The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-12-31
Highest Of all in Leavenng u Govt Report
ABSOLUTELY PURE

ABSOLUT
many cases become enemies of the adj
ministratioD. But aside from the mat
ter of politics it is but common sense
and common justice that the people:
should have something to say about
who shall serve them in these import.
ant positions The railroad commits
5sioners, for instance are vested with
certain duties over which the governor
can exercise no control. It is simply
a mockery that they should become Of.
ficials through an agency to which
they are not directly accountable. The
experiment has been tried in other.
States much to the satisfaction of the:
people, and there is no reason why it
should not be tried here. How,
ridiculous it is that county superin-
tendents of public instruction, with.
butlittle esponsibility and that of a
local sort, should be elective. offices
when the position Of State superin-
tendent, upon which depends the con-
duct and character of the schools of
the whole State should be at the, APP
pontment of one man. It is sheer
nonsense of the most inconsistent kind,
and the time will come, sooner or.
later, when the people will rise up
Iagainstit.
But there are other inconsistencies
in State government. The governor
gets $1,000 a year, and his private sec
retary's salary and fees amount to
about twice as much. The judges of
the, supreme court get $4,000 year,
the clerk of the supreme court salary
and fees amounting to about twice as
much. The governor worries along on
a salary Of $4,000 year and appoints
surveyor general, oil inspectors and
other officials who draw fees amount
ing in some cases to as much as
$50, goo a year. The man at the door
OF the cloak room who dusts the coat
OF the members of the legislature gets
the same pay as the. man who wears
| the coat, lives at a cheap boarding
house and goes home with less money
than the member, who is sometimes
known to spend twice the amount of
This salary. These are queer incon-
lsistencies, some of which can be
remedied by law and others Of which
can be remedied only by the slow oper-
alton of public sentiment but the long,
est stride in the direction Of the needed
reform would be taken when all the
more Important Offices Of the State
had been put upon the electiveslist.
In the organization and work Of the
session of the legislature there is one
man who will not be lost sight of
merely because he doesn't happen to
stand in with the gang. and who will
not be kept down because he does not
speak in carefully chosen and mechan-
Iically rounded sentences. He is one
of those diamonds in the rough who
can't be polished to fit the conven-
tional grooves Of artificial life, but he
ruled the last house with a rod of iron,
because the country members knew
him, knew he was honest and knew
that he could not be fooled by any Of
the nicely masked Woodchucks which
were presented for consideration by
silk stockinged statesmen from the
cities. His name is J. f. jacobson, he
is from Lac qui Parle county, and if
the house makes the mistake of ignor-
ing him It will find before it has been.
in session a week that he is the leader
|of the house in point of ability, intelli-.
gence and statesmanship,a and it will find
that he is one of those men who can be.
neither cajoled or bulldozed into going
against his convictions. The house of
1889 made this discovery, and in each
session since that time has been in
5vincible in the advocacy Of honest
legislation for all the people. His face
is trade mark Of honesty, and his
hand is as firm upon the reins of the
house as it would be upon. the handle
of a pillow. He will not be speaker, but
he will exercise an influence which no
speaker could.
vULTURE.
Installed Onicers.
Fraternal Lodge No. 90, AT. 6 A.
N 4, installed its officers last Saturday
evening. Past Master Cordiner acted