The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-04-03

lature costs in Minnesota We are not
now speaking of the damage it does.
but the cost to the taxpayer in money.
How much does the legislature really
set you back. Mr. Taxpayer? If we
are not to judge from the noise that
nepotism made in the first weeks OF
the session, it must be a fearful
amount Figures may be dry reading.
but these, perhaps, will be interesting
to Mr.. Taxpayer. Despite all that we
have seen in print to the contrary,
Minnesota has never had legislature
which cost half million dollars. The
Legislature of 1925 spent $453 ,583, that
of 1927 cost the state $685. while
the session of 1929 ran it's total up to
$481 1924. Whether we are bad may
be a moot question, but surely we are
not getting worse very fast. The house
spends more money than the senate,
but then it's bigger and has twice as
many members to pay the munificent
salary of $1,000 to. In the last three
sessions the house spent 246 thousand,
245 thousand. and 249 thousand re-
spectively, while the senate spent Isl
|
and. The senate, does its work easier
and it spends its money easier. For
the 1925, 1927 and 1929 sessions, the
house spent for it's payroll of en-
ployees 10000, $4,000, and $4,000 re-
spectively, while the senate, with only
half as many spenders, paid out $4,000
| $81, 900 and $4,000.
If the fact that the cost of the bien-
NAL session of the Minnesota legis-
lature comes close to the half million
mark worries you, you may take some
comfort In the thought that the New
York legislature, the same size as
Minnesota's and sitting the same
length of time, costs New York $4,000
600 annually. Finally as the closing
days of the legislature draw near, re-
member that saying of Congressman
w. I. Nolan that there are three good
things about the legislature: it meets
but once in two years, it can last only
ninety days, and best of all, if there
is an extra session, the members don't
get paid anything for it.
Birthday Party.
Oscar SwenSon, who lives on the
farm in Nichollet county on which he
was born, is concluding twenty years
of service in the Legislature, concluding
it as Speaker of the house Speaker
Swenson was 81 years old one day last
week. The house put flowers on his
desk and said nice things to him in a
resolution. In the evening the chair
men of the forty-SiX committees of the
house threw party for him. There
were after dinner speeches, of course,
and Mr.. SwenSon was praised to his
face. One of the speakers said that he
had made a fair, impartial able
speaker. Another got up and declared
that he would not go quite that far,
but that he would admit that as a
Speaker Mr.. SwenSon was "fair-juSt
fair" A pleasant feature of the BIRTH
day party was Representative Harry
Montgomery of Hennepin, hale hearty
and young at three score years and ten
who came with his SEVENTEEN birthday
to make the birthday patty more en-
joyable.
It might surprise Representative Emil
| Youngdahl of "blah-blah" socialist
fame to know that at this Swenson-
Montgomery party, where forty-siz
"reactionary" chairmen, as he might
call them, thrust and parted at each
other in fun and earnest, his name was
named, and he was characterized by 6
distinguished guest as "a valuable
member of the legislature" and thi'
declaration brought out a very pretty
handclapping.
What Will the Harvest Be?
AS the final three weeks of the ses-
sion begins we can only guess at wha
will be the fate of the major issues O
the session. The road bond issue viii
probably be settled when this is read
the semi-firlals of the conservation
program will be under way with
special order on the one-man- com
missioner bill brought out by the publ
domain committee of the house, IN
tussle between the railroads and tn
trucks will be beginning, with tn
people already getting bruised by bot
sides, the new eight percent occupation
tax proposal will be fighting for foot
hold, eapportionment, deep in the dol
drums, will be struggling frantically t
get out, the income tax will not b
making much progress, $45,000,00
worth of appropriation bills will b
drawn, and a flock Of scared littl
local bills will be scurryirlg and dodgin
in and out among the bigger measure
seeking wee small place in the SUI
Policies of Importance to the stat
will perhaps be settled in these thre
last weeks The political future G
many member of the legislature wi
surely be made or unmade in thes
three weeks. Pretty much everybod
In the legislature believes in the SIS
100000 road bond proposal, but tn
sentiment back home is not so unani
nous. It's the rich that are trying
escape the income tax, cries one fac
ton; it will be just another tax, jus
another burden, declares the opposin
faction. We are unanimous in de
handing reapportionment. A one-ma
commissioner for the department {
conservation is sane, sound, sensible
will fix responsibility and bring eflci
ency unanimously declares the com
mittee on public domain in the hous
Roffar M ooy, coryyo tioy, prouroY N, of al