The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-04-09
Interesting Legislative Letter
Written By r. w. Hitchcock

BY r. w. Hitchcock Publisher
Hibbing Daily Tribune and mem
Der of the Legislature.
The Minnesota law-factory, going
into production for the forty-sev-
enth time, is close to an all-time
record with the introduction of 3
800 bills. The usual record for
Minnesota legislatures in late years
has been about $500 bills. These
figures, however, do not mean that
actual number of proposals for new
laws, for most bills are introduced
in duplicate in house and senate.
The senate total this year is slight.
ly in excess of 1900 while the house
total crowds the 1900 mark. De-
Quoting duplicates, it is probable
that about 1900 separate proposals
for new laws have been made. OF
these, considerably less than 100,
in all probability, are proposals
for substantially new statutes. Most
bills proposed, and most laws en-
acted are changes and amendments
of existing laws. Legislation on
new subjects or along new lines is
the exception. Most law-making is
remedial. Few, also, are the laws
of general statewide application;
the bulk of the output at every ses-
sion of the legislature consists of
measures of local Importance only.
The folks back home in Pudunk
of he a.
laws are added to the statute books
at this session, about 400 of them,
Notwithstanding the constitutional
prohibition of special legislation,
will be special and particular laws
for special and particular locali-
ties of the state. You can almost
count on the fingers of your two
hands the laws of statewide i'm
portance that any single session of
any state legislature enacts.
Metropolitan Drainage
The biggest little local bill in the
history of any Minnesota legisla-
ture is the proposal now pending
to create a metropolitan drainage
district for Minneapolis and st.
Paul. Here is a local bill that will
set up a $23,OOO,OO0 establishment.
The Twin Cities have been worry
ing Minnesota legislatures for sew
eral years with their problem of
sewage disposal. The legislature is
willing to help if it can find out
what Minneapolis and st. Paul
want, but that, the two big towns
do not exactly know themselves.
When they do know what they
want, they totally disagree on the
way to get it. This year, to COM
plicate the problem, they have
brought South st. Paul, with it's
packing plants, into the picture.
Three bills are pending in regard
to this problem. One aims to pro-
vide a separate sewage disposal
system. and plant for Minneapolis.
Another sets up a joint system the
cost of which is to be assessed upon
a volume basis. That, also, is a
Minneapolis proposal. The third
bill, which st. Paul and South st.
Paul are vigorously backing, pro-
poses metropolitan drainage dis
trict which shall include all three
cities, and which shall be paid for
on the basis of the assessed value
of the territory included.
Several legislatures have studied
the problem, Real progress has
been made at this session, and it
is hoped and believed that when
the legislature adjourns on April %
a metropolitan drainage district
will have been established, a sew
age system and disposal plant sat-
isfactory to the Twin Cities will
have been provided for, and the
state will have assurances that the
waters Of the Mississippi, now
grossly polluted, will be restored to
their natural purity. Huge new
sewers in each city and on each
side of the river will be necessary,
but the most stupendous undertake
ing will be a nine-mile disposal
sewer, two hundred feet below St.
Paul, and big enough to drive a
load of hay through. Millions will
be needed to finance this urgently
demanded undertaking, and we are
told that we can get them by as
sessing every owner of $1,000 worth
of property in the district two or
three dollars a year for the next
fifty years or so.
Members, New and Old
We would like to have you meet
every one of the 1913 members of
the legislature before they get
away on April %, but it just can't
be done in these few lines. The SEN
ate and it's 81 senators we have not
been able to observe very much at
this session, but we have been COM
PEELED to pay considerable attention
to the 131 members of the house
during the last four months. Forty
of them are new members, serving
their first term. These new men,
bers, for the first time in the an
mails of Minnesota legislatures, have
set up an organization of their own,
and have met occasionally through
out the session to study parlimen-
tary procedure and the eccentricit-
les of the Minnesota law-making
body. Any member who is in his
second term is an "old" member,
while three-termers and more are
veterans"