The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1936-01-02

board" thru legislative malfeas
ance and nonfeasance it is fast be
coming calamity in Minnesota. TIL
encroachment of the executive up
on the domain of the Legislature
must constantly be resisted, blu
more insidious is the unguarde,
surrender of the right to legislate
No green bay tree has such a ranl
growth as a delegation or legisla
tive power.
The Executive Council, as Min
nesota knows it today, had it's be
ginning in the Hinckley holocaus
of 1908, the Chisholm fire of 100,
and the destruction of Cloquet ans
the awful loss of life from fores
fire at Moose Lake in 1918. Nor
thern Minnesota clamored for pro
lection from annually recurring
forest fires; instead of appropria
ting funds to provide this protec
ton, the legislature, in 1919
created calamity board" with
power to issue certificates of in
debtedness up to 100000 in any
one year to ward off or relieve the
distress arising from any grea,
natural calamity, such as fire
flood or cyclone. 1t was an evil
surrender of legislative power as
the event has proved.
This delegation of power was
sparingly used for many years. But
In 1880 came a new administration
which knew not Joseph and every
mischance became an excuse to
raid the state treasury and scatter
largess among the people. Potato
dry rot, rust in the wheat, every
local hail storm, even a washed
out bridge became a calamity. The
single half-million delegation of
power made by the legislature be-
came, by the Interpretation of the
attorney general, an infinite num-
Der of half-millions, one for each
and every untoward event which
the calamity board in it's free and
unlimited judgment might deter
mine to be Calamity"
The next stage in this degenera-
ton of government was the sur
render by the legislature in 1888
and 1885 of still additional legis-
lative powers and duties. The
Executive Council was authorized
to do this and that and good
many other things and its law
making powers were considered
enlarged. Those who had designs
upon the. exchequer of the state,
for purposes laudable and other
wise, and had found the going
tough before the finance commit
tee of the Senate and the appro-
priations committee of the House,
suddenly discovered that the men,
bers of the Executive Council,
elected for far other purposes, were
more vulnerable. The raiders
quit the legislature and
descended upon the Executive
Council, and the legislature, in one
instance actually aided, abetted
and encouraged this devious and
disruptive procedure, by refusing
to pass upon an appropriation and
referring the petitioners to the
Executive Council. Chapter 233,
Laws 1885.
Unless the legislature withdraws
the Legislatures powers it has sur
rendered to the Calamity Board,
now become the Executive Coun-
ell, and quits burdening it with
still further legislative duties,
many fear it will in time become,
Also, Minnesota Frankenstein.
There is another consideration
involved in the freak Executive
Council setup in Minnesota. The
of the Executive Coun-
Ill are the Governor, the Attorney
General, the Secretary of State.
he State Auditor and the State
Treasurer. They were not chosen
o make laws for Minnesota, but
o perform certain important exec
ltive duties. The law-making
,owers and duties which have been
hrust upon them seriously inter-
ere with the duties for which
ley were elected. Some need Of
ustice is due them, also; they were
lot elected to be embarrassed by
seeking a hand-out.
AS the special session of the Min
lesota legislature recessed for the
.olidays, the Minnesota Misleader
so nicknamed by Walter Lightly
made one of it's characteristic at
empts to pull the wool over the
yes of the people of the state. Its
ssue of December 81 carried as its
aain first page seven column |
treamer this head line, "Old |
iuards Try to Dodge Job Insur-
nee" Under this head it said,
pening an article more than
olumn in length, "altho progress
as been made in the drafting and
nactment Of an old age pension
aw, the conservative controlled
'gislature this week gave every in
ication of lodging the problem
unemployment insurance,
ills have been introduced for bott.
lent insurance, but only the for
Ter has been sent to the floor by
he powerful and exclusively con-
,rvative rules committees"
This statement, like practically
1erything appearing in the Min
esota Leader on Minnesota poll
cs, is completely false. The truth
the exact opposite Of the Lead
IS statements.
On the third day of the special
'ssion two unemployment insur.
ace bills" were introduced in the
enate, ST and ST 8. Both of
ese bills were reported out of the
lles committee the following day,
ecember 5, and were printed and
aced on the desks Of all senators
ore than two weeks before the
ecember 81 issue Of the Leader in