Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-09-17
big THREE" NOW
ALL OLSON GROUP
Erickson on Commission Of Adm1n1-
stratiOn and Finance, and Cox and
FrankSOn are Viewed as Good Ap.
DOintmentS.
BY HENRY G.. TEIGAN

BY HENRY G. TEIGAN
With the appointment of Carl R.
Erickson of ST. Paul to the position
of Commissioner of Purchases, Cover
nor Floyd B. Olson completed naming
the membership of the Commission
of Administration and Finance.
The Erickson appointment will meet
with general approval among Farmer
Laborites. There is no doubt about
Mr.. Erickson's ability and there is no
question about his party affiliation.
He has been active in support Of the
Farmer-Labor party and all its can
didates ever since the party was Or
ganized in the state in 1918.
Mr.. Erickson's experience is pri-
marily that of a real estate man. He
has bought and sold real estate in
Baudette. Duluth. Minneapolis and st.
Paul. Moreover, fer a short period he
was manager of one of the largest
real estate and investment companies
in the city of Los Angeles.
Governors Own Commission.
The resignation of Mr. Austin, which
was requested by Governor Olson, has
been criticized by some Republican
friends of the former. Regardless of
how efficient an official Mr.. Austin
may have been, it must be admitted
that the Commission of Administra-
tion and Finance Chg ThreeO is the
instrument of the Governor and it is
only proper that he should have such
persons on the Commission as are
entirely in sympathy with his Admin
stration and policies.
The Commission as it will be con-
stituted after October 1, when Erick-
son comes on the job, is as follows
F.. ]. Pearlove, comptroller and chair
man; Jean w. Witch, budget COM
missioner, and Carl R. Erickson, COM
missiC ner of purch lses. Knud Wefald,
former congressman from the Ninth
district is executive secretary of the
commission and Phil Sundby is as
sistant commissioner of purchases.
The Commission of Administration
and Finance fills a more important
place in the state government than
most people realize. True, many pro-
gressives opposed the enactment of
the law commonly known as the re-
organization act back in 1925. This
was due in the main to the methods
employed in putting the bill through
the legislature and also perhaps to
the fact that none other than Boss
w. 1. Norton had the bill in charge
in the house and was also instru-
mental in pushing it through the Sem
ate.
Much Good Accomplished.
Much good was a complis
through the reorganization act in
consolidating departments and in pro-
viding classification of employees and
establishing salary schedules in &C
cordance with the classifications, and
in controlling department expendi-
lures.
Much more good could have been
accomplished if the act had been more
embracing and had included the
Board of Control as we'll as the other
departments of the state government.
Just why the Board of Control should
have been excluded from the opera
ton of the law is difficult to under
stand, except that the board itself did
not wish to have it's general routine
of handling matters modified or in
terfered with. 1t is, / believe, cor
rect to state that the commission is
believed by most informed folks to be
one of the most important depart
ments of the state government and
one whose functions will increase
rather than decrease.
MIR. Erickson's appointment will add
strength and wisdom to the commits
sion.
From far off Maine comes a request
from Norman Wallace Lermond, act
ing state organizer of the Farmer
Labor party of that state for a copy
of our platform. Mr.. Lermond was
formerly located in Illinois and was
active in the progressive cause there.
He is now engaged in educational
work in the state of Maine.
Praises Governors Appointments.
Two recent appointments by Cover
nor Olson seem to have received gen.
eral approval of the press of the state.
These are w. T. Cox as commissioner
of conservation and Thomas Frankson
as secretary of the Rural Credit
Board.
Even Chas. B. Cheney, we'll known
political writer of the Minneapolis
Journal, comedies that the Frankson
appointment has met with favorable
response though Cheney himself puts
a little sting into his review of the
affair by showing that the former
lieutenant governor was not regular
in his Republicanism even in the days
when he held high public office in
the state at the hands af the G. o. P.