Morris tribune., 1909-06-19

The board of control have purchased tract
of 4S2 acres near Willmar for the state inebriate
farm, paying $4,000. The tract is said to be
an ideal one for an inebriate asylum. and the
construction of the buildings will begin this
summer, and the farm put in running order as
soon possible.
The peddlers license law, of which much
was heard during the last state campaign, and
which after being vetoed by the governor two
years ago, was again passed by the Legislature
this winter was declared unconstitutional by
the district court at Winona recently. The court
held the law to be class legislation. The case
is test one, and will be taken to the supreme
court.
Neither of the two leading parties will be
able to consistently blame the other for the
failure of the tariff bill to satisfy the country.
The bill promises to be nothing more than
patchwork of schedules demanded by local in
terests, those local interests being most favored
who were able to form the most effective log
rolling combination In the forming of these
combinations Democrats have been as active
as Republicans. Democracy as a party has
abandoned the theory of tariff for revenue only,
and free trade is forgotten dream. The pre-
sent tariff bill is nonpartizan measure, for the
reason that there is no party in the United
States today with a positive and consistent
position on the tariff. The Republican party is
reputed to be the party in power, and such
will have to bear the blame of unsatisfac-
tory tariff, but the Republican party of the
Middle West has certainly not been party to
any revision upwards.
The tariff law now in the making is most
effectively demonstrating that our present me
thods of fixing the tariff in country of so
many varied industries is all wrong. So many
varied questions presented in framing
tariff that the two great political parties no
longer meet the question fairly. We believe
that neither party with it's carefully worded
platform represents the sentiment of even
fair proportion of the people. We believe the
people as whole are sick of the platitudes of
the Republican doctrine and Disguised with the
Inconsistencies of the Democratic position. So
far as public opinion in the country is settled
on the tariff question: we believe it is decidedly
against the present mixing of the tariff with
politics, and in favor of some other method of
determining how national tariff should be fixed.
There has been some mention of tariff COM
mission, and we believe if the people had an
opportunity to be heard, their desire would be
for a judicial or semi-judcial commission,
large enough to do away with favoritism and
small enough to do away with log-rolling.
s +
While in many quarters the withdrawal OF
the appropriations provided for in the road and
bridge bill will be regarded unfair to the
State at large and will doubtless result either
in many necessary Improvements not being
made or in the people being compelled to tax
themselves for them, in the end it will no doubt
conduce to greater economy and a closer
scrutiny of the appropriations demanded for
the large cities, and for public institutions 1t
will also deprive those who seek legislation,
vileges of lever which at the last session they
worked to the limit. Take the capital approach
appropriations for instance those demanded
by the State fair managers and the university.
Everybody knows that these were log-rolled
through on the strength of support given to
country members for items in the pork barrel
bill in which they were interested. One extra
vagance thus helped another, members being
inclined to forego, in securing grants for roads
needing it or for necessary bridge, the opposi-