They come in and obstruct
and delay work, and the Sage then
branded the bill as wrong in spirit and
| effect.
"The difference" he urged, "be-
tween the poor wretches of Russia and
this country is that they are not allowed
to make laws; we are. The great cities
of the state are here asking for laws we
are powerless to grant. They are strug-
CLING to draft a general law that may be
a makeshift to relieve the great COM
monwealths. This measure is conceived
in a spirit of false economy. l believe
this great and growing state needs all.
nual sessions. 1t is very easy matter to
the raise fallacious cry of economy"
Mr.. Donnelly appealed to the judg-