St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-27
ms FIGHTING OUTS.
Present and Last City Treasures
Having Their Inn
ings.
Refs Accuses Miller of Scheming
to Secure Two More
Clerks.

Just why City Treasurer Miller
should use the fact that he is not al
lowed sufficient clerk hire as an excuse
for an attack upon ex-City Treasurer
Refs, seems rather strange. But to the
outsider it looks as if this is precisely
what he is doing. The assembly COM
mittee on claims had the matter up yes
terday afternoon. and while no con-
cluSiOn was arrived at it is pretty safe
to predict that the city treasurer will
be allowed additional clerk hire. MIR.
Refs presented this statement to the
committee:
come before you today upon the in
vitation of your chairman. the Hon.
MIR. Lightner, to give you such eX-
PLANTATION as you may ask in regard to
the index books for which extra clerical
help is asked to cross out references.
would here state that have nothing
to say, whatever, against the allowance
of any extra clerk hire wherever the
same may be legltimately required, but
do most emphaticaly protest against
the allowance of any extras at the eX-
penSe of my reputation and appeal to
the good sense and fairness of your
committee not to allow yourselves to be
used in any way that might make you
accessories to a series of ISLANDERS on
my reputation and which would tend to
implicate you in any way. l will
briefly state to you the principal points
in this matter III which l have been
miSrepresented, as follows:
MIR. Miller tries to make people be-
lieve that the references in the index
books should be crossed out. while no
bouakeeper will say that such is custom
or practice. He tries to make people
believe that the reference books are
cash books or ledgers, while they are
nothing but indexes to the asse- sment
records. Gen. Bend says they are only
Indexes and have nothing to do with the
cash department, and for this reason
were passed by in The examination.
Gen. Bend repeats that the account
books of the office were all in good
Shape and these are but index books.
Mr.. Miller tries to make people be-
lieve that these references were not
crossed out through negligence. while it
was stopped several years ago because
it was found to be all unsafe and dau-
gerouS practice. He tries to make peO-
pie believe thar a great number of ref
erences had to be looked over in order
to find what was due. This is not true,
| becadse the references to the unpaid as
sessments we're brought down on new
line from time to time.
He tries to make people believe that
it takes half an hour to find anything.
while it never took more than two or
three minutes to find a description.
which can be proved TO any ones satis=
faction by doing it over again. He has
been trying to make people believe that
the paid assessments were not posted.
while they are TO the last minute of my
term. He has tried to make it appear
as if there were no books in which these
payments were posted, while they were
in use continually and were thoroughly
posted and checked up. He has tiled
to make people believe that the books
were in bad shape, by takin people
aside and showing them old and worm
out pages of index books in daily use
for nearly ten years, some of which are
considerably worn, in order to create a
bad impression and to make people be-
lieve that everything was in the same
shape.
He has tried to make people believe
that the assessments were poorly col
lected, while there was nothing due or
delinquent on which judgment had
been entered which was not sold.
He tries to make people believe that
certain things were done without sane
ton of law, while they were done in
open court and open and above board.
There is no provision of law requiring
the treasurer to make any record or
transfer of owners names. They have
been kept up voluntarily, at consider
able expense, because they have proved
to be of great value to the city, and
these books, according TO the testimony
of disinterested parties, are in better
shape than any Other-Iike set in the
county and upon which much more has
been spent for work.
1t Is necessary that something be
spent upon these books from time to
time as portions of them become filled
up or too much worn from daily use. 1t
is legitimate and correct that the city
should pay for the extra labor of which
she derives the benefit. Ii anything is
to be allowed for clerical help for this
purpose l have nothing to say, but
would protest to the bitter end any al