The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-01-15
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Legislative Letter
LAWS COST $1,000 PER
Expense in Minnesota Aver
age-Steam Roller Func-
ti0ns-EmplOyees Held
BY r. w. Hitchcock

BY r. w. Hitchcock
Publisher of the Hibbing Daily
Tribune and a member of the Leg
islature.
st. Paul, Jan. 12-the Forty-sev-
enth biennial session of the Mime
sofa legislature got under way last
week with more than the usual
disturbance in the senate and with
less than the usual amount of fight
ing in the house. Because of the
fact that Minnesota for the first
time in its history has a farmer
labor governor, interest in this ses-
sion Of the legislature is accentuat-
ed, but now that the interesting
preliminaries are over it is likely
that the legislature will go about
its business Of law-making much as
usual.
The opening week Of the legis-
lature Is always a week of organi-
cation. With appointment of COM
mittees this week, however, the leg
islative mill will begin to grind its
legislative grist.
Some public apprehension al
ways goes along with a session of
the legislature, for no one can sue
cessfully predict what 1913 men and
women, gathered from all parts of
the state and vested with the SOW
ereign power to make laws, will
do. There is just one safe predic-
tion-those 1913 men and women
are bound to do something's that
are quite unexpected.
Laws at $1,000 Per
In a general way Of prophesying
we may say that the legislature
Will sit" to the utmost limit of
the 30 days that the constitution
allows it, that it will pass some
thing more than 400 laws and that
1t will cost the taxpayers Of the
state something more than $780,
600. If you see a brand new law
ambling along out your way wheth-
er you respect it or not, it will have
some interest for you, for it cost
you $1,000.
Laws in Minnesota at $1,000 are
cheap If we compare them with
the high cost Of 1aw-making in
some other states. In New York.
for instance, law-making comes
high. The New York legislature is
just about the same size as Min
nesota's. In Minnesota the tax
payer can hire all the Lawmakers
he wants at $500 per year, but in
New York they have to- pay 'em
$500 a year. Minnesota's leeis-
lature costs less than $5OO,0OO, but
New York's tops 100000. Min
nesota's legislature meets but once
In two years but New Yorks meets
every year. Figure it out for your
self.
A Long Grind
In Minnesota the state constitu-
ton limits the regular session of
the legislature to 90 days. The
constitution does not place any
limit on the length Of a special ses-
sion but a special session last quick
because the members don't get paid
anything for 1t. If the regular
session can last for but 90 DAYS how
does it happen that the legislature
meets early in January and lasts
until late in April? Well, it's like
this: there are legislative days and
session days and calendar DAYS.
After three hours Of oratory in the
house last week we discovered
that a legislative day is any day
upon which the legislature may law
fully sit and make laws, a session
day is any day when the legislature
actually does sit, and a calendar
day is any old day that comes
along. Take last week, for in
stance, it had five legislative days,
Tuesday to Saturday inclusive, It
had only three session days, be-
cause the legislature was actually
in session only Tuesday, Wednes-
day and Thursday, it had seven cal
endar days, because that's what
every week has, you know that
yourself
Trere you have it. Sundays and
holidays do not count as legislative
days, so 80 legislative days string
along until they cover almost four
months.
The Opening Scrap
AcS iSidtlVe eAclCeIueuL I8St week
was confined mostly to the senate.
There the genial Henry Arens,
once representative, late a sena-
tor, and now the first farrner-labor
lieutenant governor in the history
Of the state, was due to preside and
also to appoint the all important
committees Of the senate, If Gus
tom were to be followed. Farmer
labor Henry, 1t was whispered, for
reasons Of his own or perhaps OF
his party, was determined to pack
the rules committee with farmer
labor members, that Is, with minor
ity members Of the senate. The
majority rebelled and declared
that they would run the senate
show themselves. It's way ma
joritie have In this land Of the free.
The contention of Lieutenant
Governor Arens was that 1t Is the
custom In Minnesota for the lieut.
enant governor, who presides in
the senate, to appoint the senate
committee; also that the election
Of Floyd Olson as a farmer-labor
governor was q mandate from the
people and that the senate should
kow-tow to 1t.
The contention Of the senate reg
ulars was that the senate has the