The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-05-03
LEGISLATIVE Letter
BY R. W. HITCHCOCK Representative Goth District


and the senate of 1929 tried to spend
$2,500,000 more than the house would
stand for.
It was not ever thus. Time was,
when the. senate Of the Minnesota leg
| islature was a most conservative body,
when it looked as hard at the tax dol
| lar as did the house. What, then,
! so radically changed it?
| Perhaps the open hostility to Cover
nor Christianson by certain "elder
statesmen" of the upper body of the
legislature had something to do with
| it. The senate is elected for four
years, and the senate which closed its
| books last Thursday played politics
pretty consistently. At both sessions
of the legislature which constituted
the life of this senate open warfare
ragged between the house and senate.
The house vigorously supported the
economy program of Governor Chris
Hanson while the senate did what it
could to embarass him. It Is true that
| almost invariably the house is more of
| tightwad than the senate, but in
1927 and 1929 the house was tighter
than ever while the senate at times
almost cast discretion to the winds in
| its free-handedness.
Whom the Gods Would Destroy.
The senate of 1927 and 1929 GER
| tainly had "mad-on" with Governor
ChriStianson 1t made wry faces and
| struck hard blows at his economy eff
| ficiency program. In view of Cover
nor Christianson's increasingly en-
| phatic victories at the polls, it would
seem that certain "elder statesmen"
| of the upper body who have long
ruled the roost in that dignifled and
reverend assembly may have hard
Shedding at the next election The
| Legislature of 1929 scored its most
notable accomplishment in its econo-
| mics and it's record in that respect
was achieved in the face of violent
opposition from its upper body.
The Conservation Failure.
| If adequate support of state inSti-
buttons and the state government
combined with rigid regard for the
| situation of the hard pressed taxpayer
is the most notable accomplishment
| of the Legislature of 1929, its most
| conspicuous failure was the almost
| total collapse of the conservation and
| forestry program.
| In the matter of spending the SEN
ate failed to have its way but it work.
| ed it's will with the conservation pro-
gram and wrecked the whole works.
| The house passed the bill for the crea-
| ton of department of conservation
| headed by a single commissioner, a
| plan modelled somewhat upon the
states splendid and effective highway
| policy, but the senate set Savagely
| upon the bill, tore out its vitalS one py
one until nothing was left of the act
but the name of it, Whereupon its
| author rushed in and snatched it from
the hand of the despoiler just as the
senate was about to administer the
| final death stroke.
The house also agreed to the rather
elaborate program of reforeStation
proposed by the interim committee on
that Subject-"Swallowed the whole
works" in the Suave language of the
| senate. The senate, however, killed
most of the forestry bills and badly
mutilated most of the rest. What was
finally saved out of the whole imposing
program of the interim commission
was trifling but some progress was
made nevertheless and eventually
Minnesota will undoubtedly establish
a comprehensive and sound forestry
program.
A Thumbs Down Legislature.
1t is charged that the Legislature OF
1929 was largely legislature of mega
ton. It SAID mo, to an unusually
| long list of proposals. If it is true
| that what we need is not more laws,
but fewer laws, this thing ought to be
accounted a virtue unto the Legisla-
ture of 1929.
The iron ore industry came with the
declaration that it is being taxed out
OF the state. It offered, with high
hopes, an elaborate program Of tax re-
duction, but it won not single iota
OF relief. The forestry program was
a hzzle. The expansion program OF
the university was denied, or rather
the legislature said to the university
Spend the funds we grant you less
like a clipper of coupons and more like
an Garner Of wages, and you will have
plenty for expansion" The victims
of the loan shark again cried aloud
to the legislature for relief but the
representatives of the people were
deaf to their entreaties. The million
dollar pension plan of the teachers
was turned down flat. Every plan for
| eSNNAo1OAAoA oOclUC 1CNC11uC 4dllCO. lit
deliberately planned raid upon the
banks of the state didn't yield cent
Every single reform proposed by the
state tax commission. was rejected
Petitions for three score and ten in
term committees we're denied. Goods
country to the southwest, didn't get
its coveted state experimental farm
The grand scheme for a township
sized drill ground for the national
guard was an eleventh hour flop
Freight. trains and legislative sessions
will be no shorter. Drivers licenses?
MOI Compulsory liability insurance?
No! Licensing billboards? No! More
county agents? No! No. /. And SO
on and on and on, spelled no and no
and no. The legislature looked at O.
600 bills and turned thumbs down on
all but 371 of them.
The legislature is necessary inflic-
ton, but let us remind you once more
that, as Lieutenant Governor Nolan
has said, there are three good things
about tit meets only once in two
years, it is limited by law to 80 legis-
lative days, and If there is an extra
session the members don't get paid
anything for it.