Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-02-27

important Office The next day, July 81,
1876, the same paper said: 'The railroad COM
missioner is now mere statistical clerk with a,
clerk to perform his duties. As there is moth
ing in the world for him to do except to draw
his salary of $3 600 year, either Of the able
gentlemen nominated by the respective parties
for this Office will be admitted even by thei
most prejudiccd enemies to be abundantlv
competent to perform this high duty" Agai'
on the 3Oth of August the Pioneer Press said:
IF it should really turn out that neither Gill
man nor Sencerbox is eligible to the Office of
railroad. commissioner and there should be no
valid election and the Office should become va
| can't, why the people would be the gamer by
the sum Of 5000 or $4,000, and that would be
| the extent of the calamity" he submitted
that with such an endorsement as to the use
lessness of the ofice-and nothing had since
been shown to prove that it had Increased in
effciency-the House could not go back upon
this bill, but would recommend it for passage
Mr.. J. N. Stacy submitted few facts and
figures to show that the office was q useful one,
and had brought money into the treasury
through listing lands fer taxation.
Mr.. Benson protested against this way of
doing business. He had offered an amendment
to the bill, and though he had risen several
times to explain that amendment he had not
been recognized by the chair. he thought it
was discourteous to him, to say the least. He
thought it was the duty of the State auditor to
attend to the taxation of railroad lands; that it
was the duty of the attorney general to con-
duct prosecutions when they were necessary
and that it was the duty of the secretary of
state to compile the statistics. He regarded
these officers as the proper ones to attend to
| the duties of the Office. ,--..
SENATE, February q, 1879.
Senator G. F. Buck called up the bill appro-
priating 1900 to aid the Anti. Drive Well as
ISOLATION, and made a speech explaining the
necessity for such an appropriation. and moved
that it be put on the calendar for third read
ing. He said when the bill was discussed in
committee of the whole, some days ago, he was
prevented from expressing his views by neces-
| sary absence. and he now desired to do 80, and
| secure its passage if possible He stated that
| there were $4,000 CT these drive-wells in the
| State, and that the holders of the pretended
patent would, if not resisted in the most eff
| fcacious manner by superior legal talent, carry
away from the State from quarter to a half
million dollars.
| Senator Pillsbury said he had been compelled
to pay nearly fifty dollars for the privilege of
using his drive well, and was very much pro-
goked at the methods used to filch that amount
from him.
Senator Mealey was willing to be taxed to
fight the case. though he had no drive-well.
| Senator Thacher asked Mr. Pillsbury if he had
| to pay $50 in addition to the cost of the we'll.
Senator Pillsbury said he had received notice
to come and settle for his drive-well. He in
structed his clerk to pay the bill through a mis-
take, and the bill was $47.50, instead of $40, as
he had supposed, and the receipt was drawn in
such manner as to prevent him from sueing
the sharpers. He was willing to be taxed $500
| to fight the cases.
Senator H. B. Wilson wanted the owners of
drive-wells to put their hands in their pockets
| and defend themselves as Others had to do when
! they get Into trouble.
Senator Thacher was sorry for people who
owned drive-wells, but he was opposed to the
State fighting the battles of private individu-
ais. If this bill was passed, others would fol-
low, and it would be difficult to find place to
stop such appropriations.
The bill was discussed by several other Sena-
tors, when the motion to indefinitely postpone
the bill was lost, and the bill was placed on
calendar.
! BILLS INTRODUCED.
By Senator Pillsbu1y, from the committee
on fnance-To appropriate money for the gen.
eral expenses of the State government for the
year 1879.
Also to appropriate money for the general ex-
penses of the State government for the year
1880.
VII e.. IL