The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-03-14
STATE LEGISLATION
(special CONSEQUENCES.

st. Paul, March 13-Initiative and
referendum. at percentages of 20 and
10, has passed the house. In the
passage of the bill the Democrats
| have won prestige ard 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 T. the house, Friday, passed
the Pfaender bill by vote of SO to so,
or fourteen majority for the measure.
| Seventeen of the twenty-four Demo
| cratic members voted for the BILL The
percentage, as fixed, is the highest in
| the United States. The passage of the
i Pfaender bill followed a vigorous de-
bate, which included personalities at
times, so much so that the speaker
was compelled to caution the mem
bers to hold their tempers as we'll as
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
4 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
itiated as have been defeated by the
legislature.
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. 1t 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.
!. i. !.
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
While the investigation is in progress
it will be well to remember that the
men making up the investigation COM
mittee are Representatives Knapp
chairman; Robertson, Moriarty, Gran.
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
hing 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 per cent on
all buildings costing over $4,000 and
3 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
$2,000,000. This leaves $793,258 for
, other state buildings. Allowing the
state architect per cent for the
plans and construction of the state
prison he would receive from this
r one job $4,000. Allowing him 8 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 $23,79714, or So, 1914 IN
n all for his years work. 1t is explained
|. In the board OF control that the archi
!. tect, in addition to drawing the plans
for the building superintends its con
struction, employs his own draughts
g men, and that he already has been
t working on the matter over year
before the building started. They also
say that 5 and per cent is the usual
rate fixed by architects and that il
would be impossible to secure good
!. architect at salary and that the
0 building of the state prison made
Architect Johnston's job IN unusually
good one in 1910. Mr.. Johnston has
g an Office In St. Paul ana the state d
4 Minnesota is only one Of his clients.
G /. + +
A. ottomnf IL hoinU made nv hi