The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-03-01
CHANGES PROPOSED
In Laws Governing the Publication of
Certain Legal Notices-Coun-
try Press Antagonistic.
House Passes Measure Providing for
Additional Pay for M. N. G..
Boys Who Went to Border.
st. Paul, Feb. %, 1917.

st. Paul, Feb. %, 1917.
Two bills have been introduced in
the senate that have given rise to
much unfavorable comment by the
country press: one by the senate
finance committee which provides for
the publication of session laws, consti-
tutional amendments and the consti-
tutional ballot in pamphlet form, and
only one publication Of the financial
statement of a county instead of three
as is now required by law.
. * * X
: The session laws are now published
in all the newspapers of the state.
Each newspaper receives the same
compensation-the newspaper with 800
circulation the same as a newspaper
with circulation Of ten or twenty
thousand. The city dailies do not
publish the laws, because the amount
to which they would be entitled would
not pay for the ink much less the
white paper required. 1t is claimed
that the supplements containing the
laws are not saved-they are too
bulky and unwieldly-and that two or
three weeks after they are published
hardly copy is obtainable. It is
alleged that if the laws were pub
lished in booklet form they would be
saved and far more generally read
than they are at present. 1t is no.
torious fact that people do not vote
intelligently on the constitutional
amendments. 1t is asserted, with a
good deal of reason, too, that if the
laws and constitutional amendments
were published in booklet form, peo-
pie would save them, read them, and
thus become more familiar with their
provisions. Figures have been OBJ
tanned which gives the cost Of print
ing 100000 copies of the laws and
constitutional amendments at 100000
or whereabouts it not for the
high cost Of paper probably several
thousand dollars less. It costs $780,
900 to publish the laws in the news
papers, and this year $4,000 for pub
fishing the constitutional amendments,
total of $4,000. The bill proposes
that the laws will be distributed
through the county, auditors. The
saving to the state would be consider
able, but the main object is to get
the laws and amendments before the
people in compact form and proper
,ly indexed, so that they may be pre-
served and read.
* y: X
Secretary Of State Schmahl is of
the opinion that the laws can be print
ed and ready for distribution week
or ten days after the adjournment of
the session.
* * X
Do I think the law will pass? No,
l do not. Three-fourths of the men,
bers Of the legislature believe the bill
is right and proper, but mighty few
Of them will vote for it. They dare
not incur the hostility of their home
papers.
* * *
AS regards the financial statement.
Two and four years ago, as we'll as
this year, county auditors have called
my attention to the absurdity Of pub
fishing the financial statement of a
county three times at a large expense
to the taxpayers, when in the main
the statement is a rehash of the bills
allowed and published in the county
commissioners proceedings, and that
the second and third publications were
never read by anybody. I requested
several Of these county officers to have
bill introduced providing for one
publication. In every instance the
answer was: "Our home member does
not care to do it. He is afraid of the
newspapers. Well, I have intro
duced the bill, and it is up to the
legislature to do with it as they deem
best.
* * X
In my opinion there is merit in
both these bills, but am not unmind-
full of the fact that the newspapers
have done and are doing much for the
State of Minnesota and are entitled
to great consideration; at the same
time I am also not unmindful of the
fact that a member of the legislature
is presumed to represent the interests
of the people of the state and not
those of his own particular calling or
profession. I shall shed no tears,
however, whatever the fate of the
bills. e.
* * X
ri Many of the true friends of the
cause of temperance think the radical