Willmar tribune., 1899-07-05

than sane persons. Notwithstanding
these arguments the legislature pro-
vlded for the immediate expenditure of
S25O,0OO for a hospital at Anoka, and
provided for another in the future at
Hastings. If expending a quarter of a
million dollars on unnecessary build
lngs is not steal" we fail to faith ON
the meaning of that word.
The governor signed the second bill
because it was bill for AsYLUMs and
not hospitals. While he would have
preferred to have the county system
OF caring for the chronic insane, he
was forced to accept this bill as the
only thing to be obtained from that
legislature, and the demand for asy-
tum room was so imperative that the
matter could not be deferred until the
meeting OF the next legislature. The
bill provided for building asylums at
Anoka and Hastings, at a cost of sl25,-
Oo0. Thus the veto saved at least
Sl2o ,OOO to start with, not to mention
the difference in cost of maintaining
the buildings and caring for the un-
fortunate inmates. Was Mr.. Feig's
mind built on too grand a scale to
take in little difference like that, or
did he trade on the ignorance of ordi-
nary, everyday individuals like us?
"Then why did he veto the
Miller bill making evidence be-
tore the railrO ad commission COM
petent in court and compelling the
railroads to appear before the
commission co with their answer?
Ihls was the most important bill
IN the peoples interest introduced
al winter! Why did he veto it?
What position does the TRIBUNE
take on this proposition?
we are fortunate in being able to
present letter written by Gov. Lind
himself to the author of the bill which
felg alludes to. We publish it in
full, and urge every person at all in
terested in state politics to read it
through carefully. It reads as fol-
lows:
ST, PAUL. MINI, June 20, 1885,
Hon. H. J. Miller Luverne Minnesota:
LEAR SIR: confess was not little sur
prlseo when copy of your paper of June 9
was placed before me- and I saw the article
peaded "Llnd's Betrayal OF Trust,'' the first
paragraph OF which reads as follows:
The Herald has made the charge in previ-
Gus issues that Senate FY]e No, a, relating to
proceedings for the enforcement OF the orders
OF the railroad and warehouse commission,
was killed by Gov. Lind at the instance or bv
the demand Of the Great Northern Railway
company" I had been informed previous to
this that you had made charges of some such
character in earlier issues of your paper, but
paid no attention to them, as I hoped that YOU
Nouid he down TO thescitys ana that 81 might
have an opportunity to place the facts before
you IN their proper light, my time hardly per-
mttlng communication by correspondence in
matter so involved as the cousidera ton OF
N-Nc0eN2 ASt1CAA4o EA GAS FSb4lEOdu luu Wir0-
| mouse commission, but this last charge is such
braze9 falsehood and of such character that,
coming from the source it does, 1 feel that it
demands not only an explicit denial, but an ex-
planatlon Of the law as it now stands and the
| eHect OF the proposed amendment. so that YOU
and any citizen who desires to understand the
matter may see and appreciate the dangerous
| character OF Senate File No. n, which 1 re
| fused to sign.
! In Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway company
VS.. Railroad and Warehouse Commission, A
MIMI, 1886, which was one Of the earlier cases
under the present railroad law before our su-
preme court, Judge Mitchell uses the language:
':The act claws 1887, chapter 10Y regulating
common carriers and creating the railroad and
| warehouse commission is piece of legislative
patchwork composed of provisions borrowed
| from different and dissimilar sources without
uniformity OF plan and not always consistent
| with each other. construction OF the act is
therefore difficult task Although the act
mas been amended several times since that
language was used with reference to it, it is
stnl applicable to many of the provisions of the
law as 1t now stands, as any one who has read
| IL With care must cOncede; but, nevertheless,
| IL mas now been before the court so often and
many OF the sections SO thoroughly construed,
! that the most striking Inconsistencies have
been reconciled and the legislation as a whole
made harmonious by judicial Interpretation.
In my message to the legislature 1 recon-
mended only one change, and in he following
language: ''The report Of the state railroad
and warehouse commission will be laid before
you. No new legislation is needed on that
| subject hat he
the commission on hearing should be made to
| constitute the record on appeal The present
practice of trying case de novo in the district
court is useless and expensive and by it's de-
lays tendsto defeat the ends of the law" An
amendment in harmony with this suggestion
would have been decided Improvement on
the law as it now stands and would have had
my prompt approval, as it had my cordial in.
dorsement in advance. I cannot help feeling
| that you are under the impression that Senate
File "A would have accomplished the purpose
Indicated by my recommendation, for I can
| hardly conceive that man of your standing
would purposely traduce and malign q public
servant from partisan motives alone. I shall
| therefore take more time and exercise more
patience in explaining the law to you than ]
would to one for whose character and motives
| have less regard than I have had for yours in
the past, believing that when the matter is
placed before you in its proper light you will
have the manhood to undo, so far as you are
able, the injustice which you have done me.
| BY our legislation constituting the board OF
railroad and warehouse commissioners and de-
fining their powers, the duties of the board are
divided into two classes. The first, and most
important, is to pass upon the reasonableness
of transportation rates and to prevent discrim.
nation between persons and places. The sec
ond is the power to regulate the manner OF