St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-22
Secretary Window Reads the
Riot Act to Worlds Fair
Commissioners.
They Are Spending Money al
ReekleSSly as Coal Oil
Johnny Did.
Congress Did Not Contem-
plate the Payment Of For
tunes as Salaries.
He Suggests That the Com
miSsioneps Practice a Lit
tie Economy.

CHICAGO, Oct. 81. = An afternoon
paper publishes an abstract of letter
received by President Palmer, of the
National Worlds Columbian commits
sion, from Secretary Window, in regard
to the expenses of the commission. The
secretary first states that of the $780,
600 appropriated, $4,000 must be used
in the construction of a government
building. leaving 81, 100, 900 for other ex-
penses. For the fiscal year ending June
30. 1891, there is appropriated jointly
100000 for the expenses of the commls-
sion and the uses Of the government
board of control. The government
board has estimated that it will need
$4,000, leaving $4,000 for the use of
the commission. The secretary then
shows that in salaries for officers and
other expenses the commission has
disposed of $4,000 of this $780,
600, and that the expenses of
meetings of the executive committee
now in session and of the meeting of
the commission to be held on Nov. Is,
will bring the total up to $4,000 leav-
ing only $4,000 to run the commission
OH from that date till June 80, 1891.
consideration of the foregoing showing
of expenses L have hesltated as to the
approval of the resolutions of the COM
mission fixing the
Salaries of Its Officers
as described in Articles 10 and 16 of your
by-la Tvs. The act of April 25, 1890, re-
ferred to. makes the Secretary of the
treasury and your commission join tly
responsible for the proper and reason
able&Xpenditu re of the sum appropri-
ated by congress for the furtherance of
the provisions of the act. 1t does
even more than that. for it i'm
poses upon the secretary the neces-
Sity of exercising proper discretion
i'll approving the compensation
fixed by your commission for Its officers.
1t is fair to presume that congress in
tended by this aforementioned provision
of law to prevent the giving of what
might be termed unreasonable COM
pensation to any of the officers of the
commission. But in arriving at this
determination the secretary of the
treasury must take into consideration
the opinions of this representative body
of men. 1t appears from your records,
as before stated. that The commission
has unanimously agreed that the Off
GERS named shall be paid the COM
spenSatiOn stated. president of the
commission, $4,000: secretary, $4,000;
director general, $4,000; vice chairman
of executive committee, $1,000: en-
ployes In offices OF secretary and diretc
or general, Sl0,00D) If l were to
give my individual opinion OH this
subject. unintiuenced by the acts of
your commission, l should not hesitate
to decide that the amount named by
I'm f<>,, ~,
principal officers is greater than that
probably contemplated by congress in
estimating the amount necessary to
carry out the provisions of the act. The
amount of
Money Already Expended,
and the expenditure in contemplation
by your commission prior to Jan. 4 next,
contemplate so large all amount that 1t
presents an additional reason why |
should not approve the compensation
named were L alone responsible for the
expenditures. You will observe that
your salary list for the years 1891, 1892
and 1893 will, without further Increase
OF employees, amount to $l65, 600,
or about one-seventh of the
entire sum of money outside of the cost
of the government buildings, which is
fixed as the limit of expenditures grow
Ing out OF the EXPOSITION. L nave grave
doubts, in view of the facts as herein
stated, whether ought not to return
the resolutions submitted by your COM
mission for revision as to the amount of
compensation to be paid 20 your officers
On the other hand l dislike, extremely,
to set up my own personal views in op-
position to those of the members of the
commission, who are more familiar with
the matter at issue than myself. l
therefore reluctantly approve Articles
Is and 16 of your bylaws, and beg leave
to suggest, in this connection, that
great care be exercised in au-
thorizing further expenditures, to
the end that your commission
| may not create a deficiency for the en-
suing fiscal year." Immediately after
| this communication was read before the
executive committee Commissioner
Martindale offered resolution, which
was adopted, declaring that all stand
ing committees be instructed not to
meet before the next session Of the
commission unless directed by the pres
ident. Five standing committees had
asked the executive committee to meet,
but none of them will be authorized by
the president.