St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-29
STATE oFFIcGlaALS GaALS SAY THE ATToR-
NEf GENERhALIS hAALlIS DEPARTMENT
is TOO SLOW.
FOUR WEEKS FOR AN OPINION
THE USUAL RECORD FOR THE
PRESENT 1IGEsTERs OF LE-
GAL PROBLEMS.
STATE MAY LOSE A MILLION
Unless the Red Lake Swamp Land
case Is More Vigorously Pushed,
and at Once,


State house officials are much disturbed
over the present state of affairs in the legal
department of the state, as it takes. they
say, from two weeks to month to get anv
KIND OF an opinion out of that department.
ana unless the matter is frequently urged the
limit OF month is very likely to be exceeded.
SAID Auditor Dunn yesterday:
The interests of. the state ara suffering
ailnouen II Is probably the states own fault.
Inc a1torney general should have more as
slstants. presume that he and Mr.. Ed
serton are doing all that can be expected of
tnen' put there is too much work there,
ms offlce alone has enough material to keep
tnen ousy all summer, and 1t is a matter of
vast Importance to the state, too, but we are
restrained from showing it in on them by rea-
son OF the overload under which the legal de-
partment is laboring. There is that Red Lake
reservation swamp land case alone. which in
wolves not less than $1,000, coo to the state
and there is no question but that we
can win 1t If the attorneys get time to look
atter It, The situation is also depressing 9TH
er state departments 1t is apparent to every
one that there Is moro work there than can
be done. The Office is advisory to every one
IN the state, from legislators who want to run
tor other offices to town supervisors who are
not respected by the local legal lights and
nave 10 come here as court of last resort
Even II the attorney general was called upon
only TO determine questions that arise in the
daily course OF business directly affecting the
state, his present force would be severely
taxed to keep up with the procession"
WITHIN the last two months beside the
section 3O' case, In which he had to prepare
an elaborate brief, the attorney general has
had to make as exhaustive an investigation
of the American Savings and Loan case be-
side careful consideration of the intricacies
OF the Anoka-Hastings imbroglio, to say moth
ing or numerous minor matters affecting the
insurance laws, the trial of bank cases at
Duluth and murder cases in the southern
counties, and other minutiae as various in
their detail as were these bigger cases.
So far as the routine Office matters are con-
cerned, the delays in securing opinions are
chiefly annoying rather than vitality import
ant to the immediate necessities of the Of
fce. concerned, but in such matter the
Red Lake reservation case there Is urgent
need of prompt, and yet not hasty, inyes-
tigation of the law and facts in the case
Interrupted, as this must be, with the pres
ent small legal force, by the numberless in
tricacies of the Office administration, If its
thoroughness is not impaired, the energies
exhausted in it must be increased, and in
either event the situation is deplorable.
What is to be done about it between now
and the next session of the legislature how
ever, remains to be discovered, as the aid Of
that body must Undoubtedly be invoked to
remedy the evil, and the present incumbent
is probably not particularly solicitous about
urging a change which could only take effect
next year. when he may be far away, and
which, -ifo urged now,r would be met by his
political rivals as an argument, against his
denomination.