The Princeton union., 1897-03-04

What the Legislature Has Accomplish
al ed During the Two nonths II
Has Been at Work.
The Anoka- Hastings Bughouse Scrap
Isl Special Attraction for To-
Day and To-Morrow.
Special Correspo dence
The legislature has been in session
for almost two months. What has been
accomplished? The struck jury law
has been repealed 1T should never
have been enacted and I und
that there is grist of really meritori-
Gus measures in the Legislative hopper.
Several bills for the taxation of mines
and mineral lands have been intro
idleed, but predict that not one of
them will ever grace the statute books
sofsour State. My advice would be, re-
peal the Unconstitutional law of 1881,
give the State board OF equalization.
the power to raise Individual assess
ments and stop righ there. Let mines
and mining property be taxed the same
as other property and bear theirjust
proportion of the burden of taxation.
No radical enactments are necessary.
The owners of mines and mineral lands
should be accorded the same treatment
asI the owners of any other class Of
Property.
Ehe present legislature is over
Iwht tlmingly Republican, and the. Re
blican party will be held responsible,
and rightly SO, for any legislation that
may orsmay not be enacted. There are
lmany good men in both branches who
are striving earnestly to promote the
Ibest interests Of the State, and the leg
lislature as a whole is composed of hon
Lest, Well-meaning men. The trouble is
/ that toward the close Of the session the
1members become restive, each one is
interestedsin his own pet measure or
measures and the general interests ot
Il the State are neglected. There is5one
Thing the leaders Of the house andssen:
ate should bear in mind, there should
be no unnecessary appropriations. The
tax levy must not be increased. Elk
travag ant app OPERATIONS means an in
o1sno W.,
ls,syss 3. =. 8. 5s
laa reapportionment bill is passed 4
will be a. compromise measure. If !
flair reapp portionment on the basis O
population cannot be had, it would be
i far better to leave the districts as they
are. Il have, talked with several of tho
2 northern members of the senate anc
house and they are determined upor
having an equitable reapportionmen
or none at all.
1 Representative jacobson introduced
a bill, Monday, the object Of which j.
8 to secure judicial determination O
several disputed swamp land grants t.
4 railroad companies. It is better fol
the State and the railroad companie!
to have the questions in dispute passed
upon by the courts and disposed of fol
all time. Hence sincerely hope thai
A. Mr.. Jacobson's bill will become a law
i !. i. !.
i Several important witnesses from st
! Louis county testified before the Noun:
tain Iron investigating committee las
week. But the man of all men whe
could have thnown a food Of ight OF
4 the transaction whereby the schoo
children of the State were robbed O.
millions, was Lon Merritt. More thar
a. month ago the UNION advised Mr.
4 |Donnelly to call Lon Merritt. IT'S Z
i pity that the advice was not acted upor
!. promptly. Lon Merritt is now in Mex
leo, and it is hardly probable that he
a will return to Minnesota before the
legislature adjourns. Some people are
SO foolish as to imagine that John D.
Rockefeller would never have com
j promised with the Merritt's had tnot
.|fbeen for the Mountain Iron investiga.
tion. 1t is an i'll wind, etc. This is
lanother matter that the courts will be
1called upon to finally determine, and
the sooner the better. s
55 i: :. i: @ # I'll.
| The Hasting Anoka fight is still on,
[and there is little probability of its be
ing off until after the Legislature ad-
journs, and perhaps not then. The in
vestigation committee reported, Mon
day !; six Of the committee Young,
ESheehan, Barta, Staples, Kendall and
| Doug glas reported in favor of Hast
Iings, and q minority Of the committee
consisting Of Dare, Shell, Hicks, Pot
ter and Culkin reported in favor OF
Anoka. The reports have been made
g special order in the senate for Thurs
day, and in the house on Friday. st.
Paul is haelxinor the S1aanv nld dawn