Morris tribune., 1911-03-17
SHARP DEBATE
ON REFERENDUM
Amended Pfaender Bill Gets
Through the House.
JULIUS SCHMAHL EXONERATED
Committee Decides He Did Not Pay
Too Much for Automobile Tags,
as Had Been Alleged.
JULIUS SCAMAHL EXONERATED
Especial Correspondence.

St. Paul, March 13.-Initiatiye and
referendum, at percentages of 20 and
10, has passed the house. In the
passage of the bill the Democrats
have won prestige and have secured
the passage of the bill introduced by
the Democratic floor leader, Albert
Pfaender of New Ulm, and known as
the Pfaender bill. Following the de-
feat of the Campbell bill of the day
before, which fixed the percentages
at 10 and 7, the house. Friday, passed
the Pfaender bill by vote of So to so,
or fourteen majority for the measure.
Seventeen of the twentyfour Demo
cratic members voted for the bill. The
percentage, as fixed, is the highest in
the United States. The passage of the
Pfaender bill followed a vigorous de-
bate, which included personalities at
times, so much SO that the speaker
was compelled to caution the mem
! their wagging tongues. The measure
was amended in several different ways
before it was passed and members
said they refused to vote for it, in
some cases, because they did not
know what it really meant. The bill
| does not give the people the right to
| initiate constitutional amendments.
but appropriation measures are not
barred. One of the provisions of the
bill, inserted for the purpose of pre-
| venting the use of the initiative by
! some small section Of the state, is that
| which requires the petition to initiate,
| in addition to the required 20 per cent,
! to have per cent of the voters from
| three-fifths of the counties. The bill
allows only such measures to be in
! legislature.
!. i. +.
The committee on public accounts
and expenditures holds that Secretary
of State julius Schmahl did not pay
| too much for automobile tags, as has
been charged. It was alleged that the
secretary of state had paid 35 cents
for the tags that he could have Sc
cured for Is cents. The report Of the
subcommittee, headed by Representa-
tive F. L. Farley. completely exoner-
ates the secretary Of state, holding
that while good price was paid there
is NO evidence to show they could
have been obtained any cheaper.
+ !. !.
The special Investigating committee
which is looking into the charges
against State Engineer George Ralph
is going thoroughly into the work.
This committee is made up Of fair
minded men and if there is anything
wrong with the situation they will
find it out The men under investiga-
ton will also be given a fair hearing.
it will be we'll to remember that the
men making up the investigation COM
mittee are Representatives Knapp,
chairman; Robertson, Moriarty, Crane
and Fowler. They are among the
cleanest and ablest men in the house.
Last week State Auditor Iverson was
one of the principal witnesses,
!. I. !.
It cost the state of Minnesota some
thing like 100000 to engage the serv-
ices of Architect Clarence H. Johnston
during the year 1910. When the board
of control was first organized one of
the strong arguments for it was that a
| state architect could be engaged for
something like $500. Instead of en-
gaging an architect on salary basis
the board now pays him 2 per cent on
all buildings costing over $4,000 and
per cent on buildings costing less
than $4,000. During the year 1910
the construction of buildings aggre-
eating $2,793,258 was authorized. The
biggest slice of this was the state
prison at Saltwater, which will cost
$2,000,0O0. This leaves $793,258 for
other state buildings. Allowing the
state architect 2 per cent for the
plans and construction of the state
prison he would receive from this
one job $4,000. Allowing him per
cent for the other buildings, although
this is possibly more than he actually
receives, as some of the contracts may
be over $4,000, he would receive an
additional $23,79774, or $63,797.74 in
all for his years work It is explained
in the board Of control that the archi-
tect, in addition to drawing the plans
for the building, superintends it's con,
struction, employs his own draughts-
men, and that he already has been
! working on the matter over a year
before the building started. They also
say that and per cent is the usual
rate fixed by architects and that it
would be impossible to secure good
architect at salary and that the
building Of the state prison made
Architect Johnston's job an unusually
good one in 1910. Mr.. Johnston has
an Office in st. Paul and the state of
Minnesota is only one of his clients.
!. j. i.
| An attempt Ia being made hy the