The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-04

one unaccountable error, as, for example
in sending schedules to state board mem
bers. 1t surely could not be the inten-
ton OF the board of control to invite
state board members to sell to the state
or in any way countenance violations by
state board members of that law which
says so plainly that state board members
must not be interested. directly or indl-
rectly, or individually, in contracts for
the state institutions for which they are
acting as trustees. Yet it is pointed out
with some bitterness that the board of
control which ran short of schedules
Tor legal bidders sent blank schedules to
the sheffield Milling company of which
Mr. B. 3. Sheffield is president and. not
Wlthstanding the fact that he is a mem
Der of the state board for detectives at
Faribault, he was awarded the contract
for supplying flour to the state schools
OF which he is a trustee.
Minnesota Men Ignored.
Ihls was followed by further muddle
Tor the board kept the bidders on flour
waiting SO long a time that the manu-
Iacturers withdrew their bids as the
price of wheat meantime was rising. The
board then communicated with another
local mill and invited it to furnish the
flour at its original bid The firm in cues
tlon promptly replied that it could not
now furnish flour at that rate and the
board of control by way perhaps of ex-
hibltlng their business methods, without
asking at what rate it could supply It
proceed to let the contract to the original
successful bidder, the Sheffield Milling
company at 20 cents on the barrel higher
than they had agreed at first to furnish
it
Nor is the Minnesota taxpayer first
with the board of control when it comes
to engaging employees. Much unfavorable
comment has been excited by the fact
that almost the first employee hired by the
board was III. w. Wright, of Iowa, who
had been imported to this state last Feb
ruary by the superintendent for the
school for the feeble minded at Faribault.
1t has long been a sore point in the
various towns where the state institu-
lions are situated that the majority of
the employees with the largest salaries is
imported by the superintendent from
their own states. Therefore when the
board of control engaged an Iowan as
secretary there was much murmuring
which was stilled for a time by the state
ment that it was only a temporary ar
rangement, and that the new employe
had a knowledge of accounts as kept in
Iowa. But at the end of a few weeks
II was announced tnat ne WIS e.1Sa ged
permanently.
The board is allowed $1,000 a year for
a secretary and the idea in allowing so
large a salary was that the secretary
might be of equal standing and ability
as the members of the board themselves;
in fact that though without a vote he
should make. a fourth member, that he
should be the executive officer. endowed
with thorough knowledge of local con-
ditions and be the right hand of the
board.
The board selected it's next employe
from St Cloud, going out of it's way to
pick up the quarrel there. Tt will be re-
membered that at the time of the ex-
pose there, while the superintendent was
shown to have mixed personal and state
business inextricably, the fact was also
pretty well aired that there had been an
amount of scheming and cabaling car
ried OH among the under officers that was
anything but creditahle. But apparently
the board of control had not sufficient
tact to keep out of the quarrel, hut must
HE itself down there and engage one of
the principals for its clerk, giving cause
for anger and offenSe quite unnecessarily.
AS far as employees are concerned there
is no disposition to find fault with the
two before mentioned individuals, except
that while as experts they are probably
capable, neither is suited for the posi-