The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1941-06-12
OUR CONGRESSMAN
News Letter Written for The Ely Miner by
WILLIAM A. PTTTENGER
Member of Congress, Eighth Minnesota District


For months, we have given atten-
ton to the needs of the airports in
northern Minnesota, and have urged
upon National Defense officials the
value of such a program to the Gov
eminent. War department officers
some time ago gave recognition to the
Importance of the airports at Hibbing,
Eveleth, and Duluth. and funds are
now available to increase the size of
these fields.
When announcement was made by
the United States Civil Service Com
mission on May Goth that applications
would .be received for position of stem
ographer, I Immediately forwarded
that information to the newspapers of
the district, made arrangements with
Mr.. Bailey, the Contact Representa-
tive of the Civil Service Commission
whose Office is just a couple of doors
away from mine, for supply OF
blanks, and up to date, over one hun
dred applicants have been accommo-
dated.
All of the newspapers recently carried
the statement that the Federal Food
Stamp Plan would be put in opera
ton in June in all the counties ir
the Eighth Congressional District
This is administered by the Surplus
Marketing Administration at Wash.
ington. Locally, the County Welfare
agencies are in charge. We have beer
working on this problem since Novem'
Der, 1899. But government agencie:
move slowly. Mr. Milon Perkins
President of the Federal Surplus Com.
modities Corporation, experimental
with the Plan in eight large cities II
the United States in the summer O
1899. But the City of Duluth wa
one of them. We contacted Mr.. Per
kins in August, 1899, and the authori
ties of Duluth, and also ST. Loui
County made their applications for tn
Food Stamp Plan. On May 10th, 1910
Mr.. Perkins approved the applications
st. Louis County was the first Count:
in the country to operate under tn
Food Stamp Plan. The neighborln
counties of Cook, Lake, Carleton
Itasca, and Koochiching, became in
terested and my Washington oftic
has co-operated with their citizen
during the past several months, and il
March of this year, their application
were approved.
| Lindsay Warren, Comptroller Genera
of the United States, made a ruling O
February 26th of this year that bene
fitted several hundred people
northern Minnesota. He isSuer a
order that all death and personal in
Jury claims for loss in the fires thu
swept northern Minnesota on Octobe
18th, 1918, set by government-operate
railroads, should be paid by the Ger
eral Accounting Office. want to max
brief explanation of this ruling, fl
the readers of this Comment" ma
have some friends who have none
coming as a result of Mr.. Warren
decision. Claimants must file owe
their own signature request for IT
consideration and payment.
After seven years of work, we SUI
ceeded in securing passage in tt
House of Representatives on Augu'
goth, 1885, of bill which provide
that all persons with whom settle
ment had been made by the Directt
General of Railroads as a result
Gloss" by the 1918 fires, and who ha
received partial payment of the 10!
should be paid the balance. This hi
appropriated approximately eleve
million and five hundred thousan
dollars for that purpose. Presider
Roosevelt signed the measure and
bacame a law on August 9th, 1913
Thereafter, property losses were pail
butt Comptroller General j. r. M
Carl ruled that death and personal ir
juries would not be paid. We proteste
that ruling. McCarl's term of off1C
expired We took the case up with h
successors. but they refused to altt
his decision. In the meantime, al
torneys representing many claiman'
started law suits against the Gener'
Accounting Office, and were successfl
in all of them. One case was tried
the District of Columbia. Another We
heard by the Circuit Court of Appea
at st. Louis, Missouri. In that case
appeared as "amicus curae," Frien
of the Court, and submitted brie
The court decided favorably to til
claimants on February 10th, 1914
Thereafter Mr.. Warren reversed Nj
Carl's ruling.
This new ruling applies only
death and personal injury claims whic
were rejected by the General Account
ing Office after August 9th, 1885.
a claimant had an attorney file h