The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1920-02-19
AS TO HOSTILE LAWS
Senator Hamer Points Out Difference
Between Hostile and Absence
Of Proper Laws.
Refers to Amended Cooperative Law
and Shows Up Attitude Of
Nonpartisan League.
Milaca, Feb. 7, 1920.

FOL b. a- +.
The complaint Of 'shostile laws"
towards cooperative businesses, in the
Milaca Times editorial quoted by us
last week, reveals two things, viz, too
much readiness to find fault, and fail
ure to distinguish between the intent
or character Of law and the use that
some parties would make of it. Re-
Gently discovered defects in law that
has been in the statute books for half
a century, perhaps, are not evidence
4of hostility" in the law itself. Some
times an interpretation Of the letter
of the law is made for the purpose of
justifying violation of it's spirit. If
the phrascology be such as will admit
of such Interpretation, it should be
amended SO as to conform to the spirit
and purpose of the law Until this is
done there will necessarily be an cab
scncc of proper law" but not. neces.
sarily ''hostile law"
The "absence of proper laws" is,
and must be true on much larger
scale. Law is not generally enacted
until need therefor exists. Lcgisla-
ton affecting industries must follow
the industries to be affected Before
the discovery Of iron ore in Minnesota
who would think of legislating to regu-
late the mining industry? AS the
need arises, and following, that need
legislation is. and will be, enacted to
meet the need. But there will be, more
or less, and inevitably, an absence of
proper laws" to the extent that legis-
lation fails to keep up with the needs.
This is true also of other industries,
and it is true Of farmers business con-
Quoted under cooperative laws Under
these laws cooperative associations
have been formed all over the coun-
try for manufacturing and mercantile
business, for the sale of live stock and
fruits, milk, and other purposes not
here named. Our own state Of Mime
sofa is credited with being ahead of
any other state in the number and i'm
portance of it's cooperative associa-
tons. Cooperative creamcries make
80 per cent of the butter produced in
the state. The fruit growing industry
in the vicinity of Lake Minnetonka
would have been starved out of cxis-
tence had the growers not organized
to sell their product. Now the indus
try can survive and prosper, without
any unreasonable price to the con-
sumner. The twin city milk producers
also organized to secure reasonable
price for their milk from the dealers
in those cities.
The dealers had been in the habit of
dealing with the producers as individu-
ais, buying from each one at the low
est possible price, and to the consumer
making the producer responsible for
the high price charged. When the
Twin City Milk Producers association
was formed it aimed to establish 9
reasonable and uniform price, thus
making an end Of determinations.
This interefered with the dealers plans
and profits, so it was determined to
light. The consumers also were made
to believe that the T. c. M. P. A. was
an octupus whose baby-killing activi-
ties were. commensurate with it's
power, sc they too were fighting mad.
Under these conditions it was not
hard to find lawyer or lawyers to at
tempt to construe the law, and it w.
observed that it did not specifically
authorize cooperative association
to sell the crude products of it's own
members, though it could put them
Through process and sell them as
manufactured product Under such
an Interpretation the acts of the board !
members in selling milk for the T. G.
M. +. A. members become ultra
vlres," that is, beyond the scope of
the powers of the corporation, and the
men become individually responsible.
A grand jury Investigation was held
and these men who constituted the
board of the T. c. M. P. A. were
placed under Indictment for FORMING
an illegal trust. Milk producers have
had similar experiences in Ohio. Hi
nois and California.
A bill to amend the law and remedy
this defect was introduced in the Min
nnesota legislature by Col. Wilkinson of
washington county last winter. It
came over to the senate on February
., was introduced and referred to the
committee on markets and marketing.
Alter that for some time it was impos-
slole to avoid the lobbyists, from Min
neapolis principally, who were there
to protest against the bill. A public
hearing was held after two weeks and
large delegation was there from Min
neapolis. think al the members Of
the committee maintained their euui-
ilbbrlrm, but a number Of the senate
members were Influenced BY their ar