The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-31
NO CHANGE IN PAY
REDUCTION In THE CITY CLERKS
SALARY MEETS WITH
OPPOSITION
Is REFERRED TO MR.. UMLAND

Regard to County and City As
SCISSORS Is FavOred-ThOught
That the Measure Will Save
Money for the People.
The Ramsey county delegation held anr
other session last evening with all MEM
bers present except Senator Horton and
Representative O'Connor.
The bill of Mr. Dunn, proposing I'm
amendment to the constitution allowing
the voters of any county where city
contains over rs per cent of the entire
population to vote for a consolidation of
city and county was indefinitely post
poned. The bill was intended to allow
the Joining of Ramsey county and the
city Of st. Paul under one government.
Mr.. Umland expressed the opinion
"that the chamber of commerce were a
set of old moss backs. and when they did
know what they wanted they did not
know how to get IT,
The bills of Mr. Hennessy doing away
with the civil branch of the municipal
court and reducing the salaries of the
judges so as to save 5000 a year, was
referred to a special committee: Messrs
McGi1l, Dunn, Sheehan and Ives express
ed themselves as opposed to the doing
away with the civil branch of the court
and the bill is good as dead.
The bill of Mr. Schurman, making the
office of county and city assessor an cleo
tive Office and the salary of the assessor
81, 500 per year, with $1,000 for assistants
and clerk hire in odd numbered years
and $500 In even numbered years was
recommended to pass. The first election
of an assessor by the people Is to be In
the fall of 1900, and soon as the bill
passes the county commissioners are d.
rected to elect an assessor to serve until
one Is elected by the people.
SAVING TO THE PEOPLE
Mr.. Dunn said the passage of the bill
meant a saving Of $1,000 per year in the
salary Of the assessor, while the other
salaries in the office remained the same.
The bill was recommended to pass by
unanimous vote
The delegation then took up the bill
which allows city councils In cities of
over. $4,000 Inhabitants to fix the salary
of city clerk. The action Of the members
over this measure was laughable.
The bill. as originally drawn, fixed
the salary of the city clerk at not less
than $500. but Mr.. Schurman said that
In order to have it suit the views Of the
Hennepfn and St. Louis delegations he
would move an amendment that the
maximum salary be $4,000 and the mimi
mum $500.
Mr.. Dunn said the city clerk at Min
neapolis was paid $4,000 salary and about
5000 in fees making the total So, 600.
The amendment proposed by Mr..
Schurman was adopted and then the bill
recommended to pass. Senator Sheehan
asked If there were any remarks.
Mr.. Ives suggested that City Clerk
Jensen would make all the remarks
necessary.
Mr.. Sheehan, however. said he had
something to say, and he should oppose
the bill and do all he could to defeat it.
Four years ago. he said, the people of
Ramsey county had been seized with
spasmodic feeling and insisted that the
salaries of all the city and county off,
cials be reduced. He had prepared bill,
and 1t passed the senate, doing what the
people asked In the house the bill was
amended, and by reason of such amend
ment the reduction WAS rendered uncon-.
stitutional He did not believe in select
ing out any one official to have the sal
ary reduced, and for this reason also op-
posed the bill.
HOW TO FIX SALARIES.
ence between reasonable salary and On
excessive one. 1t was good policy to take
Isolated cases if the amount paid was ex-
cessive.
Mr.. Hennessy said he should vote for
the bill, but he considered the matter fu
tile, as the matter would be taken into
the courts and declared unconstitutional.
All Of the members. with the exception
Of Mr.. Sheehan and Mr.. Thauwald, voted
for the passage Of the bill, and the motion
was declared carried.
At this point Mr.. Sheehan, evidently
thinking of how much City Clerk Jensen
had done or him in political way. was
not satisfied with the action taken, and
again raised the point that 1T was not
fair to take one official out Of the large
number in the city and county and re-
duce his salary. The clerk Of the district
court and the sheriff were both getting.
according to statements, large salaries or
fees, and yet nothing was said about re-
ducing salaries. Drawing himself up to
his full height, Mr.. Sheehan stated that
he would go on the floor Of the senate
and do what he could to defeat the bill.
This threat caused Mr.. McGill to recol-
lect that he was of the same opinion as
Mr.. Sheehan as to the selection of one Of
ficial to reduce the salary He did not
propose to go into the senate with bill
on which the delegation was divided.
Mr. Dunn Immediately had a change of
heart, and was of the opinion that there
was no need of going into the senate or
house and washing dirty linen. If the
delegation could not agree it would be
better to kill the bill. The one objection
to making a blanket bill. which would
cover all salaries. was that the lobby
would be so strong that it would be use
less to consider 1t.
PAY DEEMED EXCESSIVE.
Mr.. Schurman said as compared with
other cities the salary paid to the city
clerk In St. Paul was excessive. Tho
money paid was too much for the services
rendered.
Mr. McNamee said there was no ques-
ton but that the salary paid the city
clerk was too much for the work done.
The state auditor was paid but $500. and
1T was a fact that the state auditor did
more work than the city clerk.
Mr. Hennessy suggested that perhaps
the state auditor did not pay any politi-
cal assessments.
Mr.. MeNamee said he dia not know as
to this, but he had been informed that the
city clerk paid assessments for all the
aldermen.
On motion of Mr.. Dunn the vote was
reconsidered and the bill referred to its
author, Mr.. Umland being the only one of
the delegation to vote against such action.
The committee then went into executive
session and considered the bill raising the
salary of the county commissioners from
$500 to $500 Mr.. McNamee, seeing how the
bluff of Mr. Sheehan that he would go on
the floor of the senate and defeat the city
clerks bill worked, rose to the occasion,
and despite the desire of the delegation
to pass the bill raising the salary of the
county commissioners. succeeded in hav-
T., LII yod