The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-03-30
LEGISLATIVE
...LETTER...
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
By r. w. HITCHCOCK.
Representive, Goth District.
st. Paul, March %.

st. Paul, March %.
The Minnesota Legislature of
1923 has but one god and Mammor
is its prophet.
The economic condition of the
farmer settles every ASue and set
Ties it quick. If there is a one-ten
thousanth chance that bill helps
the farmer we shout good blll
and eagerly demand a roll call.
Anything designed to help the vii
lagos or cities, anything calculated
to promote public welfare, anything
proposed for betterment OF the
schools, anything, in fact, that
smacks in the slightest of idealism,
we look upon with suspicion. 1t
might cost nickel. Move the
previous question and kill it, quick.
We are as canny and as cautious
with the left hand as the most wary
Scott that ever came out of Gale
donia, but with our facile right we
scatter bonds and exemptions joy
ously and unrestrainedly over the
fertile but plastered acres OF the
state. The proposed bond issue for
roads is anathema. We shudder at
it. 1t is the height of folly lat
this time" to bond the state for
S20,OO0,O00 to build roads but it
is Solomon's own wisdom to pledge
the credit of the state for untold
and unlimited millions for rural
credits" and we toss over TO any
body that happens along the bond
ing of the state without let or hind
rance for the building of state
owned elevators.
Consistency a Rare Jewel
One of the games we love to play
in the legislature is the game of
inconsistency. Somebody is always
rising to call somebody else incon-
sistent. It's like the pot calling
the kettle black The accuser of
Inconsistency is pretty sure to be
the accused tomorrow. We are for
the minority report today but strong
for the majority report tomorrow.
We ,cleverly argue up one side on
a bill we like and down the other
side on a bill we don't like.
The farm element for the most
part has baked at playing this leg
islative game of inconsistency. AT
least when it came to bond issues.
Then they could not be enticed.
Then they were firm; then they
were virtuous. A bond issue was
an evil thing. A thing to be de-
nounced and voted down. But,
perchance. should there be any
bond issue it must be hedged about
with all possible precautions. with
every limitation that could be
thought of; it must be hobbled,
straitjacketed, rendered all but ut,
terly helpless. But when the farm
bloc saw what fine game rural
credits might be it cast restraint
and consistency TO the wind and
plunged in with loud cries of de-
light and abondon. The rural credits
bill entrusted to three persons the
bonding of the state utterly without
limit and the farm bloc in the
house not only voted down limita-
ton after limitation but savagely
denounced any attempt at limita.
ton. A limitation of $50,00O,O OC
for the first two years was finally
arrived at with great difficulty. So
with state owned elevators. We
want 'em. Without any limit. Any
body that happens along can bond
the. state and build 'em. Such are
the workings of legislative consist
ency.
Speeding Up Begins.
There always arrives a time In
every session when we suddenly
realize that we must take our coats
off and go to work. That time is
here. We now propose to meet
morning, afternoon and night in a
wild scramble to clean up. OF
course we have been working al
the time But fer the most part
we have been simply accommodating
material. Committee reports have