The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-05

operation of Speaker Dowling, yesterday
aimed what is believed will be a decisive
blow at the time-honored graft system
The organization rules which the COM
mittee will report to the house this morn
ing provide fer a saving of $3.50 per day
in clerk hire and 81, $50 in gratuitieS.
The rule covering the employees is a
modification of the old rule, and while it
provides literally for the proper transac-
tion of the houses business, it4cuts out
all dead timber and is calculated to be
iron-clad against the gratuity graft.
There is practically no change in the
number of doorkeepers, cloak room keep
ers or pages, and a reading clerk is pro-
Vided for, but the long list of so-calle6
special clerks is relegated to a place on
the salary list as obscure as in the old
days were its service to the house.
The rules do not provide for the ap-
pointment of any committee clerks, and
in place of the special clerks there IS
provision for general clerk, to be under
the direction of the speaker. The COM
mittee clerks are to be replaced by three
expert stenogra pliers, to be assigned to
the committees as needed, by the COM
mittee on legislative expenses. The
change from clerks to stenographers, be-
side effecting a saving of $50 per day, is
calculated to be popular with the men,
bcrs At the regular session only one
time was taken up with the work of one
important committee, and other commit
tees and members were frequently COM
PEELED to send important copying and the
preparation Of legislative papers to out
side stenographers.
The rule against gratuities is more
stringent than the one proposed 10y Mr..
Dunn and adopted at the regular ses-
sion. When the regular session convened
Mr.. Dunn secured the adoption of rule
prohibiting increases in employees sal
aries and gratuities at the close of the
session. Unfortunately for Mr.. Dunn s
good intentions, when the house came to
adjourn he ran into the two-thirdS vote
suspension rule; his anti-graft rule was
given s back seat and all the employees
were let into the states strong box to
the tune of from $50 to $500 each. This
time he purposes to beat the two-thirds
vote scheme by providing that no gratui-
ties shall be granted except by the unan-
imous consent of the house.
Aside from it's report on the joint rules
covering the proposed legislation, the
report which the house committee will
ask adopted this morning is as follows:
We, your committee on rules and joint
rules, beg leave to report and recommend
that the rules of the thirty-second ses-
sion, from and including Rule l down
to and including Rule 81, also Rules 63
rules of the house, and in addition there
to that Rule G. read as follows:
81. The speaker shall appoint employees
with compensation as follows: l janitor,
at So per day; 8 doorkeepers, at So per
day; l gallery keeper, at So per day; 3
keepers of cloak rooms. at 50 per day;
l file clerk. at 50 per day; pages, at
$3.50 per day; assistant, to have charge
of all committee rooms, at So per day; !
reading clerk, at 81 per day; 1 general
clerk, who shall be under, the direction
raphers. subject to assignment by the
committee on legislative expenses, at a
salary of S. per day. The postmaster
shall appoint an assistant at a salary
of $5 per day.
Rule 60 shall not be construed as au-
thorizing the employment or appoint
ment Of any employees named therein in
case any employe has been appointed or
authorized to be appointed or engaged by
this house for such position by any rule
or resolution heretofore adopted No
employe of this house shall receive any
pay for any time prior to date of appoint
ment, and no gratuity shall be paid to
any employees of the house or other per
son except by unanimous consent of the
| house.