The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-10-12

to the people of the state that he
asked for a reduction of appropriations
amounting to $7,OOO,0OO. He did nothing
of the kind.
The transnittal was purely formal
act required of the governor by law.
The governor could hardly have
asked for a reduction of 100000 for
he had denounced, only two months
before, a proposal for a reduction of
St, 100000 made by his republican, OPP
ponent, as absurd and impossible.
Continuing at Lake City the governor
The exact opposite was the truth. The
conservatives of the legislature, aided
by few rural farmer-laborites effected
the saving in the face of bitter OPP
position from the governors partisans,
buttreSsed by repeated messages from
the Governor pleading for more spend
ings.
The Governors Lake City pilfering
of the legislatures 100000 saving
aroused Albert Pfaender, democrat of
New Ulm. Mr.. Pfaender was chairman
of the appropriations committee of the
house when the saving was made and
had several knock-downs and drag-outs
with the farmer-labor opponents of tax
reduction. In a recent statement, Mr..
Pfaender says that 212 million of the
IL million saving was reduction of sal
aries of state officials and employees.
Continuing Mr.. Pfaender says: "The
Governor and the farmer labor leaders
! threw the entire weight of their in
fluence against the reductions. Gov
ernor Olson personally tried to induce
the members to drop the idea of any
salary reductions. Knud Wefald, the
arch-conSpirator and spokesman at the
head of the coterie that was fighting
in this manner against the interests of
the people while pretending to be their
friends, and who had several members
of his family on the state payroll,
threatened the members of the house
committee with political oblivion if they
dared TO pass what he called such a
nefarious proposal"
Governor Olson'S admirers have
abundant cause to admire him for one
thing-his colossal nerve in posing as
virtuous in the thing wherein he 50
previously sinned.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
state administration spent in excess OF
! $4,000 in maintenance of the state
, office building last year. it was not
satisfied, and at the special session OF
7 the legislature in January 1884 it de-
manded additional help What among
other things, do you suppose it wanted?
A polisher of brass door knobs and
such in the new state Office building al
SITS per month";
Gossip: Some busy pen pushers and
one-finger typewriter cracks at the tax
payers expense: Abe Harris, conserva-
ton department, $275 per month; Geo
H. Bradley, tourist bureau, 1920 pei
month; Jake Quale, liquor commission
$3.50 per month; S. H. McGovern, oil
inspection $145, rural credits $50; Ear,
Arnold, public information, $3.50; Joe
iSegal, closed bank division, probably
5000; L. D. Parlin, highway department
$3.50; and a lot of others who are paid
in various ways. A total of 172 cars
are provided for the highway depart
ment. A stool pigeon" division of the
Big Three department of personnel
employs perhaps Is persons. They
check up on ward clubs and anybody
who is a "holdover." Can it be pos
lsible that the capitol custodian, j. L.
Peterson, used capitol employees in fix
ing up his new home? There is a mat
ter of $4,000 worth of mattresses bought
in Chicago. Some say they could have
been bought dollar apiece cheaper
here at home. Last half of the June
payroll at the state penitentiary and
some 100000 in bills said to have been
held up by the Big Three, so that they
would not be charged against the ex-
penses of the fiscal year ending June
80, 1884. Jealous ones fear that one
A. L. Horribly had leave of absence
with pay and went to California on the
states time for six or eight weeks.
Fancy the parole board, of all things,
with three cars-a Dodge, a Buick
la Chevrolet. But the Agricultural
Society is the classy one with 2
Packards and Pierce-Arrow A lot
of smoke but there may be no fire.
n