The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-08-18
sTARTLYNG REVELATIONS.
HOW THE MONEY GOES.
The old rhyme says:

HOW THE MONEY GOES.
The old rhyme says:
That's the way the money goes,
Pop goes the weasel
If the condition of things set forth,
in the extracts we quote herein, are to
continue the weasel will surely 'go
pop"
The st. Paul Globe contained an arti-
cle in it's issue of the 31st inst. which
will prove interesting reading to the
taxpayers. It shows how the money Of
the people, in these hard times, is alb
sorbed for expenses not legitimate sub
jects of government. 1t shows how
about 800 900 VOTERS IN MINNESOTA
PAY ANNUALLY THIRTEEN MIL
LION DOLLARS OF DIRECT TAXES
to say nothing of the large sums paid
through the tariff, for the support OF
the national government. We quote
from the Globe article:
The season of the official junket is on.
There are a certain number of official
visits to remote points which the state has
been called upon to pay for year after
year, and which have usually been paid by
the state without murmur The state
prison board goes East to buy tWine maxi
ing MACHINERY the state board of correc-
ton and charities goes East to attend
conventions the ahor commissioner has to
make one two trips year to attend
conventions of one sort and another. while
the Superintendent Of public instruction
and the presidents of the normal schools
are called uDon to attend this and that
or, convention. WhethC~ it be at
Jacksonville in winter or some popular re-
sort like Geneva Beach or Asbury Park
in summer.
The season has already begun. In fact
Labor Commissioner Powers has already
made his annual. Nashville was his OBJ
jectiye point there being held at the Ten
nessee capital a convention of labor COM
missioners. 1t has frequently beer re-
marked by scoffers at the efficacy of these
annual gatherings that they were almost
invariably held at some point where there
9erc other attractions at the time. whether
human or climatic It was, indeed, pro-
posed bv some OF Tic lesser employees ut
the state house to have state House Elm
p:oyes' Association organized last spring,
and it was planned to have the first meet
ing held at Carson City March H. but it not
appearing that the money would be avail
able from the state approximations. the
project was abandoned.
There was a prize fight at Carson City
March II last. There is an exposition at
Nashville all this summer. Mr.. Powers
has made his dfsit to the Nashville con-
vention. He has, not yet reported on tile
Nashville Exposition He did however.
| send in his EXPENSE bill for the Nashville
| trip, and. Auditor Dunn being out of the
city, the bill has been hung up awaiting Ms
return.
To state facts plainly. and without Of
| fense it may be said that this is not the
| only bill of the kind that Mr.. Powers has
submitted, nor Is he the only state o1ficial
| who submits such documents at periods
| more or less approxmating the annual.
| A good many ofIthese junketing tours
| are tipped off by the printed report of the
| state, carefully perused The auditor s
printed report showing the expenses al
| lowed each department. are more or less
| interesting.
From the last report of the auditor,
which covers the period from July 81 1894,
to July 81, 1896, may be CLEANED the fol-
| lowing:
Feb q. 1895, e. ]. Jones was allowed $25
| for his expenses in attending an anti
cactus convention, which was held to pre-
| vent the impudent and leathery-leaved cac-
tus of Mexico from invading the pure and
unsullied wheat fields of the Minnesota
valley and crowding the golden grain upon
the hillsdes, where harvesting would be
difficult, even to the point Of Impractical
Sility.
The railroad and warehouse commission
does a great deal of travelling. Much of
this within the state is necessitated by the
exigencies of the work before it, but every