The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-03-05

party find it difficult to believe that
their peerless leader would deliberately
set up a scheme which, but for the vigi-
lance of private citizens, might have
swindled the people of the state out of
more than $4,000,000. Someone else,
they insist, must have been guilty of
this Incredible wrongdoing, in its single
self more grossly malodorous than all
malfeaSance and nonfeasance of all
other administrations combined in all
the history of Minnesota.
Let them, and the rest of us also, ex
anime the record, and assess the blame,
not upon the basis of our prejudices, but
upon the facts.
On February 26, 1881, when His Ex-
cellency had as yet hardly warmed his
chair as governor of the state, he di-
rected this letter to the commissioner OF
highways:
STATE OF MINNESOTA
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
ST. PAUL.
Floyd B. Olson, Governor
February 26, 1881.
Mr.. c. M Babcock,
Commissioner of Highways,
1246 University Avenue,
st. Paul, Minnesota.
Dear Sir:
Henceforth in awarding road con-
struction contracts you will put in force,
and compel compliance with the follow
ing precedent:
To be eligible to bid or be awarded
contract or contracts to construct
more than 100000 square yards OF
paving for the State of Minnesota, a
bidder shall have completed success
fully contracts with the Minnesota
Highway Department for not less than
1OOO 900 square yards of paving; and
provided, further, that to be eligible to
bid upon or be awarded contract or
contracts to perform more than 100000
cubic yards of grading for the State OF
Minnesota, he shall have completed
successfully contracts with the Mime
sofa Highway Department for the grad
ing of not less than 100000 cubic yards.
Very truly yours,
(SigneO Floyd B. Olson,
Governor of Minnesota.
The regulations and restrictions laid
down in this letter are "the Sitting
regulations and restrictions" denounced
by the supreme court as IAN invitation"
to contractors to "conspire to obtain
work at exorbitant profit" They re-
suited in fraudulent bids" because Of
which the courts compelled contractors
to disgorge $780,, 98O37. Had they not
been halted by court action, they would,
if applied to all other paving con-
tracts for 1882, have fleeced the tax
PAYERS of Minnesota of more than
100000 above ''the reasonable cost OF
the work plus a reasonable profit
Even with this letter over the sigma
ture of their peerless leader placing the
blame beyond peradventure of doubt,
the attempt is still made by some far
mer-labor leaders to put the blame on
someone else. If this effort has con-
fused anyone, let him read another
letter written by Governor Olson on
that same day as soon after he had
taken office, February 26, 1881:
STATE OF MINNESOTA
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
ST. PAUL.
February 26, 1881.
Mr.. Charles M. Babcock,
Commissioner of Highways,
1916 University Ave,
St. Paul, Minnesota.
Dear Mr.. Babcock:
1 am sending you, enclosed herewith,
two communications relative to-
code on State Highway
and the other with ref
erence to the letting of contracts for
state construction work.
The communications are couched in
their particular form so that in the
event any complaint is made to you
with reference thereto, you may avoid
any personal controversy, if you desire,
by stating that you are making these
in compliance with my
order.
have carefully considered the law
with reference to the matter, and am
that you have authority to
compel compliance with these orders
under the Statutes of Minnesota, and
the general law.
Very sincerely yours,
(Signed) Floyd B. Olson,
Governor.