Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-21
THE EXPERT.
HIS Report to the Committee on account.
If City officers.

HIS Report to the Committee on accounts
If City officers.
The committee on accounts of city officers
of the city council, employed Chas. Chap
man as an expert in looking into affairs of
the various city officers. His report was
submitted at the last meeting of the coun-
Gil, and as it contains suggestions of i'm
portance the GLOBE publishes it in full as
follows:
A. R. Camp, Chairman Committee on Ac-
count of City Officers:
DEAR SIR: l have examined the books in the
municipal court as you directed me to do, and
find that the accounts and records have been
kept rather loosely. The criminal records show
good many cases where the defendants were
sentenced to pay fine or in default to go to
JAIL and the records do not show that the fines
were paid or the defendants committed. There
are great many cases where the records show
that the defendants were committed to Jail,
but the Jail records do not show that they ever
were confined. And there is nothing in the
records to show whether the Judge RENTED
the sentence or whether the police let them
go.
l think, if not inconsistent with the duties
of the Judge. that he should keep a criminal
record himself, showing the sentence in each
case. And that he should in all cases when he
discharges prisoner from the lookup give a
a written order and that the chief of police be
instructed not to discharge any prisoner with
out such order and that he (the chief should
file such orders in his Office and make the prop
er entries in his records.
Without wishing to cast any reflections on
any of the officers of the municipal court, or
any of the police force, l think the records
should be kept in such manner that there
would be no temptetion or opportunity for any
one to receive any money from prisoner
cept in payment of fines ordered by the
court.
The way the records have been kept, there is
a very good opportunity, both for the clerk and
the police to put money in their pockets if they
wished to. There are some cases where parties
have been fined quite large fines and consider
able costs have accrued that have been appeal
ed, and the records do not show whether they
have been prosecuted to final decision not.
If the City Attorney does not know how these
cases stand would it not be well for him to look
the matter up, and if he has record, and any
of the cases have been determined. to have the
records in the municipal Court completed.
There are a good many cases where the costs
have exceeded the deposits. Whether it would
be profitable to try and collect them or not
opinion ON that matter would advise you.
There are in the hands of the ex-clerks quite
an amount of deposits, probably $500 to
$1,000. And there some 81 900 of costs in
the cases now on the books. don't know
what part of the costs could be turned into the
treasury at this time, but think several hun
bred dollars of it might be-
The book that Mr.. Wilson made, showing the
cases now on the books and the amount of
costs due the city, is not quite what it should
be. In addition to what it does show it should
show the amount of deposits in each case that
remain unexpended.
l suggested to the present and ex-clerks to
- <>f
deposit remaining in each If they do
that, and the result be carried on to the book,
it will then show the amount to be turned
over to the present clerk.
CHARLES CHAPMAN.
The GLOBE does not desire to be specially
critical of this most excellent critic, but
would merely suggest that if he, as an ex-
pert, employed by a council committee, had
confined himself to arriving at the exact
facts, and kindly allowed the committee to
generalize thereon he would have more fully
performed the duty he was paid to perform.
AS it was, this man Chapman was employed
utterly in clerical capacity to ascertain
facts. These facts, it appears, he was not
able to ascertain without the assistance of
the clerk of the municipal court, who was,
at the last meeting of the council,
allowed the sum of $50 for doing the work
the expert (?) was paid to do. Mr.. Chapman
then generalizes and expresses has opinion
as to what the Judge and clerk of the court
should be compelled to do, and casts slur
upon the entire police force.
All things considered, it appears to the
GLOBE that it wou d heve been in good taste
for Mr.. G. to attend to the business he was
employed to discharge, which certainly was
not to cast imputations upon the characters
Of good citizens and efficient officials.