The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-04-24

1881 reach a new high water mark for
Minnesota The total is somewhat in
excess of $45, 600, 900 or some two and
a half millions greater than ever be-
fore. In addition to the direct ap-
preparations, it has authorized the issu-
ance of certificates of indebtedness to
a limited amount which will somewhat
increase the tax burden for the nsxt
few years. This increase of expense
together with the falling of in tax re-
ceipts threatens to increase the state
tax rate between two and three mills,
the largest single increase for many
years.
The committee of the Seate which
authorizes grants of state funds Is
called the finance" committee. but the
same committee in the house is called
the appropriations" committee, and
thereby hangs an interesting tale.
Forty-two years ago one John B.
Hompe was a member of the house
He is member today. too. This
eighty-five year old Civil War veteran
is an honored and powerful member
of the legislature today, and he had
a powerful thumb in the legislative pie
lorty-two years ago.
Back in those days Mr.. Hompe was
something of leader in the Farmers
Alliance movement. His support was
highly valued by Colonel Graves of
Duluth who wanted to be speaker
At that time the money committee in
.he house was called the finance"
committee, just as it is in the senate
Today. Col Graves promised the
Craftsmanship to Mr.. Hompe. After
Graves was elected speaker, he found
that he had made other promises also,
and in order to keep his promises he
found it advisable to split the finance
committee into two sections. One
section was called the finance" COM
mittee and the other the 'appropria-
tons committee. The appropriations
committee of which Mr.. Hompe be-
came chain man did all the spending
that was done and turned out to be the
principal committee. From that day
to this the money committee of the
house has been called appropriations. +"
The appropriations committee this
year voted about S45, 00O, 900. To do
this it devoted some ninety meetings
to the work of drawing up four main
appropriation bills. The appropriations
of forty-two years ago were only about
S., OO0, 900, and the drawing up of the
one, lone bill was peculiar Mr.
Hompe, chairman of the appropriations
committee of the house, G. B. Buck
nan, later a Minnesota congressman,
chairman of the finance committee of
she senate, and Governor Merriam, did
the job The money committees and
he senate and house simply put their
seal of approval on the work.
School of Politics.
A legislature does more than make
avs. 1t makes congressman, senators
and governors, as well as other and
smaller political fry Governor Mer-
lam, who took his official coat
forty-two years ago and helped draw
Inc approp iation bill, was before the
speaker Of the house So also was
Governor Samuel R. Van SAINT. Gov
ernor John A. Johnson served in the
senate and Governor j. A A. Burn
4uist in the house. Theordore Chris
tianson stepped directly from the
house into the govern -
gresham Clague and Congressman W.
|. Nolan were both speakers of the
house, and Senator Henrik Shipstead
served one term in the house. There
are others. Many state officials started
as humble lawmakers, and we are vii
ling to bet that god many of the
Seventy-odd new members of the
Legislature of 1881 have hopes of
higher political perferment.
There is talk, much talk. that Lieu
tenant Governor Henry Arens, for
many years a member of the legis-
lature, may run for congress, or maybe
of something bigger, and Speaker
Oscar Swenson, they say, when he gets
tired OF being speaker of the house,
may be a candidate for railroad and
warehouse commissioner. That is, un-
less the Republican party drafts him
49, "a ScAAStAN1SC Ia LII 1dCl
there are few among the 1873 members
of the legislature of 1881, in all proba-
bility, who do not cherish other politi-
cal ambitions, and it is safe to say,
Tor so it has always proved, that many
members of the legislature which ended
this week viii in the days to come &C.
cupy important positions in the gov
eminent Of the state.
An elder stateman, George McKen-
zie Of Gaylord, the father of State
Senator Claude Mckenzie, the other
day briefly addressed the house of
which he once was member, and said
that he hoped we would pass all the
good bills and kill all the bad ones {"
No legislature has ever quite succeeded
IN doing that, and doubtless the Legis-
lature of 1881 has fallen somewhat
short of the mark. Good, bad, or in
different, its record is written and you
will receive it in fine print newspaper
supplements in few days. You will
read them, that is, some of them may
be, ana be pleased or displeased as the
case may be, but neither you nor your
courts will find out for many a long
day exactly what they mean.