Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-29
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Il Lively MeetinG-GTaUe Charges against
State Examiner Kn0c-AudttOr McDon-
aid Also in a Cloud.
The board met at the court house a 1896
O'Clock.
apolis academy, the institution desiring to be
free from taxation. The question was refer
red to the county attorney.
An old man from the poor farm was present
and claimed he had been abused at the farm
The board knew all about the matter and
thought differently. The committee on poor
farm have charge ofEthe difficulty
The committee on the bridge
the counties of Hennepin and Wright report.
ed that it would be good economy to rebuild
the abutments with stone, if Wright county
will bear half the expense.
The committee on Jail and court house
reported that they had received bills on
frames, sash and glass for the new jail, and
recommended that the bid of Bradwell, Robin
son & Bro, be accepted. Their bid was
1895.
A BoMBSHEIL.
At this juncture of the meeting a report was
presented which created quite a stir. About
three months ago committee was appointed
to investigate alleged Irregularities in the col
lection of taxes, particularly when Mr.. Hunt
ington was treasurer. About the time the COM
mittee were ready to begin the investigator
State Examiner Knox arrived, and the COM
mittee thought it would be well to conduct
the investigation jointly with him. But Mr..
Knox, according to the report, did all he could
to discourage the investigation. He told them
that he should not go back so far as they want
ed to go, and also that their investigation
would be unsatisfactory and useless. And
further on the committee say that Mr.. Knox
seems to have taken upon himself the task of
whitewashing certain officials and throwing
mud at others. "We became satisfied that Mr..
Knox was not acting in good faith and SO with
drew from him facts and figures. The COM
mittee hope that next time he examines the
books of the county he will aim to get at facts,
and not base his conclusion on memoranda
furnished by others in the seclusion of the
Nicollet house."
These are only extracts from the scathing
criticism of the committee on the course pur-
sued by Knox while in this city.
The report, coming down 10 the management
of the county affairs, continues:
1.-The committee have no hesitation in saying
that if the tax accounts as shown by the audi
tors books are correct, the county has been de-
frauded in the payment of taxes with the
knowledge of the man now in office, and if not
correct an attempt has been made in the name
of the county to defraud certain tax payers.
Your committee are fully advised that tax
payers who have saved their receipts but whose
taxes have not been marked paid on the book
have had them SO marked by the present audi
tor on presenting their receipts"
No sooner was the reading of the report con-
cluded than Auditor Mcdonald sharply said
that SO far as it related to him it was as false
as hi. This aroused the committee and the
conversation increased In intensity until the lie
was freely exchanged. Auditor Mcdonald said
the report was got up in spirit of retaliation,
the report of Examiner Knox having indirectly
charged the members of the committee with
extravaganza. On the other hand the committee
say that the report Is only the first shot of the
skirmish, that big revelations will be made in
the future, and that they are ready to
prove beyond question all they
have said. As to Examiner
Knox, no one took up the cudgel in his defense
and that he did all he could to conceal the
frauds of the officials was undisputed. The
committee was not originally appointed to in
vestIgate the affairs of the present officials but
came upon the alleged frauds in their work
and now the revelation has begun, no one
knows what will come in the future.
The report was adopted and also a resolution
requesting the auditor to report at the next
meeting all cases where he has made abatement
of taxes without authority. What the auditor
will have to say will be awaited with interest