The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-11-13

I
sess Homesteads on which: the fina
proof had not been made. I receive,
, information from source which sup
posed to be reliable and sufficient, tina
the practice of older Counties in til,
;; State was to assess homesteads where
though final proof was not made, ye
were clearly capable Of such proof
Hence the instruction. =,
This proved to he mistake and til
County Commissioners properly abate(
the tax. The work of correcting the Tai
Book was performed by myself in near
~ I'LL cases while assisting Mr.. Wake,
in the office. You proceed to say, ''IIe
expected to. have made the Homestead.
ers Fay an illegal tax of from SIS to $40
each to enable him to get per cent.
added to his own pay which was in,
creased several hundred dollars by this
transaction" The. statute fixes the
Auditors compensation, at six mills on
the dollar valuation on TIE first one
hundred thousand dollars of taxable
property in the county and ! of one mill
on all sums III excess Of one hundred
Thousand dollars till the valuation
reaches one and one half million dollars,
These amounts would then b. subject
to percentage Of Of one mill on the
dollar, The aggregate valuation of
these HoMesteads us entered o. the tax
Book is less than twenty thousand dol
lars
Now on twenty thousand dollars / of
one mill will produce $6,66. My term
OF Office expired ol, March l, 1878, four
mon his after the tax list for 1877 be-
came due 50 that only one third of the
above sum viz: $2,22 instead Of several
hundred was added.
2. lon say "Mr. Bear placed on the
tax list land on which, the fntl proof
hal been made up to the last day before
turning the list over to the county
Treasurer"
This l deny. But did under the in
str,ction Of State Auditor Whitcomb,
put sncl, land on to the tax list snMe
time in the mouth of July until the
year 1876. think, when Mr.. Whitcumb
saw tit to report Il change in his instruc-
lions and the practice at once ceased.
3. You say, Mr.. E. s. Mills, Chair
man Of the Board of Audit. Now
add to Audit the Bonks and Accounts
of County Treasurer and you have the
sense OF the law in the ase.-s'Not-
withstahding Mr.. Bears protest and
! his solemn assurance that they were
correct" How strange that Mr.. Bear
should assert that the County Treasu.
rer's Books and accounts We're correct.
What business had he with the Treasu-
rer's Books and accounts except us 4
member ut the auditing Board and
when that Board was in session. GER
calmly 40 more than with the Books
and accounts Of the Clerk of the Dis.
trict Court. The statement is Il fabri-
cation. Again, you say, ''they werp
found mo e than Il Thousand dollars
short OF being correct" What were
found short? Why the Books and &C.
counts Of the County Treasurer! for
for what else had this Board Of Audit
supervision of.
More than a thousand dollars Short
Tins does great injustice tn the Treas
ufer for the recorded and final balance
on the approved record is S444 and il
fraction which the Treasurer !, ade
good. But, dear sir, what has all this
about the Treasurer's Books and ac-
counts to do with me.
Now, us to the part acted when in
session with the Board OF audit or with
the Special Committee: refer to Mr..
Is. N. Carrier, a member of said Board
all the time was in office, and Mr.. A.
&. Robinson whose term of office rs
County Commissioner began when Mr..
Mlli's term began and continued after
faft bo II Il
IL. u. UumistOn County Treasurer.
during the whole time was in ollice
4. You say, "abvut the I'D Of Dec,
1877, l'!e Board OF Audit made Il settle
n'ent OF the County accounts and again
found them short of being correct to
the amount Of 5 40. A bill Of the ei.-
tire business was made &c. It was
left with Mr.. Bear for presentation to
the County Commissioners. 1t WAS
pigeon-holtd and never presented.:'
This lmost emplaticaiiy deny, unda.
yer that there never SAN instance dur
ing my term of service as County Aud
ltOr when Il paper or item Of D4si, ess
was withheld frt m the mmissiontls
That belonged to them. But why not
say What was the fact viz: that an and
IT of the Books and accounts of the
county Treasurer was made, for that
was just What was done and the amount
or thereabout mentioned above was SUP
posed to he found short. 10 this tile
Treasurer demurred and called atten.
tl0n to errors III the work. 4 revision
OF the audit was made and the bucks
found to balance and the whole matter
came before he Commissioners. Find
the report Of this audit OF file in audi
tors Office and signed by Chairman Of
Board
S. You say, ''During Mr.. Bears first
term us Auditor he let contracts for
bridges without advertising" Mr..
Bear never iet a contract fora Bridge
while in Office save one. Sometime dur
ink the last year of lis I'd teriu and
then it was 10y the authority of County
commissioners. lie bound the county
to nothing and had no power to bind it.
MIR. Bear made no condition with
contractors about drawing the lumber.
and Mr.. Bears sou did not draw the
lumber nor was his team used to draw
It. For proof, inquire of Mr.. p. Il.
Swanson or Thomas Wills. farmers liv-
ing near he bridge, or Mr.. Tatro, who
II, the employ Of the contractor. drew
the lumber. Mr.. Eear did promise tn
use his Influence tn secure the building
OF Il bridge across the lake hut never
for elect 'nnerring purposes or to secure
votes and defy amy man truthfully to
say to the contrary. The bridge was
and is now Il pnblic necessity.
Tie contract was 1T by Mr.. I. p
Dnrfee. Mr.. james W. Miller and Mr..
Monroe J.. Miller and Mr.. Mills who
became Commissioner il place Of Mr..
NJ. l.. Miller II think superintended
the building.