St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-27
SICSEMPER SENATORS
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report be referred to the committee on
retrenchment and REFORM
The latter motion was ruled oat or
order, and the former was quelched by
a vote of % nays and 16 yeas. The
spirit of revolt filed the senate, and
Senator Eaton found 1t necessarily tp
defend the action taken by the com
mittee. He delivered a trenchant adj
dress, one of the best parliamentary
utterances of the session. His main
points were:
1.-The duty entrusted to US was most
unpleasant one. We were called upon
to do either one OF two things either
go ahead and make such investigation
as was in our power and report accord
ingly.or to bring in kind of weak
kneed report to cut no figure and mean
nothing. So far as am concerned, as
member of the committee, have done
| believe was my duty.
"This matter now rests with this SEN
ate, but [ want to say this report has
already gone out throughout the state.
The people are advised in regard to the
extravagant manner in which we have
been conducting this business. and, to
use common expression, the people
are onto our racket and it is high
time the people were onto it.
Every succeeding legislature has
steadily increased the number of en-
ployes. 1t is no use to talk about econ
Omy here, where employees are on every
door knob of the building and the only
reason there are not more employees is
that there are not more door knobs for
them to hang on to.
s.There are committees of this senate
to whom not solitary bill has been re-
ferred, and yet they have a clerk. In
the name Of common sense it is time we
called halt; it is time we respected the
rights of the people; it is time we re-
Spected common decency in the way we
conduct public business. We will be
called upon to account unless we
adopt some proper basis in which to dis
charge public affairs.
81 am not making any personal fight
in this matter, | am simply discharging
public duty. The committee has a
right to expect, and do expect, our re-
report shall be received and treated
with ordinary respect.
The calm, dignified utterances of
Senator Eaton had perceptible effect
upon the senate, but there were still
many inclined to kick. Senator Good
rich was not one of these. He favored
the report as whole, declaring that
such large number of clerks was
wholly uncalled for. Why should they
retain clerks. pay them S. per day,
when they did not have one whole
days work to perform during the entire
session?
Senator Child was inclined to treat
the matter from quixotical standpoint.
These clerks were appointed purely for
political services rendered. He held
political debt was as sacred as any
other debt, and, for one, he favored the
carrying out of the contract. 81 think
it is an outrage for us to attempt to
pass any such report as is attempted to
pass, ousting these fellows and placing
them out in disgrace" But Senator
Durant took a different standpoint.
There were forty-one attaches of the
chamber, and the Republican senators
numbered thirty-three. He moved to
reduce the attaches to thirty-three, that
would be one for each member. Laugh.
ter.
Senator Hixson insinuated that per-
Sonal animus was the originator OF this
report. Some gentlemen wanted to get
notoriety in the state for economy.
He proceeded: "You will find the gen
tlemen who are raising such cry
against these clerks, and voting for
their dismissal, so conscientious in the
matter of retrenchment and reform that
they will shortly be found voting some
hundreds of thousands OF dollars to
Y,,,bIio ipctit,,ti0DS ,,