The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-12-23
Bankers, Business Men and
Farmers Looking Toward
Legislature
SENTIMENT FAVORS
RIGID LEGISLATION
Numerous Suggestions for State
Legislature Are Received
in Weekly Review !,

st. Paul, Dec. 23.-MiHneset3
bankers. business men and farmers IN
every county are expecting the 1921
state legislature to take swift, az
gressive action to reduce crime, II
possible and to revise old statutes
and enact new laws that will bring
about a more satisfactory method OF
marketing farm products.
During the past week. The MercA-
ants National Bank Of Saint Paul
sent a QUESTIONABLE to bankers thru
out the state which asked: What
legislation do you and representative
farmers, business men, city and
acted at the 1921 session OF the state
legislature A--For the benefit Of
the entire state or considerable por-
ton B-~For the benefit Of your
county. C-Regarding agriculture,
business and civic affairs?"
1t was noticeable from the replies
that farmers are as keenly interested
in the proposed law providing for
capital punishment as city business
men seem to be- The tonnage tax, as
usual. had proponents and opponents.
Profteers were flayed. Good roads
measures were heartily Endorsed. Sew
er3l bankers remarked rather caustic-
ally that the legislatures might profit
ably employ its entire session to elm
mating dead" statutes and making
diseased" ones healthy. The soldier
bonus was touched upou-and the
service men seemingly have a ma
jority OF the state bankers behind
them, although friendly bankers were
Inclined to warn these soldiers and
sailors that the act OF one spendthr1ft
who HIS wasted his bonus is likely -
receive more attention than the e.
fort of a hundred careful service men
to conserve their allowances.
A large majority OF the bankers
agreed that farmers must look to
congress for effective legislation and
it was pointed out that thinking
farmers and cattlemen hold to the
same view. One reason offered was
that uniform federal laws will help
the entire agricultural industry,
whereas farm laws enacted in Minut
sofa might injure farmers in an i'd
Joining state. and vice versa. Flood
ing of the American market with Ca
ouu A>O"
Zealand grain, meat, wool and hides,
was unanimously condemned. Bank
ers urged the enactment OF legisla
ton to put grain exchanges and spec
ulators out of business and to have z
government board arbitrarily fix the
price of wheat. other grains and pos
sibly meat. '}
Bankers thruOut the Iron Range
emphasized hostility toward any sort
of tonnage tax. One banker made
this statement: THE tonnage tax
measure should be killed for all time.
| Passage Of the tonnage tax will iu-
jure the entire state. Killing Of the
tonnage tax will prolong the pros
perity OF this country for many years.
Passage Of such tax may lead to
division of the state" The banker
making the statement lives at Ely.
Vigorous discussion OF the capital
punishment measure was rather sur
prSinc Papers in small towns and
citi les have not given much space to
the proposed legislation thus far but
It was evident from the statement Of
a number of bankers that public SEN
timent in their districts strongly IL
vOr the enactment OF the most rigid
sort of legislation to combat vice and
crime. Already. ii was stated. men
and women are urging their represen-
tatives and senator's to stand behind
any sane measure that is intended to
reduce murder. robbery and the as
81 lllting of women. Capital punish
ment for the latter offense was suS-
gested in one or two instances. Not
a single QUESTIONABLE contained an
argument opposing capital punish
ment for murder
A few Of the bankers threw in
apparently for good measure-a suE-
gestion that an effort be made to
"climinate graft from some police de-