Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-01-24
HOW ABOUT II?
Should There be Amy Or
III ganized Effort to Sup
port "EcOnOmical" ,
City Candidates?
A Belief That Some Public
Movement Should be
Made, to Shape the
City Campaign.

1t is an evident fact that agitn ton
for reduced local ex penses meets with
the hearty approval vi nearly all
citizens in the city. There il u posi-
tive belief in the city that expenses
are generally too high, and that
nearly all sal aries can stand u reduc-
ton, with no injury to the :ity's
interests. Now granting all that.
will Il hap-hazurd campaign. with
nOcaucus or commit tee nominations.
and without Il we'll defined public
expression as to what expenses can
be reduced. result in the decreased
expenditures that are evidently
needed? is doubtful. The public
may as we'll accept as fact that the
man who en- ters the race for office in
the usual manner will get just as
much salary as he Cali. The candi-
date for office is nearly always sure
that ecOnt,my il secured for the city
Or county hy his superior abilities,
and that the salary should be placed
as high az possible. That will prove
nearly true of all, and if the reader
doubts 1t iust consider the attitude
of your official friends ON that point.
For instance. County Auditor Ellen.
becker and Treasurer Meyer by no
means hesltated to take the extra
$500 due them from the county in
1895 on account of the temporary.
boost the state board gave the local
manufacturers in their assessment;
County Attorneys Lyon and Rhodes
didn't hesitate to influence the dis
trict judg.' to increase heir sala ries
from the amount fixed Ivy the county
board: City Treasurer Heron applied
to the council for an Increase in his
salary. and had it doubled; the other
city officials, assessor. clerk and at
tOrnpy. all objected to any decrease.
Their personal friends usually agree
with them, aud all advance argu-
ments to show why SO-And-SO
should get as much or more than he
does, hut that What's-His-Name
would be glad to get the office It
half the pay he receives, ETC., etc.: -
Now any candidate will hesitate
about announcing that he will &C.
cept Il certain amount less as a
salary than the present incumbent
receives; it looks too much like one
system Of bribery to solicit votes on
that kind of a propositions; lie will
feel it more manly to run on his
merits, and submit it to the discre-
ton of the officials whose duty it is
to fix salaries. as to what he should
receive. On the other hand. ii there
was we'll defined and expressed
public sentiment as to what should
be paid an official, any candidate
who sympathized with that senti-
ment would not hesitate to make
his position clear to the voters and
council ON the question. If such a
public st ntiment and expression eX-
listed, the council itself would no
doubt be pleased ut the effect. as
individually the present members
undoubtedly feel the need of public
economy, and their successors will
also.
The lines which demand economy
are by no means confined to salaries
paid officials, but as u rule they are
hardest to reach; in them there is an
individual interest that is always
active and persistent. The other