The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-02-24
LEGISLATURE NEEDS NO DEFENSE.

In talk made this week before the Juneau Women's Club, its President Mrs. Mildred Hermann, who is also legislative representative of the Alaska Federation of Womens Clubs, was quoted by re- porter for The Empire saying in the 20 years the Alaska Legislature has been in existence NO single piece of good legislation had been enacted. The same account of Mrs. Hermanns talk credited her with saying that Senator Allen Shattuck was the most honest Legislator she had ever encountered In another column of The Empire today there ap- pears a communication from Mrs. Hermann saying she was misquoted in these two instances.
 The Empire is glad to give her the opportunity to state her own version of the matters It would not willingly misrepresent her views on this or any other matter of public interest In the present instance some of the IS club women who heard their Presidents interesting discussion anent the Legis- lature lobbyists, etc, well The Empires re- porter who covered the meeting went away from 1t under the impression that she had made the state ments quoted in The Empire Her communication will set them straight, also.
 In this she said;
 T did not say that in the 20 years of the
 existence of the Alaska Legisature single
 piece of good legislation had been enacted.
 What I did say that only negligible
 amount of constructive legislation had been
 enacted. Also, I did not say that MT.
 Shattuck was the most honest Legislator I
 
 to MT shattuck, whose honesty and integrity
 a Legislator I did, and justly, too pay
 high compliment, do not by any means
 regard him the most honest Legislator
 ever encountered"
 Of course, the strcture the constructveness of the local Legislature is not borne out by the facts They are many sound and wise laws the Terri torys statute books that written there by AL askan lawmakers. To attempt to them all han affords and is unnecessary since they known to most Alaskans. The first Alaska Legislature, in 1913, extended suffrage to women when that was an innovation in government. Succeeding assemblies have egslated wisely in providing for child welfare providing pensions for mothers of dependent chil- dren, allowances for aged pioneers, for relief of Restitution among the population, created modern and efficient school system the costs of which are very largely borne by the Territory, workmen's com pensation including hospitaization and great many other laws for betterment of social conditions to protect labor educate the youth of the Terri tory and to keep the specter of starvation and want from the doors of the aged.
 Of course not all of the laws the Legislature has passed were wise or sound Composed of average human beings, it has made mistakes just all humanity does. Legislation, after all, is largely a trial and error proposition. When it proves suc- cessfu it is retained on the statute books, when it is proven failure succeeding sessions wipe it off and try other methods to bring about the desired results
 No one we are sure, successfully dispute the honesty of purpose and sincerity of effort of a vast majority of the men who have composed the several Alaska Legislatures They had in mind the greatest good for the largest number of the people whom they represented And, in the main, than average success has attended their efforts