Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-08
ANOTHER REPORT.

The Investigating Com nsSttee Agdssa Speak
No More Breakers for the AMdtt0r Until
otter. Electson-A Small TaH to O. Bfg
Kite.
An adjourned meeting of the county com.
missioners was held yesterday. It was $50
when quorum was got together. Nearly all
the afternoon was occupied by rambling dis
cussion over the location of highway through
land owned by W. W. MoNair, some distance
out of the city and Sit uated on the line of the
Osseo branch The matter was finally referred
to committee to act with the supervisors.
Before adjournment Commissioner Lydiard
said he had report to present, and remarked
that the board could hardly have meeting
without some kind of report" The report
begins by saying that pending the opinion of
the county attorney as to conducting the
investigation, and pending their final report,
the public demand response to the report of
the auditor submitted at the last nesting. Il
says he states four cases where he has abated
the interest and penalty of taxes, aggregating
large sum, and that an abatement of a PEN
atty is nothing more nor less than an abate-
ment of the tax. 1t states the auditor has adj
mitted all the specific charges made in their
first report. 1t believes ali should be treated
alike, and that one taxpayer should not be ia
vored at the expense of others. No one is
charged with corruption. but if the auditor is
allowed the power of abating one tax, he might
abate others for consideration. The system is
claimed to be wrong, and Examiner Knox is
attacked for not taking steps to make it better
IF the ommissioners abate tag, the people
have means of appeal; but there is no appeal
from the auditor. Concluding, it makes a
thrust at Commissioner Austin for not acting
with them, and states that they will make no
report until after election, as it might be con-
sidered as political document.
\ L.
port was made. Il contains nothing new. IF
the auditor has admitted the substance of the
charges against him, the people needed
no response from the committee.
IIf the charges against the auditor
have been proven, why should the committee
make another statement in the nature of de-
fense. 1t must be considered as Defense for
| no additional charges are made--on the contra
~, it is not SO severe as the original report
and because it tells what they propose to do,
and what they propose to meet, in order that
the people may take no alarm. But the peo-
pie are waiting for something else. They now
want something besides the abatement of four
taxes. The committee promised their first re-
port was only the beginning. No one wants
them to intrench themselves but to go forth
and strike right and left.
The original report said fraud had been
committed with the knowledge of the men
now in Office" They now accuse no ono of
fraud, but attack the system. The system liz
not what the people are after just now. Sys-
TENS can't be changed in moment. But hon.
est men are wanted in effice. An election is
near at hand, and if bad men are up for office,
they should be defeated.
The greatest blunder of this report however,
i. the statement that nothing further will be
done until after election, as it might have a
political significance. What is all
this rumpus in county affairs
about? It was supposed it was
to show mo dishonesty and thereby secure the