St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-15
Twenty, Thirty and Even
Forty Thousand Dollars
Per Year Paid.
A Source Of Great Revenue
Turned Into the Pockets
Of the Ring.
The Brown Brothers and Jake
Bean Can Afford to Be
Patriots.

OF date in Minnesota.
The people forced the old Republican
ring to make tile office of oil inspector
salaried one, and they are now demand
Ing that all other offices be placed on
the same basis. 1t took several years of
agitation to bring this about, but the
people finally were so aroused that the
machine was obliged 10 yield.
Ali Sinecures around the state house
or through the state in the public SER
vice must be abolished.
During the next few days the cost of
some OF the useless state Offices will be
given the people OF the state. The
record of Republican misdeeds is
lengthy one. For thirty years the rings
people will now take hand
the people OF Minnesota are liberal,
fair and just.
But they do not believe that state
officials should be paid salaries greater
than the same ability and industry
would earn elsewhere.
/. Time and again have they declared
themselves on this subject, and always
to the same effect. All will remember
the wave of Indignation that swept over
this state when the Republican legis-
lature, few years ago, created the
office Of state oil inspector and made its
lees SO high that the holder could
afford to make present of thou
sands of dollars to the wife
of the man who gave him
the office, and the people did
not cease protesting until the Office was
made saiarled one. and all money re-
celved III excess of reasonable salary
was ordered to be turned into the state
treasury.
But there are today state officials
whose ices and emolumentS range from
ten TO forty thousand per annum.
Little is said about these offices, and
the people at large know nothing about
them. When they learn they will in
slst that these, too, shall be placed on
the salary list and the fees be turned
Into the State Treasury.
The people have heard great deal
OF the devotion of Henry f. Brown, of
Minneapolis, to the interests of the Re-
publican party, particularly since the
Inauguration of Gov. w. II. Merriam.
So impressed with this love have the
this year the name of Mr.. Brown APP
pears on the electoral ticket of the
party.
But the members of the party at large
do not know that Mr.. Brown can well
afford to be loyal to the machine.
For four years past his brother, S. S.
Brown, has been filling the position of
Surveyor general of logs and lumber for
the Second district of this state.
This Office during this period has paid
in fees not less than $4,000 per year
on an average. Of course, in the cam.
paign of two years ago when the party
managers found that if they would get
the state they must buy it, the sur
veyor general of the Second district
sent in check for cool ten thousand.
The same amount came from the First
district, where Jacob Bean, of Still
water, has been industriously plucking
the plumS during the same period.
The laws of the state fix the fees
which shall be charged by these officials
at cents per 1000 feet for logs and
timber and % cents per 1000 for lum-
Der. Then there are mileage fees. re-
cording fees, and various other perquisi-
ties that go to swell the total revenues
of the fortunate holders of these offices.
Take the First or Saltwater district for
example. In that district this year the
total amount of logs scaled by Mr.. Bean
will approximate 400.000.O00 feet. The
fees charged are five cents per thou
sand Oil the lake and two cents in the
boom, or seven cents per thou
sand in all. From this source
alone the Office will net no less than
$4,000. There are other fees and
charges that will bring the total I'D to
Nearly Forty Thousand Dollars.
Out of this sum Mr.. Bean is obliged to
pay his deputies and maintain an office.
IneSe necessary expenses do not exceed
Sl,I3O, and are about as follows:
G ~ oiloS H',n S2,5o0
Gtho Sca i -.-...--.-... -...-...--. 200
Deduct this amount from the receipts
of say $4,000, and Mr.. Beams salary for
the year will foot up the magnificent
sum of $4,000.
What do the Woodworking producers
OF the state think of this condition of
affairs?
One-ffth of this immense sum is more
than Gen" Bean could secure for his
valuable services in any other walk of
life, and he would be obliged to work
twelve instead of six months.
The office of surveyor general of the
First district should yield net revenue
TO the state of at least $4,000 per wear.
IhlS would decrease the size of the
campaign contribution of the occupant
OF the Office, but the people would only
rejoice over that.
The Second district will this year
scale 600,000,0O0 feet of timber. for
which Henry f. Browns brother Will
receive over $4,000.
The Browns Satisfied
The other fees of the Office will more
than provide for his five or six deputies
and the boys who tally tor them. The
two Browns will probably contribute
not less than $4,000 to the patty cam
paign fund this year. but as they will
still be $4,000 ahead for the year they
can afford it.
George F. Ash, the gentleman who
has the Fifth district, is getting not less
than $4,000 per year out of it, and the
Fourth district plum, which is in the
hands of Lin Whitmore, of Wabasha,
is worth about the same amount.
AS soon as the Red lake pine begins
to be thrown on the market the Seventh
district Office. with Headquarters at
CrookSton, will be the greatest plum
of them all. 1t is figured that no less
than SO0,000,000 feet of pine will be
cut each year there. Ii this estimate is
correct, the man who gets that office in
case MIR. Nelson is successful will make
$4,000 per year. The office now pays
about $4,000 Oh the small amount of tim
Der being cut.
Do the people want this to go on?
The state should receive a net rev.
enue from these five offices of nearly. if
not quite, 100000 per year, and the
people should insist that their Occu-
pants go on the salary list along with
the oil inspector.
Down with the party that will not
promise to abolish these remnants of
the old fee system.