The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-18
LIKE POT And KETTLE
FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF THE OIL
INSPECTORS SALARY BILL
CALL NAMES
WHICH ARE TRUE FRIENDS ?

That Was the Gist of the Argument
Which Consumed Nearly Two
Hours of the Time of the Senate
Afternoon Was Spent In Clear
ing Up Some of the Big Batch of
Ellis on General Orders.
Spells caused a wrangle of over an hour
In the senate yesterday, the Republican
senate going into a spasm of befuddled
and chattering idiocy over a parliament
tary trick introduced into the smaller
legislative parrot cage by Senator Knat-
bold (Rep.), of Albert Lea.
1t was not Republican spells that were
being fought over, either, but a Demo-
cratic plum which has fallen Into the
basket of julius j. Heinrich the state OF!
inspectorship.
The first bill introduced in the senate,
save to pay its own expenses, was the
Republican effort of Senator Wilson, of
Hennepin, to curtail the emoluments of
the state oil inspector. This bill has been
hanging fire ever since in one committee
and another, and yesterday the bill came
back to the senate with recommended
ton that it be amended. first, by provid-
ing that no money should be paid for
salaries or for any other purpose in the
department, except from the funds col
lected from the inspection of oils.
This was adopted without debate.
An amendment followed to make the
law take effect from and after its pas
sage.
This also was adopted without ques-
ton.
Then came the. amendment which
caused the trouble
1t was to strike out the entire last para
graph, which carried the appropriation Of
$4,000 per year for the enforcement OF
the act, and all provisions for the pay
ment of the inspector and deputies. The
section reads:
the. state and deputy inspectors, as pro-
vided in this act, and in procuring end
furnishing such implements or instru-
ments for testing oils, for branding,
or for blanks as may be necessary and
suitable to carry out the provisions and
Intent of this act, the sum of $4,000 shall
be and is hereby annually appropriated
out of any money in the treasury of this
state, not otherwise appropriated, and all
payments made pursuant hereto shall be
charged to the illuminating oil inspection
fund, hereby created; provided, that no
payments shall be made hereunder ex-
cept upon the warrant of the state au-
ditor, and such warrants shall issue only.
uponr the certificate of the state inspec-
tor, filed with the state auditor, both IN
respect to salaries, as herein provided
and to disbursements.
The report substituted for that provi-
sion another to the effect that no money
whatever should be paid out under this
act save from the oil inspection fund.
Senator Knatvold, as chairman of the
committee reported it out, but then
moved that one of the amendments re-
ported by the committee be not adopted.
This made a reversal of the usual order
of voting, so that yes meant no and no
yes.
Senator Everett (Dem.). Of LIE Sueur,
moved to amend, that the amendment be
adopted.
Senator Knatvold intimated that the
amendments were ridiculous and would
render the bill useless.
Senator Everett insisted that the COM
mittee had carefully considered the mat
ter. and believed the amendments all
right.
Senator Knatvold said that the amend
ments were being advocated by those
who opposed the bill, and while he did
not mention any names, he was talking
directly at that portion of the back row
where sat the senator from LIE Sueur
Senator Everett Indignantly resented
the imputation, and for an hour ensueti
tho most undigniaed wrangle the senate
of 1899 has yet INDUCED in.
Lieut.. Gov. Smith informed Chairman
Knatvold that he had taken very pe.
culiar position in making q report and