The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-02-05
State Lawmakers
Starting Slowly
sConf,n,,on from tJaOo Onal

soon discover that there. are 131
other points of viewc most of them
just as good and many of. them a
lot better than yours. The house
can smack you down in the dust,
fiatten you out to pancakes thin
ness, and walk off and leave you
without a backward look. Ten Sec
onds after it will be. going about
its business just as if nothing; had
happened.
There is an old rhyme that goes
like this, Experience is teacher
rare and one whom none may
snub, sometimes she works with
manners fair but mostly takes
club. "A new member found that
out the other day. He has a sense
of humor and a good mind and
gives promise of seasoning into
sound legislative timber. He had a
bill. In committee. He wanted it
out. So he moved that the COM
mittee report that bill back and
he set time limit a few days
ahead. He had good reason, too,
and the house seemed inclined to
side with him. But comittees are
sensitive, they don't like for men,
bers to be sharp with them. Up
then rose that Grand Old Man Of
the House, John IS. Hompe. He
was a member of that committee it
seems. In a. few clear cut words
ho told tho ho,,co that tho cpr,-
mittee had met that morning, that
the member who wanted his bill
returned had failed to appear, that
the committe had laid the bill over
out of courtesy to the. member.
Probably the new member didn't
know he was supposed to be on
hand to explain his bill to, - the COM
mittee, but if so, it didn't do him
a bit of good. The smiling house
was frowning now. When the roll
was called few feeble "ayes" sup
ported the new member in his d.
mand for. the return of his bill,
but roar of noes" sat him down
to mediate on the ways Of law
makers.
Where the Work is Done
The greatest class room in the
world is. a legislative committee
room. In an hours time you can
discover more points of view than
you supposed existed in all the uni
verse. After a fellow from Roseau
fires a couple of questions at you,
and a man from Rock puts poser
to you, and lady from somewhere
devastates you with a situation you
never heard of before your simple
little problem begins to look dread
fully complex. If you want to lear 4
about anything, put the subject
matter in a bill and, take it to a
committee room. There you will
find out more about it in an hour
than you could if you browsed in
a library for month. There seems
to be such number of things in
the world that are not encompassed
in ones own experience You can
find them all in a legislative COM
mittee room. - ~ g..
It is the fashion to make fun of
legislatures. A lot Of funny things
do happen there and Will Rogers
is not without justification in de
claring that when a comedian goes
up against Legislature he's just
outclassed. But one of tie sneers
they sheer at us is undessrved. A
frequent thrust at the legislature is
that it works a couple hours day
and adjourns exhausted. Most Of
the oratory we perpetrate is wear
ing for a fact, but if; lawmakers are
exhausted, it's the toll of the CON-
mittee rooms that exhausts them.
ALI in q Days Work q
Gunnar Bjornson.. tax commits
sioner, talked to the house, about
Iceland. Iceland was the first coun-
try in the world, to grant women
the vote. "a hand clap or two).
Iceland was the first country in the
world to, vote prohibition Gap
plause). Iceland was the first coun-
try in the world to vote back light
wines and beer Curious clapping
and laughter). s.......
The highway bond issue is look
ing up. The argument that it will
be the most effective means of CON-
batting unemployment seems to be
making Roadway. The highway
committee of the senate reported
the bond bill out by a unanimous
vote. In the house SIS members are
already reported promised for the
bill. But we think we'll wait and
see the vote. We remember one
bill once upon time that had 80
authors. With only sc votes nee
essary to pass, it was a cinch. But
when the clerk called the roll, less
than forty ayes were recorded. You
can't always tell until the vote is
announced.
For the last four years the wom-
en- of Minnesota have been getting
steadily better. At least, the pop
ulation at Shakopee, the state pris-
on for women, has been steadily
decreasing.
One of the Floyd Olson policies
that the farmer-labor party counted
strongly on putting over is the re-
turn to party designation in the
legislature. Along came the Ship
stead encyclical for non partisan
state ballot and upset the applicant
and we liberals are all at skies and
sevens.
Progress is being made in the so
luton Of, the unemployment prob
lem. The senate has hired a man
and the house one also to. supervise
parking space in front Of the cap
itol for members. #
City News Items
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