The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-07

| institutions. without Offering any specific
rscopmsnSsation q new isg'alson relating e
your most thoughtful consideration.
The Soldiers Home.
The ninth annual report Of the board OF
trustees of the Minnesota Soldiers home
contains a full statement OF the administra-
| ton Of that meritorious state institution. The
population OF the home has steadily In
creased from rs in 1888 to 418 In 1885, There
are nearly twenty thousand surviving SOL
| ders of the civil war now resident In Min
nesota; their disabilities are increasing with
each advancing year. and 1t is estimated
that the maximum population will not be
reached for several years to come. The net
| cost to the state of maintaining the soldiers
home, under the present competent and sat
| isfactory dispensation, during the last fiscal
year $31 1874. From the Soldiers re-
| lief fund" which Is disbursed by the trustees
of the home. for aid to disabled and des-
titute ex-soldiers residing with their families,
| the expenditures were about SAL 900. This
hundred families, residing in seventy-seven
| counties. No appropriation is asked by the
board for new buildings, and the standing
| appropriation for support OF the home Is
! deemed sufficient for present necessities.
The New Capitol.
| The construction of the new state capitol
! building has gone forward. according to the
| laws passed by the last legislature and It's
predecessor, to the limit Of the appropriation
available. 1t is the belief of the faithful
(
the commission charged with the conduct of
this work that 1t might be vastly facilitated,
| the cost of construction cheapened and the
| interests of the state served by such legisa-
ton as would make immediately available the
proceeds of the tax levy for this purpose
| that will accrue only after the passage OF
several years. No increase of the aggregate
appropriation of the tax levy to be made in
any year is asked or contemplated should
be permitted. The limit Of expenditure as
| originally fixed should be adhered to rlgidly
! pnf RI hn cts nd
available for investment could be used SO as
! to anticipate the levies Of the last three
years of the capitol tax, it is pointed out
that great benefit would accrue. Contracts
could be let In bulk, lower bids secured, and
uncompleted building would not be al
lowed to deteriorate by the lapse of years
while waiting for funds, and the new home
| of the state would be ready for occupancy
to the great convenience of all its servants
and to the public satisfaction. several years
earlier than under the present plan. mas
much as this is merely matter of finance,
involving no alteration in the conditions Of
the capitol act, and as it presents so many
advantages and seems open to objections,
l recommend to your favorable consideration
such legislation will furnish the capitol
commission with the ready funds contem
plated in the act, these advances to be re-
paid by the proceeds of the taxes that ma
ture In future years
Labor Legislation.
Minnesota was one of the first, if not the
first state in the Union, to place upon the
statute book law seeking to regulate the
hours of all labor and to restrict that OF
women and children. That first law of 1858
was followed later by the adoption of certain
provisions OF the penal code relating to the
employment of children. The legislature OF
1895 adopted a child labor law that in most
of its provisions placed Minnesota in advance
OF any Of her sister commonwealth. Through
the instrumentality of the bureau Of labor,
| this law has been made most effective, and by
! methods that have developed practically no
friction or opposition. The labor of children
under sixteen years Of age has been lesseGed
in factories one-half and that in stores nearly
one-third. The average age at which our
youth begin to toll in stores and factories has
been increased fully one year. Those who
have studied the evils of modern child labor
can but rejoice at the good results thus ac
complished. The commissioner of labor recon-
mends that the law be further amended by
forbidding the employment of children under
fourteen years Of age in stores and under
sixteen years of age at occupations whereby
lives or limbs or health may be endangered or
their morals may be depraved. / call your at
tention to this recommendation and urge
that all practical measures be adopted for
making the law a safeguard protecting the
young in their right to a healthful and per-
feet manhood and womanhood.
The factory act of 1898 has proven most
benefcent in its operations, lessening acct
dents and throwing safeguards about the lives
and health Of those toiling in our factories.
| The principles of that act should be extended,
and all that is practical done to lessen acct
dents In our mines as we'll as in our work
shops.
A NUMBER Oh minor OoIeCIS IN the operation
and wording of the bake shop act of 1895,
and in a number of other acts, are pointed
out by the commissioner of labor in his
port. The general operation of all these
laws has been most benefcent, and their
minor amendment will, l trust, receive con-
sideration at your hands.
Building and Fire Laws.
The commissioner of labor in his report
calls attention to the need Of revision Of
the general laws regulating the construc-
ton of buildings Our present building law
was enacted in 1888. AT the time Of it's adop-
ton it could properly be ciassed as most
advanced measure. The rapid growth OF our
leading cities and changes of many kinds
such as the introduction of electricity for
numerous purposes and other factors, have
conspired to make the enactment OF new
and more complete building law an inpera-
tive necessity The commissioner Of labor
urges this through revision of our building
laws mainly in the interest of the work.
ing people toiling in our factories. The
recommendation offered by him is also urged
by the National Board Of Fire Underwriters.
and by many of business men interested
in lessening the hazard from fire. Atten-
ton is called to the fact that our national
loss by fire averages nearly one hundred and
fifty millions of dollars annually; the loss
in Minnesota alone in 1895 was 3,75S,S72. The
problem of reducing the amount of this loss
is therefore an economic question of great
Importance. Whatever lessons this fire loss
makes human life safer and aids in securing
the ends for which our factory act of 1893
was enacted. | therefore most respectfully
the adoption Of such legislation relating to
the construction Of buildings and their equip
ment will aid in checking at least to
some extent the great waste of values by
fire, constantly on the increase.
Antitrust Legislation.
l have already, in speaking of taxation, re-
ferred to some of the necessary legislation
called for by reason of the modern growth
of trade and industry and the consequent
development of corporate enterprises. The
growth of those enterprises calls not only
for modification of our system of taxation,
but also for more exact definition, limitation,
regulation and supervision of the powers of
corporations and trusts. Whatever your
wisdom can suggest to meet the demand fer
the restriction of unlawful combinations
and the power of trusts should be enacted
into law in the interest alike of statesman
ship and humanity.
Election Laws.
The subject of legislation regulating our
elections for all offices has for the past few
years justly engaged a great share of the
attention of the legislature of Minnesota, as it
has of the Iaw-making power of other states
| The law Of 1893 marked distinct advance
over the earlier election laws of the state
That law was greatly improved in 1895. AS a
whole, it works in fairly satisfactory man
ner. There are number of minor defects
that have been disclosed by its operations in
the late election. These defects, and especial
ly those provisions governing and requiring
election has failed to reach a definite result
should be considered
Immi grafton to Minnesota.
In the earlier years of the history of Min
| nesota the state maintained an immigration