The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1923-06-09

ST. PAUL, June Especial to
the Rip-saw. )-Unless the taxpay-
ers are lulled completely to sleep
by the willy politicians, they will
insist that the Solons give some
good reason for handing out thous-
ands of dollars in gratuities in the
closing hours of the Forty-third
legislative session.
Clerks, stenographers, doormen
and even scrub-women who drew
down salaries bigger and more
easily earned than would have
been possible in any private en-
ployment they might secure and
hold, were given handsome bonuses
without question or dissent.
The only possible excuse ior such
q waste Of the taxpayers money
seems to be desire on the part of
many senators to appear as good
fellows and, in a lesser degree, 'spme
OF the representatives, as we'll.
: AS rule, very few of the legisla-
tive employees worked an average
OF more than three or four hours
Q day. May sessions were short
and recesses were frequent and even
long. On top Of all that, many
an employe fell far short of giving
value received for the regular salary
received, to say nothing Of the
gratuity so freely bestowed.
To many of the employees. service
seemed to consist chiefly Of playing
a part In the decorative scheme
for the halls of state legislation.
Perhaps they are to be blamed less
for that complacent attitude than
the Solons who appointed them and
then bonused them.
There were men and women on
the payrolls who sought to give
value received for their salaries.
but others sought to see how little
they could do and give for the
much that they received.
While girls employed in shops,
stores and offices worked for SIG
to $50 a week, toiling from eight to
ten hours a day, house and senate
stenographers received from $3.50
to $40 day and worked only
three or four hours q day, on an
average.
Committee clerks and other male
employees received from Sc to $3.50
q day for two or three hours of
easy labor, while boys on the farm,
working from early morn until
dewy eve, as the poet says, week
after week, month after month get
ting from $35 to $40 a month.
The Solops who howled the loud
est about high wages for the farm
er, mechanic, railroad employe or
department store girl - were the
ones who the most freely and ex-
travagantly bestowed gratuities on
their pet legislative employees.
What many of these Solons say
before election and what they do
after election are widely different.
Figures do not lie, therefore take
look atasome of the things done
In the state senate in the closing
hours Of the session.
On Thursday, April 10, Sen. GEO.
II. Sullivan, sometimes called still
water" Sullivan, chairman Of the
senate rules committee, introduced
resolution whereby load Of
juicy melons was cut for the bene-
fit of the senatorial employees, as
follows, viz:
Frank Haffenstab, John O'Dowd,
A. F. 'Bierce and N. Bower, elevator
operators in the capitol and hold
ing regular positions with the state,
were donated SIS apiece. Those
same operators also were given $50
apiece, freely and without any con-
sideration, by the house, OF rep
resentatives, making total bonus
OF $125 each.
Martin Barbo and Charles Olson,
=. electricians on the regular payroll
Of the great state OF Minnesota,
were presented with $50 each by
the senators. Charles Douglas and
Charles Wade, guides employed