Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-10-29

officials. and ours was the only county
in the state that paid less than the
legal rate for the respective county
offices.
However. at that time. sc cents would
buy as much at one dollar will buy
today. so far as purchasing value. $1700
then was worth nearly $4,000 as COM
pared to today.
Salary Less Than Legal Rate.
When L. your present county super
intendent. took office in January 1885,
l was asked to appear before the county
commissioners and was asked what sal
airy l expected or wanted. 1t was nice
OF them to ask me. l gave them my
answer-that l would be satisfied with
the minimum rate as provided and re-
required by law. This was refused.
With most living costs doubled since
1892 and 1888, and with a double or
triple program of work planned, l felt
that no one would expect your county
superintendent to work for less than
the legal rate when all the other full
time officials were getting much more
salary, and some even more than their
set my salary for 1885 at $500 which
was 1858 less than the law required.
In January. 1885. the salary of one
other official was also cut below his
appealed to the court and the law of
course was upheld. County commits
sioners' proceedings are not superior to
state law. as the judge explained
NO Appeal MADE 10 Court.
l did not appeal my case to the court.
because l did not wish to have any
trouble. l was threatened by certain
commissioners at that time and many
minimum or least possible salary under
the Law. but those threats did not
scare me or cause me to drop the mat
ter. / dropped the matter because 1
been much better. however, if the at
tOrney generals opinions had been ac-
cepted by the county commissioners and
the county attorney also consulted.
This, the commissioners refused to do.
Thus they disobeyed the law, and a
whispering campaign was then started
to put the county superintendent on the
spot. Three of the commissioners have
tried to be fair, but two have been any
thing but fair. 1t seems that my serv-
ices were not desired or wanted.
Facts and figures have previously
been shown that l have saved many
times my salary in various ways. /
reduced meals and mileage accounts
enough to cover the loss they gave
me in salary.
for the county superintendent on the
basis of $50 schools ($1S75). This was
still short of the 1919 resolution. but
under the minimum required by law.
and far below that paid to other county
officials.
Salary Not the Issue.
Your present county superintendent
has not the opportunity or time to have
a private business or income in addi-
ton to his regular salary
He is the lowest paid of any full
time Pine county official, and is paid
much lower than most village school
superintendent.
He is the only Pine county official
who is paid less than the minimum re-
Quired by law. zone Pine county Of
ficer now receives $500 more than his
respective minimum.)
He refused to have trouble or go to
court to get justice. although living
costs have doubled since 1888, so sal
airy is not the issue
He has consistently stood on his pal
form of more service, more state aids
and economy and will continue his six
point program for Pine county schools