Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-10

and the jhdicous care usually shown In their man.
agement which he ascrbes less to any legal regula
tons under existing crude provisions of law than to
wholesome practices selfimposed under the dictates
of enlightened policy. The various suggestions of
the examiner made after due investigation Of the
many objects Of his inquiry, hardly fail to
mend themselves to your favorable attention. If he
had done nothing but reveal the exposed condition
of the public funds resulting from the neglect Ut
county officers to deposit adequate official bonds as
required by law, it would have fully established the
importance of the office and than justified its
cost. Upon investigation it found that only
tyseven of the 40 bonds Of county treasurers and
the secretary of state had been filed there according
to law. As result of the persistent efforts Of the
examiner these delinquent bonds were finally fur
nished, but only thirty-two Of the entire number
proved to be legally and technically correct. The
others were found to be defective in varions degrees
from condition of informality to that of utter
worthlessness. Those from Twenty-Five counties
named penal sums less in amount than the balances
held on the LIST of June by the officers giving them
respectively.
The correction Of these evils by requiring the sub
sdtution Of improved and increased bonds, being
beyond the power of the examiner, the remedy must
be supplied by prompt and adequate provision Of
law. The aggregate amount OF money passing
through the hands Of county treasurers now approx
imates the Of So, 0O,OOO annually, and In view Of
the lax precautions for the safety of these funds and
the crude methods by which accounts kept in
most OF the counties it is complimentary to the gen.
eral character Of county officials that there has been
80 little malfeasance in office. Nor Is the creation of
the office of public examiner necessary mputation
upon the motives of these officers. Conduct which
leads to embezz ement and defalcatiOn in the major
ty of cases begins In ignorance rather than in in
tentonal cri1ninality.
Whether therefor the protection Of the public, the
good of the erring official or the avoidance of public
scandal be considered the importance Of that careful
supervision which ensures correct basis and honest
beginning of official life, becomes alike obvious The
especially in the first misstep, which, ig
norantly taken and thoughtlessly repeated, imper-
ceptably grows into such startling temptation as to
defy the power of successful resistance It is
y too much to say that the information impaired and
the c0rrectlves applied by the public examiner have
already been the means Of strangling number of
incipient entertainments, while the more matured
abuses exhibited by the conduct of displaced
county auditor, and by the recent examination Of
the accounts Of the hospital for the insane whether
resulting from unconscious or intentional miscon-
duct illustrates the wisdom of the legislature the
timely creation of this Office. In view of the work
already accomplished and the enlarged usefulness
to be expected from the further operation of the law
cannot doubt that you will support it with such adj
dtonal provisions may be needed to subserve it's
highest purposes. In consequence of the late hour
at which the act became law no appropriation was
made for it's practical enforcement an commission to
rectify which your early action is solicited. The re-
port OF the Senate special COMMITTEES for the inves
CATION OF the management of the insane hospital
was duly submitted to me and will be transmitted.
FRA1NERD BRANCH LANDS.
By the act of March LIST, 1877, providing for the
completion Of the called extension lines of the St..
Paul Pacific railroad, various duties were imposed
upon the executive respecting the adjustment of
certain claims incurred for railroad construction,
and also Of claims of settlers who had made prior
filings and improvements in good faith upon the
lands pertaining to such roads. The commission
provided for the examination Of the claims of rail-
road creditors, consisting Of the Governor attorney
general and abroad commissioner, after repeated
hearings and full consideration, filed their statement
required in the State auditors office on the 9th
February showing RI obor
of slxty-slx, and total allowance of 1898 228. 10.
For the payment of the claims ascertaned and IN
accordance with said act, caused sale by auction
to be made of such selections had been made
from the lands which had already been certified to
the State. Prior to the published day of sale writ
OF injunction was served upon for its prevention
upon the complaint of the Western Railroad COM
pany the constructor of the railroad from Watab to
Brainerd, upon certain alleged grounds. Without
reference to the merits of the controversy, which
were not a matter for my consideration, deemed it
my duty, in pursuance Of well established executive
authority and upon the advice of the attorney gen.
eral to disregard the injunction and proceed with
the sale.
In the execution of the difficult task deyolved unon
me for the protection of the bona tide settlers upon
the line of the road, found it advisable to avail nv.
self OF the legal knowledge of the attorney general
whose former service in government land Office
rendered him familiar with the laws and rulings gov
ernlng the disposition of the public lands. For the
convenience Of the settlers frequent meetings were
held In close proximity to their homes for the hear
Ing of their claims, and amp time and opportunity
were afforded for full presentat Of facts by both
claimants and contestants thorough investigation
was thus made of each land claim, and upon due
consideration l58 of them were allowed In whole or
In part, covering 19,O46.47 acres, descriptions of
which, together with the names of the persons re-
spectivey entitled to acquire the same, were en-
hraced IN the deed of REIMBURSEMENT to the United
States In order to perfect the titles of the actual resi-
dents upon these lands as contemplated by the act
referred to.
SEED GRAIN
The legislature at its last session made provision
for supply of seed grain to the several counties
which had suffered from grasshopper ravages during
the preceding year. The sum of $4,000 was ap
proprated for this lurpose, and prompt action was
taken to comy with the several requirements of the
law within the brief period between the passage OF
the act and seeding tune of an early spring. Thirty.
four counties avaied themselves of the opportunity
afforded, furnishing an aggregate Of 6,O26 applicants
desiring various kinds OF grain sufficient to seed
total of 727 acres. The distribution afforded an
average of something less than so per cent of the
several amounts applied for. The practical operation
OF the law proved universally satisfactory, and there
Is no reason to doubt that great and deserved assist
ance was rendered to destitute sections which had
been so repeatedly subjected to the insect scourge
to be disabled from helping themselves while the
general good resulting from the measure Is shown
by the fact that the most of the counties receiving
aid those which largely ed the destructive
blight the past season and produced the best crops
in point of quality and quantity; the benefits to in.
d1vlduals thus speedily contributed to the common
prosperity by the increase and improvement of the
total product Complaints having been received tina,
the grain raised from seed furnished the State
In some instances being levied upon and forcibly re-
moved by creditors, suggest that the existing Law
relative to attachment and replevn be amended for
the better protection OF tue interests of the State.
CAPITOL EXTENSION.
At the last session of the legislature an
ton of $4,000 was made for the purpose of erecting
addition to the western wing of the State capitol
and rearrangink the apartments therein. The com.
modious chamber in which you are assembled, and
the convenient committee rooms adjacent, well as
the increased accommodations beneath bear witness
that the objects for which the appropriation was
made have been accomplished. The enlargement
and changes thus made afford additional room long
needed in some of the Departmental and it Is gratfy
ing to state that these purposes have been attained
by an expenditure strictly within the limits of the
moderate sum set apart therefor.
BIENNIAL ELECTIONS.
The constitutional amendment providing for bien-
NAL in lieu of annual sessions of tie legislature will
necessiate much adjustment of administrative ma
chinery to correspond Herewith. In eHecting this,
great care will be required to include practical de-
tails of an essential nature pertaining to the
branches of the government. The changes re-
quired and the examination necessarily given to the
subject, would seem to afford suitable opportunity
for the consideration of another question of i'm
portance The extraordinary frequency of elections
has long been deemed by rejecting men OF the
AoSe 81 ot1S 10 OK govern.
ment. The differing duration of our State offices,
requiring elections to fill some of them annually, and
the different seasons in which township and munich
pal elections are held, leave intervals so short that
the public finds little repose from the distractions of
political warfare The deleterious effect of these
constant disturbancesis manifest. They are unfav-
orabe to public ORDER to the pursuit of private bust
ness, and to the dspassonate cussion of questions
concerning the common welfare. They increase the
aversion to political duty entertained by orderly aud
busy through whose default bad men are elect
dY afI o,,1in
quent elections entail heavy annual burden upon
the people, In view of these evisI suggest the in
quiry whether obvious public interest would not
be subserved by providing for such amendments to
the laws and constitution wonld require biennial
elections only. For this purpose it would be neces-
sary to cause State elections to take place the
same year that in which members of Congress are
elected, which would conform to that in which mem
bers of the legislature now benniay chosen, and