The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-12-17

Es&4
olisresaue Ialk over
the SessiOn,sEWork.
-
al Short Chat on the Peculiarities
Amendment of 90.
-
The approach of the winter session
ofthelegislature is heralded in hum
dred ways, and the corridors Of the
capitol will be ringing with the fervid
the solons who have been
vested with a little brief authority and
the privilege, as was once said of a
Wisconsin legislature, ssof correcting
saIfeW Of the mistakes of past legisla-
and making few mistakes for.
future Legislatures to correct
Plainly speaking, that is too often the
experience of legislatures, not so much
because Of corrupt or improper mo-
Nves as because of the difficulty of con-
F%sttrructing laws that will conform to the
Etechnical requirements of the consti-,
tuition, avoid cofict with other statutes
and still carry U the purpose of the
ira lei ofRthe bill. If any n wants to
thoroughly appreciate the difficulty of
enacting needed measures Of reform or
|retrenchment let him sit down and at
tempt to draft a bill to regulate, let us
say, the rate of charges which shall be.
allowable for the transportation of a
certain class of freight. He will find
before he has proceeded far that what.
he at first supposed to be a yer sim
technical & acquaintance with previous
LEGISLATION on the same subject. 4 fairly
comprehensive knowledoe Of the
theory and practice Of law and 4 GOOD
deal about nractical ~railroadinp. ne
will find thai instead Of sauino hat
wheat. or coal Or hau ~ whateuar
[4he article he has - h;s mind sbaI ho
tearried for 90 mpch Nor milo ba m,st
identity s as uGlass ) or sGlass e ],
Or some other uclassn named - tba
regulations. and this same .class. NAV
Ecnntain one or two other ARTICLES +ha.
fcharge for which NAV he moderata
andsfor the TRANSFORMATION of which s
would be unfair. to demand a reduction.
before he has gone far with his task he
will, unless he possesses unusual MAJ
Observation-Disclosures. az a. ra,.
tic gentleman who remarked Thai ..the
next time I have to do a lob like that
I'll gut some other fellv In do IS he
gobs.n
+
Here is a striking example of the
difficulty of getting what the people
want. Under the old charter Of the
city OF st. Paul, all public work was
done under the directions of a board of
public works, consisting of three mem
bers and as many clerks as the council
could be lobbled into paying. The
people demanded that the board be.
abolished and that the work be done
under some less expensive plan. One.
good superintendent with a couple Of.
practical assistants we're, it was felt.
amply able to do the work, thus abol-.
fishing the greater part Of an expense
approximatingg $4,000 a year.. A bill
was drawn by 1.-THE best legal talent of
st. Paul. providing for the annoint-
ment of a single commissioners of nnh-
lie works in cities Of 100 0OO ia 175 nm.
population. and specifying the dnties
and responsibilities Of the position
The bill was passed and became 4 law.
The old board refused to Quit when s
was discharged: the commissioner was
appointed and took possession 81 the Of
fee. The old board moved ont of the,
city hall, but kept on doing business.
the matter was taken into the conrts'
and finally the supreme conrt decided
that the law was demonstrations he
ing 1T with thas amen i