Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-01-05
New Governor Sworn in at
10 a. M, Addresses Leg
islature at 3 O'Clock.

Minnesota has new governor, Of
ficially, since 10 a. m. Tuesday morn
| ing when Harold E. Stassen took his
oath of office from Chief Justice
Henry M. Gallagher. He appeared
and gave his address before joint
session of the Minnesota legislature
at p. m. which had previously or
gained Lawrence Hall of st.
Cloud, as speaker and who with Lieu
tenant Governor c. Elmer Anderson,
presided over the session.
Governor Stassen's inaugural ad-
dress follows:
A New Year begins The Fifty
| first session of the legislature opens.
We enter period of progress, of good
will, and of better conditions in our
great state of Minnesota.
l welcome this invitation of the
Senate and House of Representatives
in accordance with the constitutional
provision, to address you at this time
on the problems that are our joint
responsibility. We begin this session
spirit of cooperation and of mutual
respect. l am confident that we shall
end this session with a record of
accomplishments in the public well
| fare, and with that same spirit of Co
operation and mutual respect It will
be my policy in this message, and
throughout this session of the legis-
lature, to respect your prerogatives,
to recognize the division of powers
between the branches of the govern
ment under the constitution, and to
ask of you, frankly, your help in
reaching the detectives of our admin
istration, and in fulfilling the desires
of the people, as they have expressed
| them
Our principal detectives and our
program are not alone the program
| of the administration or of the Re-
publican party. It has been clearly
demonstrated on November 9th that
they are the detectives and the pro-
gram of the people of Minnesota.
1t is rare occasion when the people
of state, from the factory, the farm,
the office and the home, of all parties,
creeds and nationalities are united
on program of progress in the man.
ner that the people of Minnesota
now stand together.
We must never permit narrow par
| tisanship, the pressure of day to day
problems, or minor differences of
opinion, to cause us to lose sight
of this broad fundamental fact, or to
| dim our vision to the future.
Advocates Civil Service.
One of our first and most import
ant problems is to raise the stand
ards of public service and to i'm
prove the morale of state govern
ment. A place on the state payroll
must be based upon doing a good
days work for the people of the
state, for days pay received. Fair
ness and integrity and courtesy on
the part of the employees toward
the citizens must be fundamental.
Much can be accomplished in this
regard by the executive branch of
the government alone. We will take
those steps.
Appointments are being made and
shall be made to positions of public
responsibility on the basis of the
fundamental integrity of the men and
women appointed, their ability to fill
the positions to which they are ap-
pointed and their interest in the vital
policies of our administration They
shall be continued in their positions
only so long as they remain faithful
to their public trust.
The action that the executive
branch of the government can take
in improving public service, is limited,
however, unless the legislature enacts
real civil service law for state en-
ployes. The civil service council
consisting of representatives of The
League of Women Voters, Minnesota
Farm Bureau, Minnesota Parent and
Teachers Association, Minnesota Fed
Grafton of Labor, Minnesota Educa-
tional Association, Junior Chamber of
Commerce working with the Amer
lean Legion, and the Legion Auxiliary,
have performed a splendid public
service in preparing good civil
service law. l recommend that bill
to you for your careful consideration.
You may well find that in some pro-
visions, in your judgment, improve
ments can be made. It is of course
your right, and properly so, that the
bill as you finally pass it shall rep
resent your judgment as the best
civil service proposal that can be
enacted, but I urge upon you that
the fundamental principles of merit
and of civil service, should be care
fully regarded in any revisions that
you undertake.
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