The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-01-25
LEGISLATIVE LETTER No. 3.

at stake in adequate crime legisla-
ton. The defenSeS of the state
against criminals needs strengthen
ing. The Legislature of 1927 made
progress in this regard; the LegiSla-
ture of 1929 will probably make more.
Taxation should be equitable and well
considered, but it will not be. Taxa
ton has always been patch work
affair. Let's slap on nice new patch
with cigarette tax this year. Hav-
ing made blunder with the royalty
tax on iron ore, let's rectify it by
taking it out of the hide of the people
on the iron ranges The farmers be-
ing opposed to state road bonds, let's
play houcus-pocus and get there just
the same by not paying the road
bonds we have. To provide for the
proper expenditure of that one-third
of the gas tax diverted to the sec
ondary roads of the state will take
all the wisdom we've got Reforesta-
ton is big, big problem! if we can
set the state on the right road to it,
future generations will rise up and
call us blessed.
Honor to Whom Honor is Due.
The Colonial Danes this week un-
der Ramsey while the legislature look
ed on The plaque is located just out
side the governors Office in Wabasha's
marble pile.
1t seems a pity that it is only
plaque, for if any man in Minnesota's
history deserves to be honored by the
people of the state it is Alexander
Ramsey, first governor of the Terri
f<Nryy Of
of the state, an heroic figure, to whose
wisdom, as Governor Christensen SO
well said at the dedication, is due the
firm establishment in Minnesota of
sound policies of government Upon
the most conspicuous spot on the state
capitol grounds should stand a life
size statue of Minnesota's foremost
statesman, the Grand Old Man of the
Northwest, Alexander Ramsey.
How Times Do Change.
A sign of the times is the appoint
ment in each house of the legislature
at this session of "a committee on
aviation. This innovation measures
the distance we have Travelled from
the days of Alexander Ramsey.
To reach his new demesne Gov
ernor Ramsey travelled by stage coach
and by steamboat. For his inaugural
he came by birch bark canoe from
Mendoza to st. Paul From Rice's
Landing, Mrs Ramsey rode in state
sitting on trunks in an ox-wagon, but
Governor Ramsey hoofed it down the
middle of the road by the wagons
side. 1t is far cry in transporta-
ton from those canoeing and OK
wagoning days to mans conquest of
the air and the necessity for legisla-
ture to appoint committees to regu-
late his use of it.
Ramsey's Advice.
But the advice which Alexander
Ramsey gave the Ox-wagoning first
territorial legislature in 1849 Is just
as sound and timely for the awaiting
forty-sixth state legislature of 1929:
May that God who rules the destiny
of nations so prosper your doings and
mine that no reproacheS will meet us
in the present, no regrets be ex-
perienced in the future but that we
shall all bear with us the conviction
that each has performed his whole
duty for the dissemination of liberty
and law, religion and education, thru
out our territory"
Small Progress Here.
Governor Christensen has admon-
ished the legislature to tighten up
the laws for prohibition enforcement
Governor Ramsey in 1849 admonished
the Indians of the dangers of in
temperance and urged them to quit
drinking. 1.-THE white men," he said,
shave quit drinking" Castles vera
cious history of st. Paul says that
the interpreter translated this, but
the Indians looked a little astonished
and incredulouS-So the Governor
added, "in great measured" The in
terpreter rendered this literally, to
mean large sized vessel Chief Dekora
threupon exclaimed, Perhaps they
have, but most of them still use a
small sized measure"
1t seems that In this business we
have not progressed as much as we
have in modes of transportation.
It's Record.
To prove our contention that most
of the laws enacted by legislature
are merely notifications of present
laws and not new laws at all we sum-
mon Representative Christianson Of
Olmstead county to the stand In
Olmstead county they want a change
in the times of holding district court