The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-13
MEN AND MEASURES

line mouse Judiciary committee recon-
mended George R. Smiths: bill for the
better publication of constitutional
amendments but they amended it so as
to make it new bill. Instead of printing
the amendments and synopsis of the at
torney general in three papers of each
county, the bill returns to the present
law, one paper in each county and "the
newspapers printed at the capital of the
state.' This is a hoary steal under which
every little weekly in st. Paul existing for
the publication of ''legals'' prints the
amendments and gets the same compensa-
ton as the large daiIies
The new feature of the bill is the pro-
vision for pamphlet publication. The sec
rotary of state is to have the amend
ments and synopsis printed in pamphlet
form in English, German, Swedish, Nor
wegian and such other languages land
number as in the judgment ,of the score
tary Of state shall be necessary, and, is to
provide and forward a copy to every voter
in the state. To get the mailing list
every county auditor is required to send a.
full poll list of the county with the post
office address and nationality of each voter
me secretary Of state is also to get the
publication in bill form, six for each voting
precinct, and these are to be posted by
the town clerks.
With such a thorough distribution there
would be mo excuse for ignorance ON the
subject of the amendments.
The st. Cloud Journal Press:
Julius Schmahl is making a good rec
ord as speaker Of the Minnesota legisla-
ture.'' -. -
This is quite boost for Julius, but
some of the newspapers are criticizing
the chief clerk for giving the speaker as
sistance. That is one of the things. he is
there for. The speaker of the national
house has a clerk employed for no other
purpose than to sit at his elbow and
prompt him on parliamentary law. So
long as business is expedited it makes no
difference to anybody where the rulings
come from. ..
Members, of the senate committee on
elections explain that they amended the
Haugland. bill because some doubt was
expressed as to the constitutionality of a.
measure that gave one proposition prefer
ence over the others on the same ballot
The motion was made by Senator Law
bourn, and 1t IS said that the author of the
bill offered no particular objection If
there were any doubt as to the validity Of
such provision, it was not expressed last
year, when the gross earnings bill was
printed in heavier. type than the amend
ments. The bill. as it stands. leaves the
secretary Of state to arrange these propo-
sitiOns on the ballot as he sees fit either
| in order of their Importance as it appears
to him, or in the order of their passage
by the legislature. The latter rule would
place the school loan amendment at the
top of the ballot.
The Hinton bill requiring a gravity test
for kerosene, which has passed the house,
will make more work for the deputy Oil
| inspectors, with no more gay, but it will
prevent the sale of low grade oil in Min
nesota. This means that the cheapest oil
now on the market will be Withdrawn
from the state. This will probably raise
a storm of protest at first from those who
have been buying the lower grades Of oil,
but it is claimed that the better grades
are really cheaper because they burn to
the bottom of the lamp. The bill has yet
1 to run the gauntlet Of the senate. Y
/ Charles B. Cheney.