New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-03-15
SHARP DEBATE
ON REFERENDUM
Amended P I Bill Gsis.
Through the House.
JULIUS SCAnAHl ExoNERATED
COMMITTEES Decides He Did. Not Pay
Too Much for Automobile Tags,
&c Had Been Alleged.

! @ Had Been Alleged.
! .~t~..,EEe
Especial Correspondence.
/ st. Paul, March 13-Initiative and
Ilesrsndum. At percentages Of 20 and
40. has passed the house. In the
paAsage 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 Pfaendsr bill. Following the de.
feat of the Campbell bill of the day
before, which fixed the percentages
ct 10 and Z, the house, Friday, passed
the Pfaender bill by a vote of 60 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
Pfaender bill followed a vigorous de
bate, which included personalities at
times, 50 much so that the speaker
was compelled to caution the mem
bers to hold their tempers as well 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-
~enting the use of the initiative by
aome small section Of the state. is that
rhich requires the petition to initiate
addition to the required 90 per cent,
10 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. q
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
- no evidence to show they could
have been obtained any cheaper.
j. + !.
The special investigating committee
which is looking into the charges
against State Engineer George Ralph
Il going thoroughly into the work.
This committee is made up of fair
aiRded men and il there is anything
wrong with the situation they will
md 1t out. The men under investiga.
ton will also be given 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, 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.
! !. +
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
oil 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 $2,793,25S was authorized The
biggest slice of this was the state
prison at Saltwater, which will cos,
81, OOO, 900. This leaves $793,25S for
other state buildings. Allowing the
state architect per cent for the |
plans and construction of the state
prison he would receive from this
one job 100000. 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 $23,797.74, or $63,797.74 in
all for his years work. tits explained
In the board of control that the archi-
bect, in addition to drawing the plans
Tor the building, superintends it's con-
employs his own draughts.
men, and that he already has been
working on the matter over year