The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-01
DID NOT APPROPRIATE MONEY
ENOUGH TO P4BLIsH IT'S ELEC-
TIOy NOTICES.
AMENDMENTS WERE SO LONG.
THAT is SUPPOSED TO EXPLAIN
THE ENORMOUS DEFICIENCY
ISsFUNDs,
WHICH, AT THE COMING SESSION,
The legislature Will Be Asked 10
Make Up to the Printers OF the
Notices.

me following circular has been sent
cut TO every paper publishing the con-
sututlonal amendments previous to the
recent election:
Dear Sir: Owing to the unusual number of
pIoposed constitutional amendments and leg
lsiaIlVe enactments for submission to voters
dI the past election, and the consequent I'M
usual space covered IN newspapers for their
publication, the legislative appropriation for
payment Ct such publication is far too small
" In, nneet tne expense To meet the emer-
seney denelency appropriation will be pre-
senled to the incoming legisla ture
IN view OF this condition, you will find
eHcLoseo the order of the secretary of state,
Tltn the state auditors voucher attached
ouly certified above for the amount due
you. Respectfully submitted,
Albert Berg,
Secretary of State.
The circular discloses a strange lack
OF foresight on the part of the last
legislature which is causing a great
zeal or embarrassment to the various
departments of the state, to say moth
ing OF that caused to the legal debtors
oI the state who are compelled to
await payment until such time as the
coming legislature may pass a de-
nclency appropriation to cover the bills.
Inc credit of the state is behind the
CLAIMS, so that the embarrassment Of
the takers is but temporary, and as the
law absolutely requires that the
amendments shall be published in
every legal paper published at the state
capitol, and in one paper in every
other county in the state. It provides
that the attorney general shall pre-
pare a synopsis of the amendments
ana submit 1t to the secretary Of state
before July LIST of the year in which
the election occurs and thereafter the
secretary is required to have the
synopsis published as above stated
However, the state appropriated only
l,92O for this work 1t has appro-
prtated that exact amount since-well
the mind of the expert printer runneth
not to the contrary. Why this amount
was agreed upon, no one at the capitol
seems to know. 1t would be all right
in times Of peace so to speak But
this year the constitutional reformers
had a number of troubles submitted to
the voters, so many in fact that the
legal rate for publishing the synopsis
In newspaper amounted to about $780,
or total for the hundred or so papers
required by the law of 100000 Who is
responsible for this improvidence is
not apparent, but it is apparent that
the state of Minnesota, with $3.50, 900 in
its treasury, is compelled to stand off,
its printing bills. 1t is claimed that
even if the state printing fund were
not exhausted as it is, nothing could
be taken from the general printing
fund for the payment of these election
bills, in view of the fact that the law
compels the publication of these
amendments and appropriates a fixed
sum for the payment of the bills
The coming legislature will be asked
ito prevent such a shortage In the cleo
ton of 1898, as we'll as to make up the
deficiency in the appropriation Of 1896