The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-01-04
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
By R. W. HITCHCOCK

There are three CnnSS ABOUT
LEGISLATURE" said Bill Nolan, three
times Speaker of the Minnesota House
ito be thankful fort meets only once
in two years, it is limited by law to 81
days, and if there is an extra session
the members don't get paid anything
for it."
The Forty-Seventh Legislature OF
Minnesota meets on Tuesday, January
9th. If it is like most of it's predeces-
sors, and it will be, it will stick it out
for the full 80 days, and Governor
Olson and the people of Minnesota will
have it ON their hands for four months
1t is sometimes hard for the ordinary
fellow to understand how the legis-
lature makes four months out Of 90
days. It is simple matter Of legis-
lative hocus-pocus. To your law-makeI
there are three kinds Of days-calendar
days, session days and legislative days
A calendar day is any old day that
comes along and there are just exactly
seven of them in any week as every
school boy knows. A session day Is any
day on which the Legislature is in
session. Next week, the opening week
of the Legislature Of 1885, will probably
have just three session days, Tuesday
Wednesday and Thursday. The mem
bers will then, in all probability, be ex-
hausted from their unaccustomed
labors and will adjourn over the week
end to gather strength for the labors
of the following week. But you can
never tell about legislature. It might
want to stun the people with an un-
heard-of record, and so meet on Fri
day, in which case the opening week
would have four session days. Don't
lay much money on four session days
for next week, however,-it wouldn't be
a good bet. In contrast to a calendar
day and a session day, a legislative day
is any day on which the Legislature
may lawfully meet. It cannot meet and
do business on Sundays or on legal
holidays. Eliminating Sundays and
holidays, the 80 legislative days per-
mitted to the Legislature by the Con-
Stitution will stretch out the time OF
the session to nearly four months and
the session will come to an end the last
week in April.
The opening week of the session will
have its full complement of seven
calendar days, but it will probably have
but three session days, although it will
have five legislative days. Thus we see
at the very beginning that law-making
is complicated business.
Every eye is focused on the Legisla-
ture in interest when it begins in jan
uary-every breast heaves sigh OF
relief when it ends in April. Nothing
becomes a Legislature like the ending
of it. The Governor would find gov
erning much easier If he did not have
to put up with the whims of the Legis-
lature, but the Governor is a diplomat
and will speak it fair-at least while
it is in session, no matter how much he
may dislike it's political complexion
But about the second week of the
session, when the Legislature adjourns
for the second long week end Of rest
without having done anything, the
people will begin to grouse, and from
that time on the newspapers of the
state, throughout the session and for
several months afterward, will hurl
brickbats at the luckless legislature.
Good, bad or Indifferent, all Legis-
latures get the same treatment. Before
they begin the newspapers print
columns about the great things they
are going to do; when they adjourn the
papers try to figure out how much
damage they have done.
An Important Session
1t is not long in any legislative ses-
sion before some Representative OF
Senator arises in his place and takes
occasion to declare that "this Is I'M
doubtedly the most important session
of the legislature in the history of the
state"
Many are already thinking this Of
the Legislature of 1885. It will sit al
a critical time in the history of the
state. The distress of the people
arising out of the depression, is still
acute. What can the Legislature d.
to relieve or better conditions? An ex
traordinary condition exists in defici
of more than 100000. What is tn.
Legislature going to do about that
Taxes on real property, both tax.
payers and politicians are agreed, are {
crushing, paralyzing burden. A weltel
of remedies is proposed, some definit.
and enthusiastically backed; other
more vague and more uncertainty pu
forward. Can the Legislature pick one
or a half dozen, that will better tn.
condition of the people? The necessit!
for certain social reforms, like old ag'
pensions and unemployment insurance
is generally conceded. VIII the Legis.
lature be able to draft wise measure.
dealing with these reforms, and wher,
will it get the money to finance them
There are other pressing problems. tn.
Legislature of 1895 viii be most i'm
portant Legislature indeed If it &C
quits itself creditably Of a very few q