The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-02-02

Almost twice as many bills have
been offered in the Legislature of
1888 thus far as were offered at the
same point in the session two years
ago. The number of petty propos-
ais to spare the taxpayer fifty cents
or a dollar is almost countless and
the number of proposals to plunge
into all sorts of social experiments
is appalling. So trifling is a great
part of these bills, so reckless is
another great portion, and so con-
Trajectory are most of them, that
it would almost seem that the I'M
settled times have unsettled the
minds of the solons.
Minnesota has six hospitals or
asylumns for the insane and the
board of control declares that were
it not for the deaths and the cures,
it would be necessary to build an
other asylum for the insane every
three years. So swollen is the wait
ing list, that it is seriously pro-
posed in both house and senate that
one or more of the states teachers
colleges be abandoned for the train
ing of teachers and the buildings
used for asylums.
DR.. Anthony Desloges, eminent
mental expert, declared last week
that society has reached stage of
general madness and that there is
more insanity outside the hospitals
than inside" One look at the leg
islative hopper in Minnesota would
make him throw up his hands and
declare, Were all crazy"
The fact is that both the volume
and the character of the proposals
for legislation thus far at the forty
eighth session of the Minnesota leg
islature reflect the bewilderment
and the perturbation of the public
mind. We don't know what to do,
so we are doing every and any old
thing we can think of.
Nothing is too small to be grasp
ed at, nothing too big to be at
tempted. The house and the senate
passed under suspension of the
rules a bill to save the dentists of
the state 81 in registration fees and
it agreed with whoop to bill to
reduce the assessed value of all
farmers mules and asses" from rs
to 10 per cent of their full and true
value.
On the other hand the housetook
a score of auto license tax reduc-
ton bills and made them over into
committee bill which cut so per-
cent as to all minimums and rs per-
cent on all other classes of cars.
The senate went them one better
by reporting out of committee a
recommendation for a straight so
percent cut. These proposals al
most became law while the new
state highway commissioner was
not looking. About that time some
one tagged the committee with the
suggestion that it would be wise to
leave enough money in the state
trunk highway fund to keep the
roads up in summer and plow them
out in winter and have enough left
over to pay the road bonds that are
falling due. Motor car owners are
demanding cut; their demands are
so insistent that they will get it,
although it seems quite probable
that it will cost them more in the
end, then they save by the cut.
Proposals for unemployment in
surance, for 80 hour week for
compelling given wage, for COM
pulsory old age pensions, and for
many other social experiments are
being speeded up. Other proposals
urged as relief measures, would at
one sweep cast into the discard
safeguards against reckless spend
ing and debt accumulation which
the people of Minnesota have in
sisted on from the beginning of
these things it is urged. But does
it. Can we risk it?
One bill proposes that municipal
tiles be authorized to issue bonds
for poor relief without limit and
a vote of the people, and
another would give the state board
Of relief power to issue certificates
Of Indebtedness up to $1,5OO, 900 per
year and spend the money as it
lists. Other bills give all political
of the state the right
to borrow money, without vote of
The people, above present legal linn
It's and to distribute the money
gratis for relief. These measures
not only break down safeguards
which have been deemed inviolate,
but the probable effect would be
% set up a huge, statewide dole in
Minnesota.
With bills by the hundreds to cut,
,ondone or wipe out entirely, tax re-
'eipts, where is the money to come
rom to pay for these things?
One sure relief, and probably the
,nly sure relief, is to stop spend
ng. The people know it; they have
tut $20,000,OO0 from their tax bill
n two years; lawmakers should
earn the lesson. Nothing in the
way of relief is sure except that
which actually lifts some of the
DAD off the taxpayers back.
The finance committee of the
'enate and the appropriations COM
nittee of the house are vigorously
Welding the axe on appropriations.
They called upon the board of con-
rol and its Is state institutions for
cooperation and they got it. They
nave hewed to the line so vigor-
'usly that savings of $2,500,000 over
wo years ago are fairly certain. |
t hurts; but it is the one thing
hat will help.
The temper of the house appro-
'riations committee was shown
when it voted to cut salaries in
itate institutions from the highest
o the lowest, dealing the blow heav-
ly in the upper brackets and tap
'ring it down as the scale de-
11 l.