The Saint Paul globe., 1901-04-11
SMITH SALARY BILL SAFE
RESCUED IN THE HOUSE UPON BE
ING INDEFINITELY POST
PONED
PROVIDES FOR AN INCREASE
Attorney General Sustaines Validity
OF the Measure, Which Goes
Into Effect, If Passed by
Senate, in 1908.

The Sherman S. Smith salary bill sur
VlVed the mortal blow dealt 1t Tuesday
and. passed the house yesterday by a
vote OF 62 to 40. On Tuesday the meas,
ure was recommended for indefinite
postponement by the house in the COM
mlttee of the whole. Mr.. Smith then
changed his vote and moved for a recon
Slderatlon, and consequently the Dill
came up in the house again yesterday
afternoon upon it's final passage.
Under this bill representatives will be
paid $3.50 for the term for which they are
elected; senators are to receive 81, 500 for
the term for which they are elected
and the speaker of the house and pres
ident of the senate each 81, ,O0C for the
term. The two presiding officers receive
500 OF the salary at the end of each
period Of ten days Of the legislative ses-
sion and the balance upon adjournment
of the legislature. The senators will get
$15 every ten days of the session during
the first year of their term ard the bal
ance, up to $3.50, at the end of that ses-
sion, and the remaining $3.50 shall be paid
in the Same manner during the second
session of their term. The house men,
hers will receive $75 every ten days dur
ing the session and the remainder at the
end of the term
Under the present rules the speaker
and the president of the senate receive
$lG day each for the actual time the
legislature is in session If the session
lasts the full ninety days, they therefore
receive $500, but where the term is
shortened or heightened their salaries
are diminished or increased accordingly;
the members of each body receive So q
day. AS the house members are elected
for two years at the regular ninety days,
this gives them but $3.50, but the senators
being elected for four years receive nor
maily $500 for the entire term. In the
case of each the senators and representa-
tivcs. the Smith bill therefore provides
an increase, providing no extra sessions
are held. Should it be necessary to
hold an extra session at any time they
would receive no pay above their stated
salaries
Those who opposed the hill did So
chiefly on the ground that the measure
would have the effect of shortening the
sessions, and would therefore be a dc.
cidedly larger increase than were the
regular ninety-day terms held. There is
perhaps no objection to shortening leg
islatiVe sessions, but pronounced op-
position to receiving q larger wage for
say sixty days than is now paid for
ninety days, was manifested by those in
the house who took this view Of the
matter
Mr.. Roberts. of Minneapolis, endeav-
OTGQ 10 Tic Olll 81 lIIeil lllC
members would not be paid all their sal
aries until the last year of the term for
which they are elected. This, it was
maintained, would restrain. members
from ahsenting themselves from an ex-
ira session should one be held. This
amendment was voted down.
The vote on the measure was as fol-
lows:
Yeas Afford, Allen, Anderson, Arm
strong, G. G.. Babcocl1. Benolken. Berg,
Burg, Daggett. Dealy, Deming, Dobbin,
Dunn, Ferris, Fust, Grass, Harden, Her
bert Hickey Hinton, Hogan, Holm,
Hunt, Hurd, Jackson, Kelly, Lane, Lar
son, Laybourn, Lee, Mallory Mark, Mar
tin, Morris Nelson, K, Nelson, W; ;,s, No
Ian Norman, Noyes, NyQuist, ONeil,
Ocobock. OfsthUn. Peterson. ]. A, Peter
son, S. D., Phillips. Pope, Ryan. Scherff.
Schurman, Schultz; Schwarg, Sikorsk1,
Smith Stark. Stevenson. Sweet. Wash
burn, Wells Whitford Wilder-62:
Nays-Anderson, Alley, Armstrong, j.
A. Bean, Benson, Brubaker. Bush,
Cooke, Cumming, Dorsey. Gait Gandrud,
H&ugen Haugland Hemstead, Hen
ricks. Hillary, Hillmond, Hymes, ia
cobScn JohnSrud Lemhe, Miller Morley.
NeubaUer Nichols Oppegard, Penning-
ton. Peterson G., Plowman, Pugn, RYDER,
Roberts. Sageng, Sander. Stiles. Swan
son, n,~Torson, TORY, Won Waldo.
The bill is to take effect Jan 6. 1903
and is pronounced constitutional by At
torney General Douglas.