The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-04-07

4
/ probers couldn't get into the papers at
all. One piece of good luck came the
house committees way, however, when
it discovered, and promptly put into
print, a letter from Senator Gustaf
Widell, Blue Earth county, wherein the
fession, urged the highway department
not to reduce the price paid for gravel
from certain gravel pit from 10 to
10 cents per yard. Senator Widen was
the prime mover and chief instigator
of the senate highway investigation, and
! here was something on the senator
himself. The house committee had the
senate committee on the hip. The dis
closure made the first page alright, and
was two-day sensation, when High
way Commissioner Elsberg testified that
| the gravel was worth the money and
that the department only bought $13
worth of it anyway. Whereupon the
house highway investigation retired once
more to "inocuous desuetude." The
mountain had labored and brought forth
mouse.
Looks Like a Record
With the end of the session hardly
more than ten days away, the pro-
gressive" house has made pretty good
start towand record Among its &C
complishmentS may be listed the fol-
lowing:
After insurging valiantly for several
sessions against ''nepotism" it signalized
its accession to power by granting, as
its first official act, legislative con-
ceSsion to brother of house member
who was member of its faction.
It denied, for the first time in the
history of the state, a seat in the house
of representatives, to man chosen by
the people to represent them. 1t seated
instead his opponent whom the courts
certified had received the less number
of votes.
It was vociferous for motor vehicle
license reduction as taxpayer relief until
told that it had spoken out of turn
whereupon it promptly faced to the
right about and turned a deaf ear to
the pleas of the people.
It proceeded to solve the problem of
congressional reapportionment by fixing
up nice district for Congressman
Henry Arens and, at considerable in
convience to itself and the state, pro-
viding that Congressman Magnus John
| son and Congressman Paul John Kvale
shall not be in the same district. That
is its story and it is sticking to it.
Its chief hacker, the farmer labor
party was righteously indignant when
the United States senate fired veteran
employe who told the truth about it.,
but when one of its own employees told
the truth about the house, it incon-
tinentally kicked him out.
When it was "out" it was virtuously
indignant over the grossly excessive"
expenses of the house; now that it is
''in' it has succeeded in spending
81 500 more each ten day period for
help" than cid the last house.
And these, not to mention trucks, a
couple of income tax laws, beer and
unstinted beer bars in every town and
hamlet
The End Approaches
lature are not yet to be finally reckoned
however. Some shoots which the gov
ernor has planted and his rather neg
ligent faithful have internationally
watered, and even some stray plants
that others have cultivated, may yet
burst into flower. The principal &C
conlplishments of the legislature are
not usually consummated until the
closing days of the session. The record
Of success and of failure will be tolled
off in the next ten days.
One revolutionary piece of legislation
has been partly accomplished. The
legislature has been toiling for weeks
to set up new control over new de-
velopment in transportation. 1t is quite
possible that the outstanding legislation
of 1888 in Minnesota will be truck legis-
lation. A truck regulatory bill, radically
changing the states policy, has passed
both houses and will be acted upon by
the governor before this appears in
print. Companion bills, radically in
creasing the tax on trucks and radically
limiting truck use of the highways,
have been strenuously debated in the
house. The policy they put forth is
bitterly disputed; but it may prove
epocfa1.
The days Of the forty eighth legisla-
ture of Minnesota are numbered The
last day for the passing of bills is Tues
day, April 10, and the legislature will
adjourn sine die Wednesday, April 49,
They Boldly Rush In
A burnt child may fear the fire, but
your Progressive never learns anything
from his failures. He turns his back
upon the wrecks of progressive policies
of the past, and enthusiastically en-
braces a new one. He is cock sure that
a pot of gold will be found at the end
Of the next rainbow. With the desola-
ting failure of the costly rural credits
bureau staring them in the face, the
Iprogressives of the legislature now turn
to state banking as a sure cure-ail
rural credit loans, will pay the fiddler
Goodhue county, alone, with but three
TO the tune of $4,000 rural credit taxes
next year. The bureau is paying Az
per cent on $66,0O0,000 of borrowed
money, and last year it collected only
100000 in interest. The necessity of
paying 100000 of its losses will force
the state tax rate next year to un-
precedented heights. In other years to
come prospective losses from $40, 0O0, 900
to $4,000, 900 will be exacted from the
taxpayer.
With this CHASTITY record of the states
failure in business adding color to the
depression, Senator Victor E. Lawson of
Willmar, able and sincere, of unim-
peachable integrity, prefacing his re-
marks by an admission of the failure