The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-10
STATE PRINTING BUSINESS
CHARACTERIZED THE DEPART
MENT AS THE ROTTENEsT IN
THE STATE CAPITOL.
BILL TO CHANGE THEE SYSTEM
Stirs Up q Rumpus When an Effort
Is Made to Advance

mouse at the evening session, anu the
Dare bill to reconstruct the law regu-
lating the public printing of the state
was the casus belli The BILL which
was introduced some days ago, was,
at the request of the author, placed
upon general orders under a suspension
Of the rules.
There were exactly 100 other meas
ures ahead of 1t when Mr.. Dare asked
that it be taken up next. Mr.. Jacob
son seconded the request. The oppo-
sition, led by Mr.. Underleak, developed
slowly, but the strength of it may be
known when. even as opposing the
wish of no less poular a member than
Mr.. Dare, the majority wished 1t I'M
derstood that their rights must be re-
spected. Mr.. Underleak had scarcely
entered his opposition when Mr.. Jacob
son begged him to withdraw it. The
Lac qui Parle statesman said it was
an important matter; the thing had
been carefully studied, and the plan
was to correct the crying abuses which
had been allowed in the office Of the
secretary Of state and the printing
commission. 1t was, he said, the rotten
est department in the capitol, without
qualification, and the intention was to
inaugurate a businesslike system of do
Ing the state printing, so as to save
the state annually about $4,000.
Mr.. Dahl was clearly aroused. He said
the bill had not been considered by any
committee, and the idea Of forcing It
on the members, who had not antici-
pated that it would come Up so soon
1.oI
visions, was preposterous.
Mr.. Douglas, seeming trouble, attempt
ed to put down further dissension by
suggesting the bill be sent to the head
of general orders, so that the members
might study the matter without undue
loss of time. Mr. Underleak showed no
disposition to yield, declaring that
measure which repealed thirty-four
sections Of any law as important as
the printing law should not be hasten
ed through without due considera ton.
Mr.. Jacobson retorted that it seemed
too bad that only thirty-four sections
were repealed of a law under whose
workings the state had sustained a loss
approximating $4,000 by loose and slip
shod methods.
ODDOSl-
ton was not entirely unlocked for; he
even knew where it came from Those
VINO would keep up maximum rates and
printing claSsifcations, would natural
ly not wish the present law changed
He had, he said, given the matter the
most careful cOnSidera ton, having gone
over with Senator Miller several bills
on this same subject. jacobson again
urged the withdrawal of the opposition
This was an important matter, and the
opposition to taking it up at this time
was born of a wish to have the bill
killed by delay.
eve have been working on this mat
ter for two months" he said land we
will take up the bill now, and if you
want to Kill it, we will consent to that"
This was meat and drink for Judge
Hicks. Eve" he roared "Who is this
we who says that the balance of us
have no rights here on this floor? You
say that expert printers have expressed
approval of this bill. 1 have constitu-
ents who are as well interested in the
bill, and l mean. to have it as carefully
considered as possible. Besides, if L
have been correctly informed, this de-
ficit of 900 is the accumulation Of
some twenty-three years, and instead
of being anybody elSe's fault | believe
1t is the result Of the failure on the
part of legislative committees to pro-
vide for the payment of printing bills
for work ordered by the legislature"
Mr.. Johns added his mite to the OPP
position. He was we'll aware Of the
condition of affairs in the office of the
secretary of state. He had two years
ago on an appropriate committee re-
ported such to the house after due in
VestigatiOn. If this matter was so i'm
portant as it was stated, why had
nothing been done about curing the
rs-k4,,
the close of the session? Why had the
matter not even been brought up for
discussion? Why had not a bill been
introduced. He would go as far as any
body to aid good legislation, but he
was strongly against any such pro-
gressiOn as had marked this bill, ex-
cept in the case Of unusually important
executive or administrative legislation
he moved to place the measure at the
head of general orders, and his motion
was seconded by Mr.. Dahl
Mr.. Underleak reiterated the state
ment that he had no intention to de-
lay the bill to it's death, but, as it was
very important, he would like to see it
referred to a special committee, which
should be instructed to report back
without delay. The plan seemed to
clear up the trouble, and it was decided
to give the matter to a committee Of
three, which shall report not later than
Monday, and when reported, should go
to the head Of general orders
The evening session furnished
striking example of the fact that a
few bills to which there is some oppo-
sitiOn, can easily take up a lot of time
The list Of bills on general orders was
boldly attacked by the committee Of
the whole, with Mr.. Snyder in the
chair. The state printing bill furnished
considerable excitement for perhaps
half an hour. and when it was finally
disposed of, other bills were taken UP.
Judge Abbott went square back on
the South, sab, and charged the state
Of Tennessee with having repudiated it's
honest debts in the long bygones, and
what is more, he does not want tho
money Of the state of Minnesota in
vested in the securities Of states where
people have voted in favor of what ne
calls the 50oent dollar. In fact. this
genial legislator told the house that
some hare-brained Southern legislator
had introduced a bill to pay state debts
in discredited Mexican dollars All this
came up in the consideration of H F.
324 to provide for the sale Of certain
securities and the investment of school
and university funds. Mr. Staples op-
posed the bill because he said the
state trea A'rer, one of the board which
has charge of these investments, was
opposed to its passage, and he thought
the bill was open to objections. Mr..
Iaing said the bill placed Rhe matter
i'll the hands of the regular Investment
board and the bill was recommended
for passage.
The question of where the Indian out
break of 1862 started was raised in the
consideration of Mr.. Larson's bill to
appropriate $4,000 for the purchase of
"the old agency building in Redwood
county and for memorial tablets to