The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-04-13
NEWS AND GOSSIP FROM THE
STATE CAPITOL.

The Joint subcommittee on apprO-
priations has been holding daily star
chamber sessions for a week or more,
and none outside it's membership have
any definite knowledge of just how the
states funds will be distributed among
the various state institutions. The
amount of money desired and asked
for by the departments and institutions
is at least double the amount that will
be available during the next biennial
period. 1 have noticed as a general
thing that the state institutions de-
mand considerably more in the way
of appropriations than they have any
hope of receiving. 1t is also quite
generally noticeable that the Joint
appropriations committee uses its own
judgement in deciding upon the
various amounts, and what the COM
mittee says ''goes."
+
The much heralded senate OPPOSE
ton to the new code seems to have
been exaggerated unduly, as it
mustered only nine votes when the
code, as amended, came up for passage
in the senate on Friday last. Just
what considerations contributed to the
apparent change of sentiment are not
easily discernibIe. 1t may have been
occasioned by that Outlines potent
factor in shaping legislation known as
"hearing from home" 1t may have
been party consideration, and again,
in isolated instances, it may have been
the thought of the next general
election as specially applied to self.
1t is also possible that the opponents
of the code talked the loudest and
thereby created the general impression
of being stronger than they actually
were.
Owing to its containing laws relat-
ing to banking the code required
forty-two votes to pass the senate,
whereas only thirty-two are necessary
to pass other measures. The vote on
the code in the senate vas forty-four
for to nine against, a total of fifty-one
votes. AS there are sixty-three
senators, it is obvious that twelve were
absent or not voting. As a matter of
fact there were more present who did
not vote than there were absenties.
Those present and not voting could
have been compelled to cast their vote
one way or the other, under the rules,
but as there were sufficient ayes the
matter was not pressed. The code
went through the senate in less time
than it took in the house, the former
devoting but an hour or so on Thurs
day and Friday, while the latter body
spent practically five whole days in
considering it on the floor. The
house judiciary committee hitched on
to the original code about 1900 amend
ments and the senate committees
further amended it about 900 times.
i + +
Most of the house amendments
were satisfactory to the senate and
most of the senate amendments are
satisfactory to the house. The main
points at issue as between the two
bodies relate to the drainage laws,
the game and fish laws, the libel laws,
the right of eminent domain, and
some taxation matters. A conference
committee, consisting of six leading
attorney members of each body, began
the work of reconciliation" today,
and they expect to be able to report
within a day or two. The only
obstacle now in the way of making
the new code operative is the pos l.
bility of the two bodies being unable
to agree as to one or more of the mat
tiers now in conference. This is con-
sidered a remote possibility, however.
+ + +
The present session has been
marked by the introduction of more
"salary bills" than usual, and some
of them are no doubt meritorious.
Nevertheless there is in this question
a principle involved that does not
seem to receive the attention it
deserves. When a man seeks no.
mination and election or appointment
to state Office he knows exactly the
amount of salary that the office
carries with it. 1t must be presumed
that in taking the position he enters
into a contract with the state to faith
fully perform the duties devolving
upon him, for which he is to receive
a stipulated sum. 1t seems to me,
under the circumstances, to come
with poor grace when the incumbent
later seeks to have the legislature
increase his salary. No salary in
crease should be made to take effect
until the expiration of the term
during which such increase is voted.
+ = =
The house has passed bills to in
crease the salaries of the Dairy and