The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-02-01

On the white marble entablature II
the main entrance to the house
chamber is engraven Reason is the
Life of Law" Doubtless this is a bit
of the wisdom of the ages and is al
together true, but to listen to some
of the debates in which laws are made
of the wonders of the legislature how
out of all the welter of loose talk,
loose logic. deceptive figures and fri
volous facts any law can possibly
emerge with single shred of reason
to it's name. Occasionally some men,
Der in spirit Of levity or sarcasm calls
our attention to this mute bit of phil
osophy which has looked down on so
many unreasoning scenes. but for the
most part we rave regardless.
We like better those great words of
Daniel We b ter lettered entirely
around the frieze of the senate
chamber: Let us develop the re-
sources of our land, call forth its pow
ers, build up its institutions, promote
all it's great interests and see whether
we, also, in our day and generation,
may not accomplish something worthy
to be remembered" There's inspira-
ton for you! Enough to stir the blood
of the most hun-drum of legislators
No wonder they called Daniel Webster
a steam engine in trousers.
Up in the Air.
"You know" said Representative
Chilgren of Little Fork, away up in
Koochiching county, "they talk about
the thrill of flying. It's the bunk. It's
the most monotonous thing you can
do. In swiftly moving motor car
you get the thrill of motion, the swift
1y moving scene, the exhilaration of
speed. But when you are flying two or
three. thousand feet above the earth,
you are just up in the air. A big wind
seems to be holding you back You
don't seem to be getting anywhere"
HIM, said Representative Mark No
Ian of Gilbert, the youngest member of
the house, who is serving his first
term, cts just like new member of
the legislature in the air all the
time and doesn't seem to- be getting
anywhere!"
But after Representative Nolan has
served many terms he will realize that
the veteran member of the legislature
does not know any more than the
youngest member what is going to
happen. Few things are more uncer-
tain than legislature. Talk about
a woman being uncertain and hard
to please. The legislature will blast
your fondest hopes in the most callous
and Indifferent manner and go right
on as if nothing has happened. All
you get is a death notice in the
Journal next day reading, which mo-
ton was lost" A couple weeks later
when the sting of your humiliating de-
feat does not sting quite so hard, you
screw your courage up to the sticking
point and in fear and trembling re-
surrect another of your pet woodchucks
and undertake the nerviest of all leg
islative moves, suspension of the
rules. Nobody manifests the slightest
interest; few feeble "ayes" greet the
motion; nobody says mo-; you are
dazed, but oh, boy, it's a grand and
glorous feeling; you've passed a law!
The miracle of it! The ways of leg
iSlature are past finding out.
Sectionalism.
Sectionalism is not as rampant in
the legislature as it once was but it
still plaques the state. Northern Min
nesota and Southern Minnesota are
so different. They are a good deal
like the little nations of Europe, dis
trustful, resentful, full of misunder-
standings. Southern Minnesota, fair
and fertile country with a common
interest-agriculture; Northern Min
nesota, vast undeveloped empire, not
many people but lot of wild beasts
Northern Minnesota is always crying
to the legislature for something; its
incessant wanting annoys Southern
Minnesota.
Northern Minnesota clamored for
money for drainage and finally won it
from reluctant Southern Minnesota.
They drained too much, and North
ern Minnesota's latter state was, al
most worse than its first. There, you
see!" said the South. Reforestation;
so suspicious has Southern Minnesota
been that after many long years, we
are only today making tardy begin
ming. A hundred thousand dollars for
wolf bounties! Preposterousl But the
wolves kept multiplying and the South
had to do something about it. Strug-
Cling Northern Minnesota settlers,
developing the state and adding to
lSo "CoAeii, Aiuoe iidfC opCCidi NStdCc dlU
for its isolated and impoverished
schools. Money for this and money
for that and money for something
else again. Always eternally, insati-
ably wantingl It was, and is, difficult
for Southern Minnesota to under
stand that the northern half of the
state must have funds for development,
that it has already yielded the state