St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-09
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The Grand Jury Should Compel
County Officers to Do Their
nutV

Duty.
Col. Edward J. Davenport, clerk of
the district court. treats with the utmost
contempt the order of the board of
county commissioners commanding him
to Immediately file with the county
auditor a sworn statement in detail of
all costs, fees and perquisiteS received
by him during the year 1887 He says
that his deputies have all the work that
they can possibly attend to. and that he
does not intend to hire an extra clerk to
make out such a statement just for the
satisfaction of the public.
So probably the taxpayers of Henne-
pin county will be compelled to remain
in doubt as to whether tine clerks office
pays $40, 900 year or $4,000, for with
our present milk and water board of
county commissioners the barOnS who
occupy these county offices Will all,
probably, follow the example set by the
clerk of court and give as an excuse for
not making out statement of the re-
ceiptS of their offices, that they will not
have time to attend to it until after
election, and after the election is held,
if Davenport, Lane, Hanke, Savage,
Hay and Underwood, who are candl-
dates for the legislature, are found to
NC GlGCtSu. VIII OO iiO iOOo VI
making out the statements, for the law
will then certainly be repealed, which
gives the board of county commission
ers authority to compel the filingHf
such statements.
The law referred to is chapter s,
section 265, 266 and 267 of the general
statutes, and reads as follows: "Sec.
265. County officers to report perquisites.
1t is hereby made the duty of the clerk
of court, probate judge, sheriff and
register of deeds of the several counties
of the state, to report TO the county
commissioners of their respective
counties, on the first day of January of
each year during their official term, a
certified and sworn statement in detail
of all the costs, fees. percentages,
penalties, allowances or other per-
QuiSites of every kind charged i'll his
Office during the preceding year.
Sec. 266. Penalty for making no
statement or a false one. If any of said
officers shall, with intent to violate this
act, fail to furnish the statement herein
required at the time and in the manner
herein specified; or If any of said officers
shall wilfully make any such statement
false in any material matter, knowing
the same to be so, he shall, upon con-
victiOn in the court of common pleas or
district court of such county, be adj
judged guilty of misconduct in office,
and shall 5e condemned to pay a fine
of not less than $500 nor more than
$1,000.
''Sec. 267. Aggregate amount of per-
ouisites to be published. 1t shall be
the duty of the county commissioners
of the several counties in this state to
publish in the official paper of the
county during the first week Of Janu-
AIRY in each year the aggregate amount
received by each of said officers, accord
ing to their sworn statements, as re-
quired by Section l of this act"
By an amendment to this law the
Judge of probate of this county is now
paid salary, so that he is not required
to furnish a statement, but the law still
holds good against the other three Off
GERS, neither of whom have filed state
ment for either the years 1886 or 1887.
The last statement filed by the clerk
of court was for the year 1885, and
showed the receipts of his Office for
that year to be S11, 451. 1t is well known
that the business in the clerks Office is
now about One-third greater than it
was at that time, and that the last legiS-
lature increased the receipts of this
Office MATERIAL; so the receipts must be
more than double what they were in
1885.
The last statement filed by the regis
ter of deeds was for the year 1885, and
showed the receipts of his Office for
that year to be SO, 434.73.
The statement filed by Sheriff StOd-
dard for the year 1854 gave as the re-
ceiptS for that year the magnificent sum
of sd. 95S.46. 1t should be taken into
consideration, however, that the sheriff
at that time boarded all the city prison.
ers, who were then sentenced to work
out their sentences at breaking stone,
and who are now sent to the city work.
house.
1t is the general opinion that these
three officers are receiving great deal
more money for the work actually done
than any public officers in the state,
unless it is the state oil inspector, and if
this prevailing opinion is an erroneous
one it is because of the failure of these
officers to file statement of their re-
ceiptS, as they should have done. The
! law is very plainin regard to the filing
of these statements, and the grand jury
which meets next week will have no ex-
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