The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-03-20
LEGISLATIVE LETTER
BY 4. w. HITCHCOCK
Publisher Of the Hibbing Daily Tribune and
member Of the legislature.

the world, and breaking so often
against the tellers window, an after
math of the world war? Or is the
world growing worse? What are we
going to do about it?
Governor ChristianSon's crime COM
mission gave number Of answers and
some of them the legislature made over
into law with the result that Mime
sofa taxpayers took on the burden OF
another department of government
which does nothing but rush at fire
engine speed across the state every
time that it hears that a horse has
been stolen and look hard at the barn
door lock. That and spending $4,000
a year of the taxpayers hard earned
cash seems to be the principal occu-
patton of the Bureau of Criminal APP
prehension.
Perhaps we are too rough on the
bureau. 1t takes finger prints, of
course, and keeps records. Its sup
porters say that it aids notably in the
apprehension of criminals, but when
we ask when? where?. there isn't an
and serves any useful purpose, not
many, outside Of itself, know about it.
The bureau may well reply and does,
we think, that its powers are made
quate. Labor looked upon the creation
of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehen-
sion with suspicion when it was created
and feared that it was a first step to-
ward the establishment in Minnesota
of a state constabulary, and it is a
fact that among the bureaus most
earnest supporters, then and now, are
those who believe that Minnesota
should have a system of state police.
It is phobable that the powers of the
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
should be enlarged and state wide
police system made part of it. or it
should be abolished.
Many believe that the epidemic Of
crime which afflicts us cannot be con-
trolled and stopped unless we resort to
a modified form of martial law, arm
husky and stunningly uniformed police
MN with state wide powers and sawed
off shot guns and set them to chug-
chugging up and down the state trunk
highways. Labor is an implacable
enemy to state constabulary, fearing
its tyrannical use in labor disputes and
distrusting it moreover on general
principles. That distrust extends to
many other classes which fear such
Capitalization of power. If the crime
wave is temporary manifestation due
to the fact that the world is out of
joint, neither state constabulary or
any other earthly power will abate it
until it has run its course. If the
world is really growing worse that's
something else again. This much is
certain, state constabulary would be
one of the most expensive things that
the state could undertake.
Meanwhile the money committees of
the legislature question the usefulness
of the Bureau of Criminal Appreh hen
sion. Questioning is probably all they
will accomplish; once bureau or a
department fastens itself upon The state
government it is harder to cut out than
a wood tick in the hide of a dog.
Putting One Over.
The motor car owners of the state
are putting big one over on the state.
The auto license bureau of the secre-
tary of states Office must nave $780,
900 for the biennium to handle the
business of issuing license plates for
automobiles. This expense ought to be
paid from receipts for auto licenses
but the attorney general rules that it
can't be done. The senate finance
committee, which is willing to try any,
thing once if thereby it can save the
state dollar, is going TO make another
attempt to make the highway depart
ment pay this bill. Success to it. We
motor car owners are getting big divi-
dends from our trunk highway So. m
and it is altogether right and just that
We should pay all the costs Of that
system.
We Ought to be Ashamed.
The house was in nasty mood when
it considered the bill to locate the
state Office building. An amendment
had been offered to permit the state
office building commission to pay a
reasonable salary to its secretary
Henry Rines, former state comptroller
but now private citizen except for the
fact that he is member of the COM
mission. Mr.. Rines, during the last
two years, has handled all the detail
work of the commission; his reputation
for integrity and economy is para
mount in Minnesota; he is too valuable
a man for the commission to lose.
But he is out of job and he cannot
afford to work for nothing. The
salary that Mr. Rines would receive
during the construction of the Office
building would be a mere pittance.
Moreover st. Paul was about to win
its long fight for the location of its
choice. 1t could well afford to make
a generous gesture and allow the
adoption of the amendment without
opposition. But Representative Frank
Starkey Of st. Paul, farmer labor
leader, denounced the amendment and
demanded that MIR. Rines resign from
the commission and give Governor
Olson another appointment. Other st.
Paul members joined in the hue and
cry, but the most astonishing thing
Of all was the house upheld them We
were in an ugly mood and we rudely
turned thumbs down on the proposal
A distinguished senator from st. Paul
told US that st. Paul intended to rely
solely upon the justice of its cause
in this Office building site controversy
but he didn't know his fellows in the
house. How those boys did tear up
the sod They showed the lobbyists
q thing or two, but twenty-four MEM