Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1909-03-26
House Committees Report on
Board Of Control
rs MEMBERS ExoNERATED

St. Paul. March 22.-"Not guilty
but don't do it again." is the verdict
OF the committee of the house ap-
pointed to inquire into the methods of
the state board of control. This is in
connection with the criticism made by
the public examiners department of
Mr.. Leavitt and the board because of
the acceptance of some $4,000 in re-
bates from a coal company with which
the board had contract to supply
state institutions with fuel. The CON-
mittee decided that it was bad policy
to give contracts by the rebate route,
but that it was all right for the board
OF control to accept the money, as the
profit of the deal accrued to the state.
The committee was very severe on the
deputy public examiners, whom it &C.
cused of looking for trouble rather
than trying to find out the facts. None
the less it is the business of the pub
lie examiners department to ferret
out official wrongdoing and zeal in the
discharge of that duty is not altogether
reprehensible.
+ !. !.
st. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth do
not take kindly to the idea of losing
the control of the street railway COM
panies operating in these cities. as
proposed in Mr.. Nolan's bill, although
Representative Christensen charges
that in the case of the first named
city it is the other way about and the
street railway company controls the
board OF aldermen. Similar charges
have in the past been made with re-
gard to the other twin. AT all events
it seems to be generally conceded that
the terms of Mr.. Nolan's bill are faulty
in that, while it deprives the cities of
the control of street railways, it does
not vest sufficient power in the rail-
road commissioners to supervise their
operations. Because of this the charge
has been made that the bill is really
In the interest of the Twin City Rapid
Transit company and the support the
bill is receiving from some quarters
seems to warrant the suspicion that,
as it has been amended, it is not alto
gether in the public interest. The
ostensible purpose of the bill is to give
rural lines access to the cities and
this Is admitted on all hands to be
desirable. 1t seems now probable that
a new bill will be framed that will
accomplish this purpose without TAX
Ing from the cities the control of
street railways, which it seems desir-
able in the public interest they should
exercise.
There is small prospect of the pas
sage by the legislature of working
mans compensation act. None of the
measures proposed are satisfactory
either to employers or employees.
Neither are the prospects favorable to
the passage Of the measure recon-
mended by employers and employees
and endorsed by the governor for the
appointment Of commission to inyes-
tigate the subject and report two
years hence an employers liability
bill. 1t looks now as if nothing would
be done in any direction at this ses-
sion, although the lawmakers have
tried honestly enough to frame a sat
isfactory measure. The subject is an
extremely difficult one, involving as it
does the abrogation of a number of
recognized legal principles. as the doc
trine that workman assumes the
hazards of his occupation, that the
employer is not responsible for in
juries to which the employees negli-
gence contributed and that the en-
ployer is not responsible to an en-
ploye if injuries are sustained by him
through the negligence of fellow
servant. That is what workingmen
want, their contention being that an
industry should bear the burden of all
risks connected Herewith, irrespec-
tive of whether the injury is sus-
tanned through either their own negli-
gence or that of another employee.
&, ~ + +
Cass Lake has still the better of
the normal school fight, the senate
having passed the bill for the estab-
iishment of normal school at that
point. The house has already ex-
pressed itself as in favor of the Cass
Lake site, although not by sufficient
majority to insure the passage of the.
bill. However, Cass Lake has strong
backing in the house and is likely
ultimately to win out. The alternate
proposition is to leave the location of
the school to the normal school board.
There is respectable contingent in
the house opposed to the establish
ment Of another normal school at all.
There are already normal schools at
Moorhead, St. Cloud and Duluth and
these are believed by many to meet
all the requirements of the northern
section of the state
!: i. i.
The tonnage tax bill, having passed
the house, has now gone to the SEN
ate, where it is being considered by
the tax committee. The prospects for
its ultimate passage are said to be
good and this will without doubt prove
to be the case If it is as generally