The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1936-01-30
FARMER-LABOR
By A. L. Harris

iltok SOilCo ny NroNCl NIlooA W
pass social security legislation so
that the state can avail itself of
the benefits of the Federal Social
Security Act has ended it's ''labors."
Every citizen of Minnesota would
do well to study the record of this
neutrality-suspicious. body.
Specifically, the Governor asked
the Legislature to enact an old age
pension law and to pass an unem-
ployment insurance act. 1t passed
an old age pension law, If one may
charitably call it that, but as to the
latter it created an interim COM
mittee ito make a study of unem-
ployment insurance" 1t might do
we'll for this committee to enlarge
the study to include the question of
whether a starving person requires
food.
The conservative accepts old age
pension with about as much alac-
rity as a child takes dose of cas-
tor oil. And, until the insistence for
this kind Of legislation became
quite universal, he resisted every
effort in this direction.
Let US Look at the old age pen
sion bills submitted by the conser-
vative and liberal groups. The con-
servatives' bill provided for maxi
mum monthly payments Of $50;
property exemptions of $4,000,
which must include a homestead,
a limited amount of furniture and
burial lot; the amount of pensions
paid must constitute lien against
the homestead; no payments OF
pension where there are children
able to take care of their parents,
whether they do so or not, and no
uniform standards In the various
counties. The liberals bill provided
for maximum monthly payments
of S45; property exemptions of all
kinds up to a total Of $4,000; the
payments would not constitute a
lien against the homestead Of the
old folks; old folks would not be
deprived of sharing in the act be-
cause Of delinquency on the part !
of their children in failing to sup
port them; and uniform standards
of payment throughout the state,
fixed by the Board Of Control.
The bill finally passed was the
conservatives bill, with the lien |
feature removed. This was done be
cause of the bitter fight against the
proposed provision made by the
liberals.
Liberals had all along suspected
in fact knew-that the tears
shed by the conservatives in the
last regular legislative session over
the plight of the real estate owner
were of the crocodile variety.
Abundant proof for that has now
been provided.
While the liberals had a definite
program for financing old age PEN
sions, including corporate excess
taxes for public utilities, an in
crease in the gross earnings taxes
of railroads, an increase in the oc-
cupational tax on iron ore and SIM
liar taxes, the conservatives sad
died the load on real estate. No
special taxes for ,the pensions were
created. Not a single one of the
special tax bills proposed by the
liberal groups was permitted to
leave the rules committee.
1t was an issue of whether real
estate should foot the bill or the
public utilities, the corporations,
and the mining companies. The
preferred to protect
the latter and not the former.
True, about s1,300,0O0 was taken
from the highway department for
the pensions, but this admittedly
can last but a short time. In the
absence of any special taxes for the
purpose, real estate must carry
the load.
The Federal Government will de-
fray one half the cost OF the PEN
sions; the state 81 % per cent, and
the counties IL 1-3 per cent. The
county share must come exclusive
" from a levy on real property, as
must the states after the $780,
300 of the highway funds are ex-
hausted.
If ever a piratical crew of pol
iticians attempted to pull the wool
over the eyes of the people, the
in the special session
did so in the case of unemployment
insurance.
These politicians know that an
election is in the offing. 1t happens,
that the Senator'S do not
come up for election this year, but
the House members must run the
gauntlet of the voters. So we wit
messed the strange spectacle OF re-
dictionary House members actually
for unemployment insur-
ance. But this was not done after
the Senate had killed the measure.
In other words, the House reac-
tionaries were spared the embar-
of seeking reelection
with a vote against unemployment
insurance for their opponents to
shoot at, while the Senate reac-
tionaries took the heat"
Politics is great game, but
there is not a little evidence that
the public is getting hep" to it!
The State Fire Marshals Divis-
ion, Department of Insurance,
states that the daily fire losses in
the United States comprise the fol
lowing buildings: Six department
stores, eight public garages, three
printing plants, three dry goods
stores, 90 farm buildings, 1900
dwellings,, five schools, five church
es, Is hotels and two theatres.
According to figures released by
Dewey w. Johnson, Deputy State
Fire Marshal, every day twenty
people lose their lives as a result of
fire. Statistics show that the losses
Of lives and property by fire is
greater than the combined wars of
the United States. Therefore, warns
the State Fire Marshal's Division:
Keep your premises clean and
during this cold wave be careful
not to overload the heating plants"