The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-08-05
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extraordinary session of any Minnesota
legislature came to close but a few
minutes before these lines were written
1t was hectic because of the wide diver
gence of opinion between the two legis-
lative bodies and the constant inter
| ference in legislative action on the
part of his eXcellency, Gov. Benson, and
1t will go down in history for two
reasons: Cd The first time that any
Governor SO forgot himself as to allude
to any legislative committee as being
Jasmine, immoral and dishonest" and
CD the first time that legislative act
has been changed or caused to be
or his underlings.
1t would require far more space than
the editor of this publication could pos
sibly give to present the many in
teresting things that have occurred
during the eight weeks that have made
up the doings of the legislature and the
doings of the administration. Suffice
therefore in this, my last letter to ex-
pose just a few things, leaving to the
daily papers the newsworthy task of
presenting the enactment of laws.
Previously alluded to the statement
of the Governor, made before a group
of township and county officials whom
he had called to st. Paul to bolster
his losing fight for the appropriation of
100000 for relief. was not so hide
bound as to criticize any Governor or
iprivate citizen, who in the heat of a
political campaign Or in private tran
Saction, might forget himself and use
language of a slanderouS nature. All
humans are apt to make such mistakes
but Governor, if he realizes the i'm
portance of his position, should be ex-
pected to hold himself above the COM
monplace; to weigh seriously every word
and finally to conduct himself, both by
word and action as to reflect credit
upon himself and the electorate
But, Governor Benson is a stubborn
young man and he does not always
know whereof he speaks. Realizing this
very and ever growing fact, Senator
Rockne, chairman of the Senate Com
mittee on Finance, unwilling to believe
that the Governor had slandered the
Senate Finance Committee, without ex-
: ception, wrote the Governor asking fol
; verbatim transcript of his remarks
, The Governor, obliged him and thai
all may know and understand I an
: taking the liberty of presenting a true
and correct copy of the Governor!
7 letter as follows:
Dear Senator:
I'm answer to your communication o.
July 10th pertaining to my reference.
: to the Senate Finance Committee rela.
/ tive to the relief bill, have asked fol
:, transcript of that part of my speech
r This transcript shows that my remark!
, were as follows:
I But I want to again emphasize one
thing they have done which is down.
S right-What should I say-asinine.
Y is so simple on it's face that no intel.
l ligent group could do such a thing-cu
Y down the sponsors contribution tt
100000. No intelligent group coule
do such thing. It's downright i'm.
moral and dishonest. Anyone who ha.
anything to do with P. w. a. or State
Relief knows it's plain dishonest. Now
o those are strong words, but NEAR
every one of them. I think it is abou
! time that more people in public Office
f whether it be on the town board, which
f has become a very important job anc
! for which you are paid very little, it i.
about time public officials speak gu
y and tell some of those people in pub.
lie office just what our position is. LIE
, us not continue to protect special in
a terestS in this State at the expense O.
the average home owner in the city anc
on the farm
''My use of the word dishonest a!
you can judge from the above pertains
to intellectual dishonesty"
1t will be noticed that no apology wa
= Forthcoming, in spite of the fact tina
D the Governor stated in his pronounce
ment. Nov, those are strong words
. but mean every one of them" Genial
> wholesouled, honest Rockne asked fo1
the transcript but for one purpose. A!
1 chairman of committee comprising q
members-nearly one third of the Sen.
ate body-he left an opening for his ex.
cellency to retract his statements, but
instead of an apology he received the
lame excuse contained in the last par
agraph, to wit: "My use of the woro
dishonest as you can judge from the
above pertains to intellectual dis
honesty"
Christianity is based On the pro-
, position that right is right and wrong
is wrong. AT seven years Of age one
is presumed to have gained the use OF
, reason and the use of reason is the
, ability to distinguish between right and
, wrong. intellectually is the governing
, force. An imbecile or insane person is
excused from dishonesty or wrong doing
|, because he lacks the intellectual cap
, acity to overcome the idiosincraSy that
motivates or eccelerates his mental
Ipowers. Hence intellectual dishonesty
is no better nor worse than plain or
binary crookedness-a will to commit
wrong.