The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-03-09
| JssIP FROM THE
.eE CAPITOL.
st. Paul, March 6, 1905.

house, where it is now under discus
sion. The house judiciary committee
reported the new code back the middle
of last week, accompanied by some
thing like 1900 amendments, and the
house swallowed the whole bunce in
one brave gulp. Then H. F. No. 10
(the real name of the code) was made
a special order for II a. m. OF each
legislative day until disposed of. 1t
will be taken up chapter by chapter
and any member so disposed may
submit further amendments or move
to strike out or alter any of the 12OO
amendments submitted by the judi
ciary committee. At the rate they
went at it this morning there is
strong probability that the house will
dispose of the code this week or early
next week and fire it to the senate.
A bill consisting of book OF nearly
100 pages and with 1900 amendments
attached thereto, presents possibilities
of errors, typographical and otherwise,
really "too numerous to mention. "
But that is a minor consideration.
The possibilities of juggling with the
laws of the state, the result OF the
labors of generation of legislatures,
are infinite. This is certainly case
where even the position of a comma
Al ~ ch nh
mean thousands of dollars saved or
lost to the state or to individuals.
And yet, despite all such possibilities,
/ admit that they are for the most
part only possibilities, not probabili-
ties. have an abundance OF conf
dence in the Legislators, which no
doubt is shared by vast majority OF
their constituents, and l feel that
when the new code is finally passed
by both branches that it will be In
fully as good shape, or better, than
the present multiplicity of inhar-
monious and conflicting statutes, and
that the result will be eminently
satisfactory to the people of the state.
That the code will pass both branches
is very generally admitted, but before
it does there are bound to be ICON
ferences" galore between house and
senate, as the committees of the two
bodies have worked independently of
one another, with but few exceptions.
4. = ].
There seems to be trouble brewing
in the house, trouble of an unusual
nature, and all brought about by
Speaker Clague's avowed ECONOMY,
no sinecure, dockage for absence"
policy with respect to the clerks and
other employees, known in Legislative
parlance as 'the third house." One
committee clerk land good man, too
has already kicked over the traces and
handed in his resignation. Others
threaten to follow suit unless there be
some modification in the rules. In
the house, clerks are compelled to
report for duty at 9 a. m. and remain
until 5p. M, whittier there be any
thing for them to do or not. Just
what is or can be gained by such I'M
usual and stringent rules is not
apparent, not even to the writer, who
has himself had experience as COM
mittee clerk in the house. It's all
we'll and good to see to it that
committees are supplied with clerks
when required, but it's quite another
thing to place middle-aged men,
editors, merchants, attorneys land
many such are committee clerks in
both branches) under set of rules
and regulations that might be looked
for in kindergarten, but hardly in
keeping with conditions in the legis-
lature. Most of the clerks in the
house are men of prominence and
influence in their own communities
and | don't blame them for resenting
the manner in which they are being
dictated to and lorded over. l am
glad to say, however, that more
humanitariad policy is in effect in the
senate and I am sure the results are
fully as satisfactory to all concerned.
playing to the gallery" is pretty
little expression and might be used
and might be used properly more
often than it is in political sense in
speaking of certain men. have no
AK to grind, SO don't care to mention
names, but it must be obvious to even
the most casual observer of legis lative
proceedings that there are plenty of
solons who are busy playing to the
gallery" By way of illustration,
when a member who talks much about
the rights of the people and introduces
one bill after another aimed (?) at
these awful things called corpora
tions,'' and at the same time has his
pockets full of railroad and street car
passes, telegraph and telephone
franks, sleeping car transportation
and what MOTT strikes me that l am
mot too harsh if remark that such a
man is playing to the gallery"
really feel sorry for these fellows. not