The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-07-01
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Edited This Week BY
G. BJORN BJORNSON
(Minne0ta Mascot)
Such a Relief!


AS this article appears, toward the |
conclusion of the special sessions sixth |
week, Minnesota legislators may al |
ready be making final preparations for
adjournment. It looked last weekend |
as though it could be done easily before |
the Fourth. Senators were rather OPP |
timistic as to adjournment prospects, |
House members a bit less so While |
House action on some tax measure: |
came fairly early during the special |
term, the tempo in that chamber has |
been gradually tagging. Il took four
days or virtually fruitless debate on
the 7-million-dollar relief bill before |
the House took conclusive action on It.
And relief at ending that discussion was
short Lived because, on its most inl-
portant phases, many members them
selves admitted that they were passing
the buck to the Senate in the hope
that mistakes would be corrected there.
City representatives were most out
spoken in their inSistence upon keeping
relief OUTLAWS at the highest possible
levels. Some of their country brethern
were equally insistent on reductions.
And those ''betwiXt and between" whose
votes determined the outcome were
fearful of stirring relief beneficiaries to
protest. Conversation with one city
solon found him making admissions
that he carefully avoided on the floor.
"You know" remarked the urban law
maker, 1--WE haven't begun to realize
the problems which our Short-sighted
relief policies are creating problems
which may become bigger than any
others of this generation. We've gone
along voting the outlay Of big sums of
money on activities We know to be
worthless and we don't dare start the
necessary tapering off process because
we're afraid of losing votes. Elections
have been swung by promises of spend
ing money What good does it do us
to try to economic? Voters talk about
that once in a while, but they don't
appreciate it. The only time they are
really insistent, as far as I can see
around here is when they want some
thing from the public treasury"
Borrowing Trouble
Minnesota has really had troubles
lenough of her own lately, and the legis-
llature is one place where that fact
/ ought to be admitted. Yet prominent
feature of last weeks House delibera-
| tions found Farmer-Labor leaders look
ing abroad for still more trouble by
inviting a woman who represented the
spanish Loyalist faction to speak be-
fore them. Tax troubles and relief bills
were to be put aside to hear pleas
for one faction in bitter fratricidal
strife thousands of miles way, as Repre-
sentative S. A. StockWell, leading Min
neapolis Farmer-Laborite and prom
inent official of the League to Aid
Spanish Democracy, moved for House
recess to hear the speaker. Ordinarily,
brief receSseS of the kind are matter
of course and arouse no protest what
lever. This time, however, minority
felt that so bitterly controversial a
subject might be avoided and time more
profitably spent on troubles nearer
home. Representative Burt j. Costello
of Wabasha, speaking with restraint
about foreign troubles" yet obviously
moved by the feeling which so many
members of the Catholic church share
regarding deeds of the Loyalists in
Spain, protested against taking House
time for such a discussion. The adj
ministration leaders motion to recess
was put, and some twenty members
joined Representative Costello in voting
against it. They showed the deter
mined vigor of their protest by rising
from their seats and filing out of the
chamber in a body as the outside
speaker began her plea for SPANS
L,oyalist troops. "a situation in which
church group to which many of us
belong is involved might, out of courtesy
at least, be kept out of public discussion
among MinneSota'S elected lawmakers"
a member of the minority's "walk-out"
group declared
r A Forgotten Topic
Civil Service-Submerged at the regu-
lar session and, naturally, ignored dur
ing special term devoted to tax
measures back as conversational
( topic, at least, last week. The much
Va IIlC 1l1S11Wdy NC
partment, with summary dismissal and
e demotion of veteran employees, back
J. fired on the governor and the Farmer
, Labor party leaders-not alone in public
responses to the suggestion, but far
more significantly, in official action by
! the federal government itself. Cover
nor Benson, engaging in battle for the
: cause of spoils, lost the first round
when the federal bureau of public roads
demanded and secured reinstatement of
the two men charged with expending
100000 in federal funds on state
wide highway planning survey. He
? came back silent as to the Washington
! blow, but apparently more wary of
] others to come. He has made no recent
references to his party platforms
, promise of merit system in state
government-and in the meantime the
= spoils system is carried even to the ex-
tent of personal reprisalS growing out
of schism within Farmer-Labor ranks