The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-11

OF the legislature to relieve property usefully
s ty as much as possible from. public
the petter employment of labor and general
prosperity. Likewise it is for the highest
interests hnns o. society that those Of Its mem
ana most la6orious, should not be unduly
puroened Many grievances now existing can
pc removed without any radical change in
our Iesisiationg by the vigilance or the execu-
tive and other state officers in seeing to it
that none OF the corporate wealth Or the
many public franchises escape their share.
as well as by enforcing fair and equal as
sessments of all classes of property.
But quite as important as the subject of
taxation itself is the subject Of the proper
expenditure or the. peoples money so collect
ed. No intelligent, progressive citizen either
advocates or desires 1parsimony in public
expenditures. The .niggards and misers are
a aor numerous IN our ranks Most OF us
earn money by our laboFs, and we appreciate
its value.
MUST BE USED ECONOMICALLY.
NO meritorious public undertaking or need
ed public institution shall suffer for adequate
FUNDS SO far as we can control the matter
but we propose to see to it that every cent
collected by taxation shall be honestly and
economically expended and devoted to public
purposes. The care and management OF our
public institutions has with the growth of
the state, become one of our most important
subjects or public concern. That some Of
these institutions have been established and
located to serve partisan ends will probably
be denied, and that these will be sources
OF embarrassment and expense to the citi-
Zens or the state for years to come is equal
ly true. No state has been more generous
either in the scope or the extent to which
we nave established public institutions than
ours. That fact is a source Of pride and
qualification to us all, but the time is COM
ing when it behooves us to see to 1t that
we do not oyerdo even good work. The IN
Iortunates or society are entitled to its SYM
pathy and care-but we should not forget
that the expression Of the law, we'll as
the alctates or our common humanity, charges
the immediate. members of the unfortunate's
FAMILY with his or her care in the first in
stance, SO far as they able. Cases have
come under my observation where people
nave Deen sent to institutions and made
burden upon the taxpayers of the state,
when, in my Judgment, their relatives and
KIN were not only able but should have
gladly borne the burden of their care. Some
legislation should be enacted on this sub
1ect, and the men in charge of our public in
stltutions and those who have the commit
ment OF unfortunates, should be made to
understand that while a generous public will
care for those who cannot care for them
selves ana who cannot be cared for by reia-
uVes liable for their support, it is carrying
public generosity too far to relieve the in
dtVidual Of the burden that he should just
~ bear, though it may not be pleasant or
a Drohfabe one to him.
CONDUCTED FOR PARTISAN ENDS.
That many Of our public institutions are
conducted so as to serve personal and par
fortunate and if it is continued will grad
ually undermine the spirit of popular gen
crosby with which they have been support
ed. That the economical expenditure of the
peoples money has been lost sight of In
many of them Is evident by the report of
our present state auditor, showing conclusive
ly that the cost Of maintenance per capita
IS higher than it should be. The manner
IN which those in control Of state in
situations have of late years combined not
only to control political actions, but to in
1uence legislation as we'll is a menace to
coco government. ! personally witnessed
scenes az the last meeting of the State Dairy
mems association In my own town, which
we're SO humiliating and disgusting to the
med. The State DalryHen's association re-
ceives some aid from the state, like many
OF the similar institution, and it has been
productive of much good and is de-
serving of the greatest encourage
Incnt, but politics of ] a partisan spirit
have ham2ered its swork. It was rumorad
though l have no knowledge as to the truth
Of the rum0T, that one CT the men most prom
iHently connected with tie society and the
one of all others who has rendered the dairy
interests of the state the greatest service, was
not in harmony with the administration or az
least with the state food and dairy commits
sion part Of it. Politically the decree hal
gone forth apparently that he should be re-
moved; political healers ard state food and
dairy inspectors, whose training fit them for
such position would not have commended
them to business man, game WarGens and
other state officers, reported promptly and in
great numbers, and by scheming and exer
cising pressure in the association, .custed the
man who had contributed more to the dairy
Interests CT the state than any other in3i-
yldual. Such abuse of public power and duty
should not be tolerated. Men of higher
conception of public duty, whose training and
fitness does not mark them in a greater de-
gree than some of them | saw on that. occa-
SIGN should not be tolerated in Public office
and l wish to say right, now and here that
if the responsibility should be cast upon me
to appoint persons to any public position re-
curing special fitness or training l shall
never be guilty of appointing one who does
net possess those qualifications.
OFFICIAL INCOMPETENCE.
The conduct OF the state examiners Office
furnishes striking example of official in
competency and indifference to the welfare
of the public. This was demonstrated first
when Mr. Berg nearly a year before the col
lapse of the Guaranty Loan associate on called
the attention of the public examiner to the
rottennesS of that institution and was Ie-
Warded with physical violence as his thanks
and again in the recent bank failures both in
this CITY and in st. Paul Professional duties
required me to investigate the affairs of the
Bank of Minnesota alter it's failure. A worse
condition of mlsmanagement l have never
seen. Over 100000 of the banks money had
been used, borrowed by its president. This
state OF affairs had existed for year. The
bank examiner must have known it. 1t is a
remarkable fact that though that bank was
the largest state bank in the state the pub
&c examiner had not either by himself or
deputy entered its doors for over year before
the failure. Is this the kind of supervision.
the kind Of protection, that you want for your
savings and the savings Of the widow ana Of
the orphans snare? The only thing that tho
present bank examiner has accomplished thar
[ am aware of was to draft bill which the
legislature of 1895 enacted into law. That bill
had some good PROVISIONS, some that might
be commended 1t changed the liability Of
stockholders in state banks from double liza
bilfty to single: in other words before 1870
stockholders in state banks were responsible
to the creditors and depoSitDrs of the hank in
IN stock; since 1885 they are only responsible
dollar fer dollar. Was not this a strange rec
o?rmendation for the guardian of the public
credit to make and for the legislature TO
people getting ready for what was coming?
WILL PROTECT THE PUBLIC.
No one need fear that I shall cripple the
public service by indiscriminate removals,
but, if elected, when ever l find, or soon
as 1 find, that the public can be better served
or protected by having change the change
shall be made. There are many other ques-
ton of interest that might be prof1tably re-
ferTed to and discussed en- this caSioD hut
neither the time nor my strength D. rmIt
There is one question, however upon which
| desire to express my convictions before 1
close. | have already called atsant on to
the facilities that our legislature has afford
ed capital to associate and assume func-
tions of the individual entity with reco gnizsd
rights and attributes before the law that is
as | said before where the privilege has MOI
been abused conducive to the best interes 8
of society and humanity, but in tbs (eFio1
of rapid and material and Industrial d lIo0-
ment, in the hurry and scurry, utilized The
powers of nature, and in the factors of steam
goods, new mills and additional ores and to
rake in the almighty dollar, it would seem