St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-01
Hanging Fire in the Board of Trade and
to be Acted On This Morn
ing.
L Right-Handed Baccalaureate Ser
mon--Memorial Day in the Sew
eral Churches.
Railway Bridges Opposed--L1beral
League--Dofng the Lakes
Minor News.
What Members OF the DelegalcI
Think OF the Boards Threat
ene6 NyaIedictiOn.


,een Judge Atwater's resolution censurlng
he Hennepin county delegation for its ac-
ion concerning the salaries OF the onlclais
If Hennepin county. At the May meeting
If the board. after Judge AtWater ana j.
3. BasSett had each vigorously attacked The
delegation, in support OF the resolutions,
md a mild defense had been attempted Dy
/ II Wyman and j. n Mind, the reSolu-
mtion was laid over until this morning,
when the June meeting will be held. At
The same time an invitation was extended
to the members of the delegation to be
present and defend themselves. The mat
fer has occupied so much of the time of the
board and such corresponding space in the
public prints. that natural conclusion was
that it had become an affair OF public inter-
est. Accordingly, several prominent MEM
beers of the delegation were yesterday inter-
viewed by the GLOBE, with view to aScer-
tanning how they felt about it and what they
proposed doing at tO-day'S meeting. 1t
NAV be Just the least bit humiliating
to the board that some of the members of
the delegation were absolutely ignorant Of
the fact that such resolution was pend
ing before the board, while others who did
not know it, gave it not second thought
To the minds of some this might be an adj
ditional cause, in the eyes of the board, for
censure, but no one may tell what tO-day's
meeting will bring forth.
SENATOR GILFnLAN SAYS.
Hon. J. B. Gilfillan was surprised to
learn that Judge Atwater'S resolution was
10 be again considered by the board of
trade. He had forgotten all about the mat
ter and had all idea that it had been dis
posed of in some way or another. He
thought the Hennepin delegation had
acted conscientiously and wisely
in the matter of the salaries of the county
officials. To err is human, however, and
The delegates may have made mistake,
out he thought not. Nevertheless he was
willing that the question should be fairly
discussed Owing to sickness in his family
Mr.. Gilfllan said he had not paid much at
IGNITION to public affairs, and had heard
nothing concerning the proposed ''rebuk-
ng, which it seems certain people think
The delegates to the legislature should re-
.eiye. He was not certain that he would
attend the meeting of the board, but
thought he might if his business engage
mentS would permit.
SENATOR LANGDON.
R. B. Langdon was met just as he was
returning home from a carriage drive.
.'Mr. Langdon," said the reporter, ''the
board of trade proposes to arraign the Hen
nepin county delegation tomorrow morn
ing for ignoring Judge Atwater's resolu-
ton. and you are invited to attend and de-
fend yourself"
but shall not accept the opportunity"
replied the senator. 1T would degenerate
into a quarrel from which no good to the
county could possibly follow. [ think the
question has been discussed enough already"
-
the reSolutiOn?"
81 did not agree with Atwater and was
opposed to the scheme. He wanted all the
county officers put upon salaries. l believe
in the fee system as the only practical
method of remunerating the officials for
their labor. Perhaps the fees amount to
little more than a fair competency in some
particulars, but the time was, and not
long ago, either, that they did not.
We gave the question thorough and care
full consideration last winter, and we have
discussed it many times at previous seS-
sions. We had Mr.. Evans call upon the
county attorney and request him to draftsa
new fee bill, but the county attorney had
not the time before the close of the session.
1t is a simple matter to draw up a salary
bill. but it requires vast amount of labor
to draw up an acceptable fee bill. Event
ually. believe, a fee bill will be passed.
I don't think the people as whole indorSe
Judge Atwater's position, and in my esti-
nation it is more of political move than
move for the welfare of the county. Mr..
Atwater went before the people as a candi-
date for the legislature, and the people did
not see fit to elect him. You may say in
addition to these statements that [ did not
believe, when the subject was before US,
41aa low 20
an officer Immediately after his election. 1t
is generally understood that reduction will
be made at the next session of the legiSla-
ture. In this connection 1 should say that
the duties of the treasurer, judge of probate
and auditor have been largely increased the
past two years, and in consideration of that
fact we increased ther salaries, as well as
those of the district judges, and l think we
only did our duty. The county has grown
and the business has increased"
c. A. PILLSBURY
said he should pay no attention to the
meeting of to-day He had other business
to attend to which he considered of more
Importance At first he was 10th to express
himself. but finally relaxed. He said:
II do not think we increased the salaries
of the auditor and treasurer to higher sum
than that proposed in the Atwater resolu-
ton. l think Judge Atwater'S ideas may
be good theoretically, but they are imprac-
ticable, The matter has been given COM
petent tests many times. in other countless
and it would not work. So far
as the offices of register of
deeds and sheriff are concerned, 1 think if a
practical fee bill had been presented the
legislature would have enacted it. The
county attorney was requested to draw a
bill, but he had not the time. 1t would re-
quire two weeks labor to get it into proper
shape for passage The delegation was
unanimous, if my memory serves me cor
rect, in the opinion that in case of a reduc-
ton in salaries the bill should not go into
effect until the next official term. My idea
in regard to the AtWater proposition is to
have one of the political organizations in
corporate it in its platform, and by this
means get an expression of the people at
the polls. It is manifestly unfair to cut
down mans salary as soon as he is elected
to an office. The people elect him to re-
ceive the emolumentS, and they are legltl-
mately his. l never knew of a reduction
being made Until after the officers term had
expired. The increase in salaries men-
toned by those who oppose the action Of
the Hennepin delegation last winter, was
only to provide additional clerk hire which
was absolutely necessary owing to
the increase in the business
Of the county. 1 am perfectly safe in say
ing that the business of the county has
doubled during the past two years. Ii the
city continues to grow the same offices
will have to be increased every two years.
Every time tract of 100 acres of land is
cut up into city lots, it makes 800 descrip-
tons to be recorded instead of one l pre-
dict that the time will come when the
salaries of the auditor and treasurer will be
$50, 600 each. l don't think that either of