The Saint Paul globe., 1901-04-14
FOUR HUNDRED NEW LAWS
RECENT LEGISLATURE TURNS orr
BIG GRIsT OF NEW ENACT
MENTS
LAST ONE HAS BEEN SIGNED
Question of the Legality of Some
of the Measures Likely
to BE Tested I'm the
Courts.

The thirty-second legislature of Mime
sofa passed more laws than It's prede-
cessor two years ago and the administra-
tion urges that 1t is therefore the best
legislature that ever convened in this
state. If the passing of bills is the cor
rect measure of success then certainly
this legislature is entitled to consider
able credit, for it succeeded admirably
in piling up a large bunch of new laws.
Out Of the 1900 bills introduced 399
passed the two houses and We're signed
by the governor, or in other words be-
came laws. This surpasses the record of
two years ago by IA. There were 2S5
bills converted into laws at that ses-
sion. In each of these cases the consti-
tutional amendments are taken into con-
Sideration as laws
OF the total number of laws enacted
this year there were 3S1 general l6 spe-
cial laws and two constitutional amend
mentS These were the gross earnings
proposition and the act allowing coun-
ties, districts and other municipalities
to get state loans on the basis Of Is per
cent of their assessed valuations, instead
OF per cent as has heretofore been the
rule. Both these acts need the ratifica-
t1on of the people to become laws. Two
years ago there were only $40 general
laws enacted, IA special and l constitu-
t1onal amendment.
cleaning UP the work which the legis-
1ature made for it with about the usual
dispatch. Gov. Van SAINT was able to re-
port all the bills signed yesterday.
1t Is of interest to note that of the 73s
bills introduced in the house and the $50
In the senate the governor placed his
veto against but three of them One of
these was a bill introduced by John
Sweet, Of Minneapolis in the house.
which provided for the new system of
accounting in some of the state institu-
tions. It was deemed class legislation
A bill introduced in the house by Repre-
sentative Scherff, of Goodhue county,
providing for the practice of dentistry
in the state without the properly ac-
credited certificates, fell under the ex-
ecutfve's veto, and the third one was
senate file 129, providing for the forfeiture
of alien lands and allowing corporations
to hold unlimited areas of land where
they owned other property In the state.
QUESTION OF LEGALITY.
Not all the laws that have been enact,
ed, however, are entirely free from ques-
ton. The theory that the legislature had
no right to introduce bills during the
last twenty days of it's existence prompts
some authorities to hold that all those
laws enacted from bills which came III
within this period are invalid and will
q e has previously stated. the sen.
ate judiciary committee once held thai
the constitutional provision regulating
this twenty-day period, did not have refer
ence to short session; that when the
term of the legislature was shortened the
period of days within which bills could
not be introduced was likewise shortened
but as this seems to be matter of the
legislature taking into it's hands the right
of twisting the constitution to it's own
conveniences, the question still remains
and the validity of these laws is py no
means a settled proposition
Should the courts hold that the Iegiss
lature transgresscd its bounds in allow
ing bills to come in after this period
without the consent of the governor.
Minneapolis would he quite materially at,
fected by the annulling Of some laws
that would stand in the way of being
wiped out. Two important measures pro,
viding for special assessments for street
Improvement in the Mill City came in
after the legislature had gotten beyond
this stage in its session. The bill which
validated the land grant of the Dakota
& Little Falls railroad would also come
under this ban, as would the Burns tele-
phone bill, the Winona bill to permit
Bohemian societies to established fra
ternal Insurance and the bill fixing the
salary of Assistant Adjutant General Sc
bach.