The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-02-22

The State of Minnesota spends its
money in two ways-by special tax
levieS for specific purposes or by leg
islative appropriations. Special state
tax levies are authorized by the leg
islature for specific purposes. Such are
the levy of 23-100 of mill for the
university, the levy of one-tenth of
mill for the teachers retirement fund,
one mill for roads and bridges, one and
one-half mills this year for soldiers
bonus, etc. For the most part the
states money is spent, however, by
direct appropriations made by the leg
iSlature at each biennial session.
Many students of government con-
tend that all expenditures of state
funds should be made directly by leg
iSlative appropriations on the ground
that the representatives of the people
should freshly determine at each ses-
sion of the legislature the necessity
urgency of all demands upon the state
treasury. It is commended, with con-
siderable force, that special tax levieS
make looSeneSs in governmental ex-
penditureS.
During the past biennium the state
spent 16 millions thru special tax levieS
while direct legislative appropriations
were 40 millions. Every dollar of the
40 millions was carefully scrutinized;
excepting those who got it, nobody
paid any attention to the 16 millions.
Machinery of Appropriations.
Appropriations by the legislature
are determined thru committees called
finance" in the senate and "appropria-
TONS in the house. These are the
largest committees of the legislature,
consisting of 81 members in the SEN
ate and 35 members in the house. The
duties of these committees are
arduous, involving the delving into the
details of the administration of all
parts of the state government These
committees decide the millions that
| shall be allotted to the state university
| and the dollars that shall buy drum
/ for the band at the school for the
blind. They listen to appeals for ST.
/ 100000 Spanish War Veterans Bonus
| and for request for $500 additional
/ salary for a clerk in the Office of the
clerk of the supreme court. They build
/ buildings and buy washing machines.
/ Naturally the big money committees
/ WELD powerful influence in the
doings of the legislature. Member
| ship is eagerly sought; more than
| one-half of the members of the legiS-
lature waged vigorous campaigns this
| year for places on these committees
Many men who have been prominent
| in the affairs of the state have served
! as chairmen of the finance and appro-
| priationS committees. To name only
| some of those of recent years-JameS
| T. Wyman, r. S. Brewer, A. D.
Stephens and Congressman Clague in
the senate and j. F. jacobson, AM
brose Tighe, L. G. Spooner and Gov
| ernor ChristianSon in the house. Theo-
| dore Christensen was chairman of
| the house committee on appropriations
| for four sessions prior to his election
| as GOVERNOR record in the house,
while senator A. j. Rockne of Goodhue
| has broken all records by heading the
| senate finance committee for 16 years.
One Lone Woman.
Out of the Sc members of these two
committees only one is woman. That
| distinction falls to Representative
Hannah Kempfer of Ottertail, who is
| serving her third term as a member
| of the house appropriations commit
| tee She is hard working and a high
| ly valued member. Mrs. Kempfer is
farmer. Perhaps it would not be
proper to say of lady that she is a
"dirt farmer" but Mr.. and Mrs.
| Kempfer are honest-to- goodness farm
ers. They make their living from the
soil they till. Naturally Mrs. Kemp
| fer understands the problems of the
| farmer and she tempers the enthus-
| iasm of the club woman for reform
with that understanding We suspect
| that Mrs. Kempfer has not much use
| for the club woman who undertakes
club work as pastime. She Is
close student of public affairs, has an
| intimate and sympathetic knowledge
of our state institutions, stands
staunchly at all times for reasonable
economy and is valued members of
the legislature and Of the appropria-
tons committee.
Although they have but one lady
member, the work of these commit
tees is in q very considerable meas
ure done by women, however, for the
executive clerks of both the finance
and the appropriations committee are
women. Miss Florence Reber has for
several sessions been clerk of the sem
at finance committee and Miss
Luverne Friedel has been chief clerk
of the house appropriations commit
tee for the last three sessions. They
are both extraordinarily capable We
disparage no one when we say that
these two young ladies are enormous