Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1941-03-27
The Legislature
AS I See 1t
BY Rep. Chas. L. Halsted.

In this regular report to you Of
some of the things that are happening
in your state legislature, written at
the close of the week of March %.
find we have actually been in session
81 days. Excluding Sundays and
Good Friday we have only rs pos
sible working days left.
Liquor Legislation.
On Tuesday, March 10, H. F. 1912
was introduced in the House by
Liberal Representatives George Ha-
gen, Will Nelson, Alfred l. Johnson,
and others. This is bill to amend the
present liquor laws without running
into the objections raised against H.
F. 1913, the bill which just barely
passed the House permitting munich
pally owned liquor stores in dry coun-
ties if the people of any municipality
over 375 population so voted. This
bill deprived the people in the sur
rounding community of voice in the
should be sold in their trading CEN
ter. Under H. F. 1912 the county
must first approve of permitting mu-
nicipally owned liquor stores and
thereafter each city or village must
also so approve.
This bill sets up procedure iden-
teal to that for vote on repeal of
county option, but limits the question
to be voted on to whether or not
municipality owned liquor stores may
be established and maintained therein.
In other words, the people know at
the time that they are voting the
method to be in operation in the
county. If the county wide vote is
favorable to repeal then each city or
village in the county may vote on
the question as to whether or not
they wish to establish liquor store
The county may hold an election on
the question again after three-year
interval, and the local municipality
may vote at any time to abolish its
municipal liquor store.
Investigation.
Rep. Otto Clark of Osakis, last
week released figures showing that
the Game and Fish division was
spending IA per cent of its income on
salaries and travel expenses, leav-
ing very little for fish propagation
and conservation work He showed
where Michigan and Wisconsin spent
only about 40 per cent of their Game
and Fish funds for similar purposes,
and ask for an investigation by an
Interim committee. This proposal has
the backing of House Majority Lead
er Roy Dunn, who said, 81 am de-
cidedly not satisfied with the way our
Game and Fish division has been
operating" 1t appears very likely
that Rep. Clark's request will be
granted insofar as Rep. Dunn is chair
man of the Rules committee, which
must first pass on this proposal.
Gas Tax and One Mill Levy.
Representatives Finstuen and WEIGH
last Thursday asked for a special
order for H. F. 258 and 259, which
would repeal the one mill levy for
road and bridge purposes and provide
for distribution in like manner of
ST 100000 from the gas tax receipts
After spirited opposition, mainly from
liberal rural members, their request
was granted by vote of "a to 49,
Most Township Boards and County
Commissioners are opposed to this,
but Governor Stassen has said that
he will veto the restoration of the &c
gas tax unless the one mill levy is
repealed. This attitude of the Gov
ernor has been reported in the Twin
City daily press, but curiously some
of the country editions of these same
papers have failed to carry his state
ment. Many Of the rural legislators
want both the &c gas tax and the one
mill levy. It is hard to understand
the attitude of the members of the
House from the following counties,
who all voted for giving repeal of
the one mill levy right-ofway in the
House. In Mile Laos, Kanabec, and
Sherburne counties, where these three
counties paid S6,105 in 1888 through
the Dunn one mill levy and received
back $36, 1873, one of their representa-
tives at large voted for repeal. The
representatives from the following
counties voted for repeal, in effect
yet we see that: Todd paid $685.,
Morrison paid $6,246, Aitkin paid
$1,246, Pine paid 1924, Mahnomen
paid $1,O91, and yet these counties
received $12,O51 each in the year
1888, the last year for which figures
from the counties abstracts are avail
able.
Senate Leader on Radio.
You people, regardless of political
faith, will no doubt want to hear the
silver tongued orator of the north
country, Senator George Lommen,
when he speaks for the Liberal Group
of the House and Senate over several
Minnesota Radio Stations at 8:45 to
9 p. m. Tuesday evening, April l.
He will give voice, as only he can, to
the views of the liberal group, and
will no doubt give a sizzling reply
to recent radio claims of Governor
Stassen concerning his administration.