The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-03-01

people of the state an amendment to
the Constitution to provide for state
owned power system and bond issue
of $50,O00,000 therefor, regarded as the
key bill of all public ownership pro-
posals of the present session, the lib
eral" minority mustered only 80 votes,
with 81 against. The principal argu-
ment used against the measure was that
the people had rejected state ownership
last November.
MAKE She Come"
Senators T. H. johnson Of Otter
Tail and Fay Cravens of Mile Laos
both new Senators, both former House
members, carved a niche in the fame
and infamy, as you prefer, of the Legis-
lature of 1885, when they introduced a
bill for a unicameral Legislature of &C
men and 60 women.
A few years ago there were -four
women Representatives and one woman
Senator in the Legislature; this year
only two women, Mrs. Macbeth Huro
Paige of Hennepin and Mrs. Hannah
Kempfer of Otter Tail, both in the
House.
Once upon time very young man
aged four, boaSted of the wife he would
have. Suppose she won't Gomez
someone asked. "I'll pound she and
make she come" was the quick reply
The distinguished Senators are going
in for cave-man methods also. If the
woman will not take to law-making OF
her own accord, they are going to
make she come"
A little nonsense now and then Is
reliShed by the most serious of states
men, and Representative Joseph Masek
of Ramsey does not aim to be the most
serious. To bill ''for the control by
counties of insect pests, plant disease
bee diseases and rodents. :" he offered
this amendment: scandal mongers
local neophytes and pesky legislators"
Old Wine in a New Bottle
Sworn testimony by Donald Clark OF
a st. Cloud granite firm is to the effect
that he was offered a sub-contract fol-
$245, 900 for granite for the state Office
building in 1881, but that Mr.. Carr
Erickson, the Commissioner of Pur-
chases of the Big Three, told him il
would be necessary to kick in $4,000
''for the party" Mr.. Clark's testimony
is that he refused to kick in. He die
not get the contract.
Last fall, and again recently, Mr.
Erickson, in his capacity as a member
of the Big Three, pleaded for a second
state office building. Each time he has
said that the incapacity of a former
Republican state administration, in not
building a large enough state office
building is to blame for outside rentals
which the state is obliged to pay.
The answer to these statements is
that the state Office building is large
enough, that it was not built by Re-
publican administration, and that it is
not necessary to pay outside rentals
The state Office building when it was
completed had vacant, unassigned
space; it was constructed by the present
Farmer-Labor administration, and out
side rentals are now being unnecessarily
and wastefully paid by Mr.. Erickson's
Big Three.
The records show, in contrast to Mr.
Erickson's loose statements, that two
succeeding Legislatures limited the cost
of the state office building to 81 500 900
that the Farmer-Labor members of both
Legislatures consented and approved
and that the full amount of 81 500 ,00C
was spent.
The records show, Mr.. Erickson re-
peatedly to the contrary notwithstand-
ing, that the state Office building was
built by the present state Farmer
Labor administration. Before contracts
for the construction of the building were
even advertised for, while there wa
still time to change the plans had they
found it necessary, Governor Olson re.
placed three Republican members o.
the commission by three Farmer
Laborites. From that time on, as the
minutes of the commission show, Com.
missioner Walter Butler acted with the
three Olson appointees, giving then