St. Paul daily globe., 1894-10-26

But Was Hastily Ralroaded Through While He Was
Committee on the Final Passage Of the
Capitol Bill.

piled the sum by five and left the tax
payers to pay the difference.
When, as Mr.. Stevens states, the bill
was Withdrawn from the house and re-
turned
To The Senate,
after having passed the latter, it was
done for the purpose of saving the bill.
as 1t was discovered that certain MEM
berS Of the house were not ready to
vote for it until after their own bills
,, were taken care of. 1t was accordingly
held back. and even then would not
| have passed had not Sheriff Chapel
| threatened to defeat the supplemental
capitol bill through his country friends
unless opposition in certain quarters
was withdrawn. Gov Nelson was kept
constantly posted as to the progress
made on this bill, and the engrossing
and enrolling clerks were kept up until
a late hour. awaiting its passage. that it
might be prepared for the immediate
signature of the governor. Notwith-
standing this, the governor did not sign
the bill until he had thoroughly ac-
Qualnted himself with its general pur
port and specific effect, and further,
he did not sign it until he had
received definite and specific pledge
as to the political consideration for the
service rendered. He foresaw that he
would be conde mued for his course, and
so told the friends OF ihe bill, using this
argument to impress upon them the eX-
| tent of the service he was rendering
and the nature of the return he demand
ed. This was nothing more nor less
| than the absolute,
Unconditional Pledge
that there should be no contest in Ram
sey county on the Republican nomina.
ton for governor.
| This was attached to and made a
| part of the agreement, and was about
the only agreement ever carried out by
| the parties involved in the transaction.
| There is some very racy matter con-
nected with the history of this deal be-
tween county and state official which
the GLOBE is not particularly averse
! to bringing out, but it deems 1t
advisable to present only so
much of it as is necessary to
establish beyond all cavil that Gov
Nelson was personally responsible for
the introduction and passage of this
most outrageous and unjustifiable
measure. Among those most proml-
nent in opposition to the bill was Hon.
| p. II. Kelly, and he even went SO far
as to join in the request to the gov.
ernor to veto 1t after it was passed.
At the time the bill came up on its
final passage in the house, Mr.. Kelly
was attending meeting of those who
were making final arrangements for
the practical operation of the capitol
bill, and when he returned to the house
and found that the bill had been passed
he was simply furious, and attempted
to secure its reconsideration, but at
this time every member was looking
out for his own bills, and
| Every Minutes Delay
meant the defeat of some measure, and
any proposition to recall or reconsider
bill was instantly hooted down.
Republican politicians are trying to
make capital Of the fact that the bill
also affects the office of clerk of the
courts. and are charging that r. T.
OConnor had hand in its passage.
The abSurdity of this is made apparent
when 1t is known that the law did not
apply to Mr.. O'COnnOr at all, as the sal
ary law bad not yet become operative In
the case of the clerk of the court. In.
deed the repeal bill, which benefited
Sheriff Chapel So largely, actually cur
tailed the receipts OF the clerks office
several hundred dollars by cutting off
certain fees whice the old law allowed.
Those who know Mr.. O'Connor best
| will not accuse him of contributing to
the passage of a bill which curtails the
receipts of his own office, and which op-
Grated otherwise only upon the expira-
ton of his term, he not being a candi-
date for reelection.
If the board of county com missioners
of Ramsey county were to make an eX.
penditure of $4,000 for the benefit of
some two or three officeholders, with no
substantial reason, the people of the
community would rise to a man, and
the offending officials would be i'm
peached al the bar of public opinion to
such effect that they would never again
dare
Present Their Names
for the suffrages of the people. How
vastly more ineXcusable and unpardon-
able. then, is the OffenSe of the med
ding state official who has no use for
st. Paul except what he can squeeze out
OF it. and who deliberately enters into
political conspiracy which Ievies a tax
of nearly two dollars UPON every voter
in the county.
Think OF the farce. The legislature