The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-04-20

By Representative r. w. Hitchcock.
The most hectic session since the
wild, rough and tumble frontier
days of pioneer legislation-that is
the verdict on the Minnesota Leg
islature of 1888, the forty-eighth in
history of the state. It is ended,
and, as is the way with legislatures,
it and everybody else are much re-
lieved thereby.
Called upon to act for a people
sore beset and perplexed, the Leg
islature of 1888 has reflected the
perturbed condition of the public
mind. Sitting in the midst of pro-
foundry disturbing conditions, social
and economic, it has been vastly
disturbed itself; if it has been
jumpy and irrational, it's uncertain
ties and vagaries are a reflex of the
disturbed thought of a harrassed
people who do not know where to
turn or what to do in these doleful
days, but founder about heQplessly
in an economic slough of despond.
The legislature of 1888 was pc
titioned and prayed to as none 9TH
er in the history of the state. 1t was
reviled and denounced as no other.
1t was adjured, commanded and
threatened. Never in Minnesota
has the executive so attempted to
coerce the legislative branch of the
government; never have the people
so begged of and stormed at their
representatives.
Again and again has legislation
been laid upon it's doorstep with the
stern command to "p'a's's' it
quick" The cries Of the farmer, the
home owner, and of industry rang
in it's ears; nervously it sought for
means Of succor, and almost fran
tically it plunged into unknown
and doubtful und ertakings. Three
times the elements of discord and
disorder gathered their forces and
threw themselves upon the state
house. Each time the governor re
ceived them with open arms until
his speech grew more wild and vio-
lent than theirs, and the final days
Of law making were accomplished
to the threat of tramping troops
and rafting of machine guns. If
they don't pass those bills, said the
governor from the capitol steps to
the cheering mob, I'll sic the SOL
diers on them.
The Crux of the Session
The underlying, fundamental is
sue of the session was the struggle
between the spenders and the saw
ers; on the one hand the constant
and vigilant effort to maintain and
to increase the activities of govern
ment, to continue and to increase
the spendings of public MONIES; on
the other hand the determined but
almost hopeless effort to restrict
and abolish governmental activities
to ease the burden of the grooming
taxpayer.
The fundamentals of the progress
sive program were spending under
takings- unemployment insurance,
bounteous doles for the asking, COM
pulsory old age pensions, the in
come tax. In proportion as they
succeeded each of these added a
new and a greviouss burden to the
back Of the taxpayer, but the prize
promoter of government extrava-
gence of them all is the income tax.
Since the federal government took
up the income tax federal expenses
have doubled and tripled and quad
rupled. Every state that has tried
it has multiplied it's tax burden; it
is the despair of the tax saver and
the joy of the tax-spender, it is the
very cornerstone of the "tax-more,
spend-more" policy.
Every attempt at economy in the
Legislature of 1888 has found the
farmerlabor forces unsympathetic
and most of these attempts have
found them frankly hostile. Econ
omy on the part Of the state means
less spending, fewer jobs. Every
dollar spent means new opportuni-
ties for the faithful; every new job
is a new place for henchman.
Every move to abolish useless
boards and commissions has
brought down the wrath of the gov
ernor and the determined opposi-
ton of the farmer-labor controlled
house. If any attempt to restrict
governmental activities showed
signs of success, a message of pro-
test from the governor was prompt
ly forthcoming. When the appro-
priations committee denied an ap-
preparation to the securities COM
mission which has cost the people
of the state millions for every thous-
and it has saved them, the faithful
were summoned, the whip was
cracked, and the committee was ov-
erturned. When the committee
proposed to suspend for the bien-
MUM the tourist burear, a message
from the executive denounced the
saving; two useless jobs might be
lost to the farmer-labor party.
They Gagged at Nothing
To defeat economy the farmer
labor majority resorted to new
methods. It rode rough shod over
its own appropriations committee;