The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-01

called to the operations of the lead
ing official member of the great office
holding family of Johnsons, Gates
johnson Jr. is county surveyor His
salary under the old law was 81 a day
for each and every day actually en-
plcyed by the county. The Republican
board of county commissioners pro-
ceeded at once on the passage of the
law to fix off Gates Jr. with an an
nUal salary Of $1,000 a year, and Gates
Jr. faithfully drew during the year
1887, his handsome salary bestowed
upon him by his political friends of
the Republican board Of county COM
missioners, Of $20S.33 per month. Now,
let us suppose for fun that Gates Jr.
was at work every day during the year,
including legal holidays, and excluding
Sundays. He would then have been
entitled to draw that year the sum of
just $l,252, or half the amount he did
actually draw. The supreme court de-
cided in February, 1898, that Gates
Jr was entitled to draw his salary
under the old law, and no more than
that salary of 81 for each and every
day actually employed by him. Has
Gates Jr. refunded that difference to
tEis county? Has any member of his
overw orked family Clipped in to make
the difference good to the tax payers?
If they have, or if Gates Jr. or Gates
nobody has heard it. No; the john
son graft still continues, and just what
it consists in and how it operates on
the county treasury The Glob will
have pleasure soon IN stating fully and
accurately.
VIII these men refund this money =?
They have not. If they do not, what
right morally have they to come before
the people and ask reelection at their
hands? What right has the party
which, they represent, and which is
now seeking continued public conf
dence to come before the people in
airy such relation2 AS long as a dollar
OF this money, that has been drawn
without warrant of law. and which
the court distinctly says should not
nave been drawn, remains in the peck
cts OF these men, the tax payers of this
county would be worse than insane to
give their sanction to either the men
or the party under the auspices Of
which, and with the co-opera ton of
whom, such shameless wrong has
been committed.
While this condition of public pro-
hlgacy is shown to exist among the Re-
publican grafters, the old dodge Of
stop thief is being worked sfor all it
IS worth. The cry is directed against
John Wagner. All the trumped up
charges against him do not compare
with these Infamous transactions. Here
IS a case Of money being illegally
nlched from the county treasury, and
those who have gotten it have failed
to give it back or to make PREPARATION
of any kind.
And while on this subject, it may bs
worth while to call attention TO the
lnnn1Ihfn6 of hot
law was passed Mr.. Wagner was the
first and the only county official to
accept the salary provided by the law,
lie did accordingly draw the salary
provided by the law and continued ia
draw 1t until the county auditor of
the Republicans refused to issue a, war.
rant to him for the amount of tbs
salary which was supposed to be fixed
by that law, or for any other amount
WHICHEVER. For months John Wagener
and his deputies, it is we'll known, went
without dollar Of salary, and con,
tlnued to do so until. the court had
given Its opinion, although during all
That time the fees collected by him had
been turned over to the county. Then
he made an adjustment with the couu-
ty on a basis acceptable all around.
Did the register of deeds, whose Of
nee was affected by the supreme courl
decision, accept a salary of $4,000 whils
the law was still in dispute, or did ba
just draw the fees of his office? The
answer is furnished by the records and
is known to every citizen Of RAMSEY
county. But the supreme court did not
decide the law to be unconstitutionai
as to all the county offices. The collt,
ty attorneys office, for instance. In
that case the court held the law nm,
constitutional. And how and whv did
1T come to do so? The answer is in,
structive at least.
When the Republican county attor.
ney, Mr.. Anderson, got his mentaS
machinery focused on the proposition
that the supreme court had rebuked
the city hall grafters by DECLARING
their salary reduction" law IncOnsti.
tutional, he concluded that the county
salary reduction law" was unconsti,
tutional and for the same reason. Now
the county attorney was drawing he,
fore the passage of that law Just IS 500
year. The provident gentleman whn
was holding down that office under the
auspices Of the cheap grafters, con.
Guided at once that he was being beat.
en- OUT or S1,5O0 salary, and he proceed
ed TO begin suit on his own account
to have the law declared uncoustitu.
tional as to him. But he "get it in the
neck. The court held that where the
action of the board of county commits
sloner's bill provided an actual reduc,
ton it was constitutional enough. II
was only where the reduction was a
mere pretence-as it was in the cases
here specified-and palpabIy so on the
face of the law, was the law uncon.
stitutional?
Il
So that, while the only Democratic
Official in the county-the sheriff-ac,
cepted the salary law in good faith
and proceeded to accept compensation
on the bases of $4,000 year, the regis.
ter of deeds paid no attention to tina
law whatever, but went on drawing his
fees as If nothing had happened. Coun-
ty Attorney Anderson, on the other
hand, deciding that he could work ths
county treasury for 81, 800 a year more
than the law allowed him, got I'D his
little appeal to the supreme court, and
prosecuted it to a finish. The finish
was good one for the taxpayers, but
the county attorney didn't think it was
a good one for him. And he accord
ipgly applied to have the case re-
argued. The court waived him aside