The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-04-02

Br. r. w. Hitchcock, Publisher
Hibbing Daily Tribune and MEM
Der of the Legislature.
OF the forty odd legislatures
which began in January to grind
out laws for forty odd sovereign
states, many have done their worst
and quit, but a few still grind on.
Among the latter is the Forty-sev-
enth Legislature of Minnesota.
Three busy weeks, the busiest
weeks of the session, are still ahead
of it. On April % it will adjourn
without day. and go home to get
the praise and the panning which
has always been melted out to leg
islatures since law-making began.
1t is hetic three weeks ahead. We
shall work fast in them. We have
made a hundred or more laws thus
far, but in these three last weeks
we shall make three hundred more.
It's an anxious time for the So
lon. Will get his "woodchurck"
through? The little local bill which
lies languishing far down on Cen
eral Orders, will he be able to pick
it up and pass it? If he does, what
will the senate do to it? It is this
that makes the solon to lie awake
nights along about this time of the
session. It is true that in these
three last weeks, nearly all the i'm
portant legislation of the session,
if the session produces any legisla-
ton that is important, will be en-
acted, but that's not what worries
your solon. He may legislate wise
ly and well, and bring forth laws
At for statesn- anship, but what
shall it profit a statesman If he
doesn't come home with the bacon?
That little local bill that the home
folks want, if he doesn't ccme home
with that in his inside pocket, he
will never be a statesman in his
own home town. .L
The Cost of It i
Notwithstanding the fact that the
figures are set down where anyone
who wants may read them, there
seems to be a good deal of mis-
information in the public prints as
to what a legislature costs in Min
nesota. 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
to Judge from the noise that ne
potism made in the first weeks of
the session, it must be a fearful
amount. Figures may be dry read
ing, but these, perhaps, will be in
tercsting to Mr.. TAXPAYER. Despite
all that we have seen in print to
the contrary, Minnesota has never
yet had a legislature which cost
half a million dollars. The Legisla-
ture Of 1925 spent $453,583, that of
1927 cost the state $465, 1854, while
the session of 1929 ran its 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 mebers to pay
the munificent salary of $1,000 to.
In the last three sessions the house
spent 246 thousand, 245 thousand,
and 249 thousand respectively,
while the senate spent ISL thous-
and, 1859 thousand, and 100 thous-
and. The senate does it's work cas-
Ter and it spends it's money easier.
For the 1925, 1927 and 1929 sessions
the house spent for it's payroll Of |
$4,000, $500, and $685.
900 respectively, while the senate,
with only half as many spenders,
paid out $4,000, $4,000 and $99. 900. |
If the fact that the cost of the
biennial session of the Minnesota |
comes to the half mil
lion mark worries you, you may |
take some comfort in the thought |
that the New York legislature, the
same size as Minnesota's and sitt-
ing the same length of time, costs
New York 100000 annually. Fin
ally as the closing days of the leg
islature draw near, remember that |
saying of Congressman w. I. Mol
an that there are three good things
about the legislature. it meets but
once in two years, it can last only
90 days, and best Of all, if there is an
extra session, the members don't
get paid anything for it.
Birthday Party
r Oscar Swenson, who lives on the
farm in Nicollet county on which