St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-14
For the Chamber Of Com
meree to Chew Over Mon
day MONDAY,
Relating to the Salaries Paid
to Officials Of Ramsey
County.
The Legislative Delegation
Knew the Situation When
It Voted.
How Money Is Saved the
How Money Is Saved the
County by the Increase
of Salaries.

SoRV' DS1iANJ AbUy w RhNONhOf Wh0 NNh7
shutting in himself a majority, a
quorum and weighty influence, he
will naturally enough want to don his
war paint, which to be good and lasting
should be mixed with steamboat elo-
quence and facts as actually CLEANED
from the county records and their COM
parison with those of other counties.
1t is true, the further discussion of the
terrible deeds" done by the Ramsey
county delegation, has been postponed
until the first Monday in August,
but that there may be something to
talk about on that rainy day, the fallacy
of the undertaking which the chamber
has OH hand, may be pictured through
this medIum as authentic expressions
and opinions, not only from the at
tackled officials, the county delegation
and other persons called upon to speak,
but from the exhibits of cold, reliable
statistics.
Capt. Berkey says that the county
officials are Overpaid. that the raising of
their salaries by the last legislature was
the work of the delegation for which it
fails to account. That the county pays
its auditor, assessor, treasurer and other
officers more than the state, is, when
viewed from All intelligent point. as alb
Surd as only one ignorant OF the internal
affairs of the county government could
make 1t. The chamber of commerce re-
bells because salaries were raised, i'll
which it was not asked to take hand.
10 this Representatives Willrich,
Stevens and Bickel attest. When the
house convened and got in a good
ready" certain county and other Off
cials, avoiding the delegation as body.
called upon the chamber of commerce,
or rather few of its sleeping partners,
and secured the recommendation of that
body for an Increase i'll salary. which
the delegation, upon investigation,
found to be wholly undeSeryed. unnec-
eSSary and extravaganza. Moreover, the
chamber
SECURED INCREASES
in the salaries of several other depart
ments and felt satisfied that it was
doing wonderful stroke of political
economy. AS the delegation looked into
and upon the reasons for The demands
for an increase in salary made by county
officials direct to it, SO did it consider
and debate upon those recommended by
the chamber, which recommendations
were unsupported by good, sound rea-
sons for such recommendations. The
chamber thought so and so, and
that settled it. When these came
up the delegation was strongly
agerse to urging them in the house. but,
being uneQually divided, they were
finally shown where there might be
possible excuse for the demands. So it
yielded. 1t then made the most diligent
search of the state of affairs existing in
the auditor, assessor and city treasurer's
office, aided by verified statements Of
salaries received and money disbursed
for help, etc.. from each of
the officials named, who are those
where salaries were increased. Acting
upon and discussing the facts and fig
ures before it, the delegation saw that
it was not matter of an extra outlay
of county funds, to pay the officials.
but 1t proved in the end of a careful
computation, to actually be economy to
grana such salaries to them as would
enable them to hire more and better
heln. do greater and better work in less
time and keep the public records apace
with governmental requirements. By
raising the salary of the treasurer. that
official has been enabled to collect the
tax
so MUCH FASTER.
that by depOSiting the money i'll the va
riOus banks, his account has been
credited with more than enough addi
tional interest to recOmpense the county
for the increase in his salary. Here is
an example worth noting. Mr.. Nelson
employed more help and did his work
more rapidly than it was done. while
the county treasurer was forced to deny
himself help in order to save respect
able salary to himself. In 1886 the
auditor received nearly as large a
salary as he does now, yet at that time
he only employed two clerks, while
to-day he has seven. Here is a ratio
of 2 to 7-1SS6 to 1889. There are
five additional clerks: it is needless to
say that the increase of 50, 500 in Auditor
Kain's salary will hardly pay for five
clerks. The county assessor gets
$4,000 this year. Since the 1st of
March he has expended in cash just
s., 200, and has drawn but s3.000-ad-
vancing the difference to maintain
county office-a great snap to be com
PEELED to borrow money to advance and
pay out for Ramsey county. He has so
far paid out s., 200, employing an army
of men who work day and night on the
personal tax lists, which have increased
IS per cent since 1887. He has now a
dozen clerks who work day and night.
and some on Sunday; how much of the
$500 will he have left by March l,
1889, which he can call his own? The
delegation
KNEW THESE FEATURES
of the case, and many more of interest
to it, while it was learning what justiti-
cation the county officials had in de-
manding only an ordinary salary. Why
is it that Hennepin county pays $4,000
for its county printing while Ramsey
pays but $4,000, and uses more of it
than Hennepin does? Ramsey county
saves just $4,000 per year because two
expert printers, Auditor Kahn and As
SCISSOR Harroun. have taken charge of
the matter for the board of county COM
missioners. The greatest deception
practiced nowadays is the bidding by
lie printing. No one but an
expert printer can tell any
thing about the value of this
and that form which is employed in the
public service In 1886, before Messrs.
Kahn and HarrOun became servants of
the county. Ramsey county paid about
$4,000 year for its printing. 1t now
uses three times as much as it did then
in what would now cost $4,000 at the
old prices paid. This has been squeezed
down to $4,000 at this very day and the
entire credit belongs to MessrS. Kahn
and Harroun, the auditor and assessor
! of Ramsey county. Hennepin sits help
less and pays for its printing by the
job, expanding in single year just
$4,000.
THE SITUATION SUMS UP
about in this way: The treasurer saves
to the county in interest in deposits
more than the late increase in his sal
DRY; the auditor employs five clerks out
of an increase of 81, 800, and the assess
or is compelled to borrow money and
pay interest on it in order to run for the
county an office which pays him about
s., 500 per year. Together. Messrs. Kahn
and Harroun save to the county
just $4,000 year in printing,
figuring from basis of the
cost of 1886 or S, 900 year, comparing
our expenditure with that of Hennepin
county. Now then. with these facts
stamped upon the convictions of the
Ramsey county delegation. the chamber
of commerce looms up like Rip Van
Wrinkle and shaking its shaggy back,