The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-23
CITY CLERK CUTS
OFF PERQU|sITEs
His Staff Gets No Revenue
FrOm,Handing Out Advance
Information.

Only salaries go in this office, said
City Clerk Redington yesterday. IF
anyone has any minor legal work that
he wants done he will have to seek an
attorney I stopped the practice the
moment took charge. and will de-
nand its observance as long as / am
here. Since 1 took the Office I have
rearranged every book and document
In 1T and have brought everything UP
10 date. pay my clerks more than
Mr.. Jensen paid his, and they have no
reason to seek other work in office
hours. / selected the best men I
could get and pay them accordingly"
were improper perquiSiteS permitted
in the city clerks office while Matt
Jensen was in charge? Mr.. Jensen
severed his. connection with the office
last June.
What brings up the question is the
TACT that George Redington, the pres
ent incumbent, has served notice on
MS office force that no perauisites will
be permitted while he is in charge.
This notice was served the day Mr.
Redington entered upon his official
tenure, and he made it public yester-
day. 1t includes all notarial and semi
legal work, and is more particularly
directed as disCoura ging the practice
Of various interested corporations and
persons using the clerical force to keep
them posted.
. Corporations Want Advance Notice.
The claim is made that the street car
company, fhe Northwestern Telephone
company and other public service cor
porations paid the deputies under Mr..
Jensen 81 every time an advance copy
of any document affecting their inter-
ests was brought to them.
The public service corporations are
always eager to secure in advance of
presentation to the council any ordi-
nance, legal opinion or resolution af-
fecting their interests, and promptness
in respect to notification is always
handsomely rewarded if the matter is
important. This perquisite also ex-
tends to copies of ordinances and
measures passed by the council and
which the interested parties want in
hurry. c
All this has been stopped by Mr..
Redington. After a measure has pass
ed through the proper channels inter
eSted ones are permitted to examine it.
but they must secure others to do the
copying. Advance information is also
prohibited.
According to a story in circulation,
just before Mr.. Jensen's retirement, one
of the clerks, named Claude Brown,
seeing the end near, secured employ
ment IN the state capitol. one OF his
perquisites was the furnishing of adj
vance council and official information
to the Northwestern Telephone COM
pany, and when he retired he turned
his side lines" over to Albert Johns,
another clerk. Up to this time Ezra
McCrea, the first assistant clerk, was
not aware of this source of revenue,
and at once. by right of seniority and
official position, demanded and Sc
cured it. The contest for the perqui-
sites was a warm one, and threatened
to break out into open rebellion until
stopped by former City Clerk Jensen,
who held for his chief deputy.
Even Cuts Out Baseball Tickets.
Another of the good things connect
ed with the office was circus and base
ball tickets, and even these have been
to 800 circus tickets was the usual con-
tribution when Mr.. Jensen held the
reins.
It may not be known, but when Mr..
Redington took the office he refused
to touch a lot Of unfinished work that
his predecessor, Mr.. Jensen, had left.
This was on the advice of Corporation
Attorney Michael. When he entered the
Office fully months accumulation of
chattel mortgages and other instru-
ments were found that had never been
entered or stamped with the official
filing mark. The license records were
also decidedly behind. Mr. Jensen was
notified that he would be held to ac-
count for the state of affairs, which
he promptly corrected by spending sew
eral days at the Office, affixing his off,
cial signature to the documents.