The Grange advance., 1874-01-14

IN the State LIBRARY aUOut..........' w w
In the Supreme Court Clerks Office l23 l8
Total lo1 81
have not been able to give the figures
as to stationery used for the several de-
partments Of the State Government during
the past year, but if we will suppose them
to be the same as in 1872, then we will
have this result, be it remembered, for one
year:
Stationery used by Legislature 81, 1877 II
Stationery used by State officers. 1852 81
Total .........-.................$5, 800 O9
This, it will be remembered, is exclusive of
postage, expressage, telegraphing, &c.. in
the Legislature and about the capitol.
It will be difficult to make the people be-
lieve that $5,36O.O9 Of envelopes, writing
paper, and pens and ink, were used in any
one year, by members and officers Of the
Legislature and by eight State officers. 1t
would pay for ink enough to float a first
class man Of war, and for stationery enough
| to almost sink it.
| The Secretary of State, Mr.. Jennison, in
hn report one year ago, says, speaking of
the stationery purchased by members Of
the Legislature: "The prices for the same
article bought at the same session, by diff
ferent persons, vary so considerably as to
| force a conclusion that some have purchased
! to the disadvantage Of the State; - and he
! concluded with the very proper suggestion
that the stationery used by the State gov
ernment should be obtained by contract let
to the lowest bidder, after public notice.
! Now let US ask ourselves what would he
right and reasonable.
It appears that in 1868 the officers Of the
House, Gen. Jennison being Clerk, used
| only $3.50 Of stationery. Let us call it
$500. This would buy according to my
calculation, at wholesale rates, twenty-five
reams of note paper, fifty reams Of cap pa
per, and leave liberal margin for pens
| will not be sufficient for all the
business of the session of sixty
days. We are under no obligation to
furnish stationery for the sergeant-at-
Arms and the fireman, for their duties are
not literary and yet l have heard Of a
case last winter where one officer is said
to have taken home piles of stationery and
peddled it around the country, living on it
Now, if we give 5000 to the Chief Clerk of
If we give SIS Of stationery to each men,
ber Of the House and Senate, 147 in all,
that will make S735 for both Houses.
For myself I should be willing to buy
my own stationery, but we do not want to
make service here SO expensive that none
but rich men can aspire to seats in these
give moderate allowance, and I have
Nil hos ~
sale prices, one-half ream note paper, 1000
envelopes, one-half ream cap paper and
pen and ink. There are not many Of us
next sixty days.
Then say we give SIS more for postage
stamps. This will pay for one hundred and
sixty-fve letters. do not think that many
Of US will send off more than that number
of letters during the session.
But if there is any hard working Senator
who will come forward and say that ten
dollars.are not sufficient to cover the actual
cost Of his official correspondence, then I
shall, for one, cheerfully vote to give him
the amount necessary.
This would make $735 more for postage
for both houses or total Of $1,879 for
postage and stationery for the officers and
members Of both Houses.
Now suppose we give $40 more to each
Senator and member for newspapers: This
would amount to 81 ,470; and this, added
to the foregoing, would give grand total
of $3,34O.
If we deduct this from the amount spent
last winter we will find that we will have
effected saving Of five thousand, two
hundred and fifteen dollars and ffty-two
cents
Surely this amount is worth saving!
And while saving this amount we have
given each member and Senator twenty
dollars, for stationery, postage and news
papers. We have been liberal and yet we
have saved to the people large sum of
money, now annually swallowed by cormo-
| rants.
Do we need to economize
Let me present few pregnant facts.
EXCESSIVE TAXATION.
In 1861 the total valuation of real and
personal property in Minnesota was $780,
264, 200; the number of mills Of tax assess
ed for State purposes was four the total
tax assessed was $l57 ,O59.
In 1872-eleven years thereafter-the
total valuation of real and personal prop
erty had nearly trebled, being $1O3, 373, .
836; the number of mills assessed was
five; the total tax $516, 1869.
| In l873-the disbursements of the State
had risen to the startling amount Of one
million, two hundred and forty-three thous-
and dollars.
In round numbers million and quar-
ter in 1873, against about $lOO, 900 in 1861.
This includes amounts paid out and
amounts in hands Of Treasurer, to be paid
on demand.
Thus while the basis Of taxation had in
creased three fold, the disbursements had