The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-11-18
ST.. PAIL. Mimi. Nov. Eth, 1881.

county's representation in the Lcgisla-
ture, in the passage Of the bill fixing
the salaries of the officers of that county,
feel that it is but justice to myself rs
one of that representation to give some
of the reasons for that act and the in
, formation at our hands as data on which
10 act That editorial (of Oct 2S,) is ali
admirable one concerning the duties Of
the County Auditor so far as that goes.
In relation to the merit Of the act, you
say 1--WE have taken ample time to make
Il thorough investigation Of the practica-
bility of such measure, &c" This /
think is true so far as one side is con-
cerned, and your investigation will do
good alike to yourself and your readers;
but there are some other things, not in
Your article, which think might serve
10 sort of level up ones judgement in this
matter. Our purpose was to do no one
harm in this matter and if possible oh
tain a reasonable mean between the eX-
tremes. While it is very true that the
duties OF the Auditor are many, it is
equally true that $4,000 in one year
ought to do many duties. For the tai
ent necessary in that office $500 per
day for each of the three hundred work
ing days in each year was deemed to be
ample. The certainty of it not being
questioned, as sure to come as the rising
OF the sun. 1t matters not for ceaseless
rains, whether grasshoppers, chinch
bugs, Hessian fly, blight or swine plague
infcst the land whether wheat averages
, bushels or 20 bushels per acre at the
going down of each days sun he knows
that $500 are placed in his hand and
! 81, 900 year besides with which to
employ labor to assist him.
This is the condition of this untortun-
ate citizen, whose salary is below
"ridiculously low point" Iventurc the
assertion, fearless of successful retuta-
tom, that there is not one man in any
of our offices who can show that his
time, with no money invested, has been
worth, for any considerable period of
time, $500 per day and it is fact
worth remembering, that II county officer
has not one cent If money INFESTED IN the
business. When he goes out of office he
has no old stock on hand to be given
away at nominal price no poor &C
counts that the Judgement day alone will
settle no old reapers, threshers, old
types and presses but his business is
finished complete and his pockets are
we'll lined with clear, clean cash, paid
by men who have labored equally rs
hard for much less return. Every tax
payer most emphatically" don't need
Ia know the detailed duties of the Audi.
tor, but he does know that the man
whose time is worth more than $500 pei
day is too expensive for him, and is the
man to resign. No provision was made
o for the people of the county 10 pay
election expenses, and this important
+ item was purposcly lett out.
You ask if We made personal inquiries
of ouI Auditor concerning these mat
4 tiers In answer, | ask whether it is thu
. custom of printing office managers Il
h inquire of type settlers as to their dutie
J.. and what shall he their compensation
+, or do you determine the duties, fix you
= price and employ men able for the -worI
# and satisfied with the pay There ar
!. abundant means here for learning I'll
duties of county officers and such mean
have been made use of
Ie In the article referred to, is foun
re this From the testimony Of one q
r the most competent authorities in TIL
lc State, man who is familiar with Ill
u. duties performed by every Auditor
ly the State. we learn that there are onl
ly two counties which have more work fc
ID their Auditors to perform than Blu
re Earth county, while all the other eounti
tn pay much larger salaries for competel
OF men than this county" do not kno
tn who your informant is, but this is vel
ed positive language, and l credit you wit
IT. saying what you believe to be true b,
ne this is only another example of no
~ good meaning men may be mistaken,
a. which the following cannot fail to col
~ vince you.
" Let lis place Fillmore county IN con
nc parison with Blue Earth. take the
* two because each pays its Auditor 81
1t 500 year including all clerk hire.
'e Blue Earth there are l40 school district
IL in Fillmore there are 173. In BIZ
III Earth there are $4,000 real estate d.
III scriptions I; in Fillmore there are nearl
g. 10000. In Blue Earth the total valu
ie ton of real estate is 1851, 4s0. ]
III Fillmore it is 1904 ,295. The person,
N property in Blue Earth is Sl,352 "a
III In Fillmore it is 81 ,ss9,557. The popl
lation Of Blue Earth is 22,S98, in Fill
u more it is s28,22O. In Blue Earth ther
y are about dozen cities and Villages
In Fillmore there are nineteen.
x Notwithstanding the fact that j
u all these things on which the duties G
the Auditor depend, Fillmore county
larger than Blue Earth, they pay him n
= more than we, and still they have mos
= efficient officer.
. 1t Is also fact that the Audito
4, in that county with the assistanc
of one clerk, does all the worl
save about six weeks each year, whe
!, two men are employed. Another fac
:, also worthy of mention is, that IN til
year 1880 Fillmore county paid NOR
- than $4,000 less tar than did the peopl
y IF Blue Earth. 1t may be news also
that the counties of Goodhue, Rice
Olmsted, Mower, Houston and Winona
. all have special law, and with the ex
, ception of Winona (Which provides 70
limited amount of additional clerl
hire for the Auditor in extreme cases
: none Of them pay their Auditor NOR
:, than Blue Earth, and some of then
70 much less. These are facts that tn
- books corroborate. Now is it true tina
q. all other counties pay more than we 2
, The salaries of the other officers o
Rlnn Enrfh county cnnnnarn In the snrn