The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-03-03
LEGISLATIVE LETTER
ByR. w. Hitchcock, Representative 6lst District

ment may be necessary, constitutes the
boldest and most complete movement
for the abdication of democracy that
Minnesota has ever witnessed.
Minnesota has made some progress in
this direction before the assembling of
the forty-eighth legislature for news
paper report of the senate inveStiga-
ton of the Rural Credits Bureau con-
tains this terse statement, ''The Rural
Credit Bureau failed to collect $780,
900 interest on loans in 1882 to pay the
bond interest" That sentence, TAX
levy certificates were issued to pay the
bond interest" is highly significant.
The legislature is singing the pie crust
of democracy along the road, if not with
glee, certainly with abandon, when it
conferS upon an appointed executive
board the authority to pile debt without
limit upon the people.
One straw of evidence that we are
not yet completely ''bughouse" is that
senate committee has reported favor
ably a bill to put on end to the loaning
power of the Rural Credit Bureau.
That little bill has rough and rugged
road to travel, however, before, II ever,
it arrives safely law in the archives Of
the secretary of state.
The Rural Credit Bureau has in
volved the state in debt OF more than
$65, OOO, 900. Those millions will be
many more before they are fewer. The
ultimate losses to the state can only
be estimated. Some think they may
reach $4,000, 900, perhaps more. Mean
while the bureau continues to make
more loans. It is the sole judge OF the
extent and the cost of its own person.
mel 1t can, and does. issue certificates
of Indebtedness, limited only by its
necessities, of which necessities it is the
judge.
Fan Mail
| Petitions pour into the legislature in
unprecedented numbers and the legiS-
lative fan mail is heavier than ever
before in the history of the state. Petit
| lions addressed to house or senate have,
in the past, been read by their title, and
sometimes in full, from the desk, but
letters and petitions addressed to in
dividual members have never been &C
corded that privilege and position
When petitions and prayers began to
pour in on the sixty new members OF
the house this year, however, one OF
the sixty sent a batch of them to the
desk and had them read. Then fol-
lowed the deluge and now the house
| II II. fot Iox, fo
title of the numerous petitions and
resolutions received from clubs and So
cieties and whatnots in all parts of the
state The mail of members has swollen
to almost terrifying proportions. II
every member attempted to answer
every letter received hundreds of them
from sections of the state far removed
from his constituency the postage tax
that the members of the legislature
would have to pay would wipe out the
federal deficit. That is to say, almost
Legislative Fl0tsam
Leap first and look afterward is a
principle increasingly embraced by this
legislature In other words, pledge
yourself to the enactment OF law
first, and consider afterwards whether
it is wise or not. The farm machinery
bill had 70 authors; the unemployment
insurance proposal has SO authors in
the house and 35 in the senate, not one
in twenty of whom have any clear idea
of the details or the effects of the
legislation.
Representative Melby of Red Lake
tells of the daughter OF constituent
This school girl prepared for a debate
in school on taxation She studied tax
alton, thought taxation, dreamed taxa
ton, and finally one night she found
herself praying, lead us not into taxa
ton" Mr.. Melby recommends this
prayer as a slogan for every legislative
desk
Representative Youngdahl, Hennepin
boosted that he had mot said word
in the debate upon a certain bill
Whereupon Representative Quinlivan
Stearns, quickly said: Il am glad there
is one measure before this house upon
which the gentleman from Hennepir
does not feel himself qualified TO advise
the house"
Senator Patrick Farnand, st. Louis
greeting visitor to the floor of the
senate said: Welcome to the last stand
of sanity and reason in Minnesota
He twitted all too near the truth, for the
conservative majority in the senate ds
narrow and none too stable, but it does
function in some degree.
The conservative" majority in the
senate and the liberal majority In
the house are firmly agreed on one
thing-they will drag out the session
to the bitter end of 80 legislative days
They never intended anything different
i Personalities
| Senator George H Sullivan, Still
water, still sits down in front at one
side of the senate chamber. He has
sat there, we think, since 1907. But hi
is frequently on his feet, for he is 9
powerful debater Immediately in front
of him used to sit John D. Sullivan
stalwart from st. Cloud, now no longer
member of the senate. When thu
SullivanS Numbered, it was some
laundering. Congressman w. I. Nolar
once said that the manner Of making
laws in Minnesota was this: The house
passed the bill and sent it over to the
senate for the Sullivan Bros. to con.
sider George and John D., however
are not related.
Representative Emil Youngdahl, Hen.
nepin, who frankly prefers red to AM
other color, changed his seat this veal
to the well of the house, down in front
where he roars daily in competition witt