St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-09

with this sum. as the bank examiner re-
ported, it is fairly presumable that his
failure to make the proper entry, or
rather the failure of subordinate to do
so. was all act of incompetent office
management and not an intent 10 CON-
nit crime. The amount involved, the
fact of the sums coming from the
city in such forms that they could
easily be traced, and other cTeum-
stances in connection with this trans
action, convinces me that the treasurer
was guilty Of gross negligence in the
administration of the details of the
office, rather than desire to defraud /:
the county.
The custom of permitting county
officers to draw salaries before due
seemed to have attained in Hennepin I,
county in the past, and it is not likely
the treasurer was aware of the statute
providing to the contrary, and hold
him guiltlesS of any Intentional wrong
in this respect.
The more serious charge of receiving
interest, or gratuitieS, or presents from
various banks as an inducement for
placing county funuS in institutions Of
fering extra emolumentS, i'll addition to
the interest paid the county under con-
tract, merits the fullest consideration.
Clearly the taxpayers, after remunerat-
ing the treasurer for his services. are
entitled to every dollar Obtainable as
interest on the deposits received from
banks. sThere can be no doubt of
this. and the treasurer has clearly eX-
ceeded his right in appropriating any
sum as interest, or in any form, to his
own use. 1t is urged that the money
SO paid was i'm the form of presents, as
a consideration for acts of courtesy upon
the part of the treasurer to the bank
making the donation, but the uneven
amounts paid and the times of payment
suggest that the sums arrived at are at
tanned upon some basis of interest salts
factory to the contracting parties. While
it did not appear in evidence before the
commissioner, / am creditably Informed
that the habit of paying additional IN
tereSt to county treasurers by banks,
and the comforting OF favOrS is one that
has been i'll vogue for some time, and
| the fact has been generally known, and
no objection has been raised by the
| proper authorities. Acting in accord
ance with the custom of his predecessors,
! the treasurer juStlfieS his actions, and
| claims no intention to defraud the tax
| payers. 1t is, of course. no justi-
| fication for Peterson to plead the acts
| of others as reason for committing a
| crime against the state; the only Ques-
| ton being whether this fact might, in
| view of all the circumstances, be suffi-
| cient to declare him Intentionally guilty
| of malfeasance, and consequently SUBJ
| ject to indictment of criminal OffenSe. [
am inclined to think him guilty of in
competence and questionable practice
| rather than of deliberate intent to de-
| fraud the county.
Your honorable body might have
averted much of this difficulty by insist
ing upon complete system of account
ing in the office of the treasurer that
would have resulted in the books being
kept in condition more in accordance
with the needs Of county SO
large and prosperous as yours.
to advertise for bids for county funds at
stated times in accordance with the law,
and you have clearly neglected your
duty in this regard. The evidence
taken before the commissioner. the re-
port of the public examiner. and other
statements that have come to this office
from reliable sources, show that the
administration of the suspended treas
urer. Peterson. has been careless, in
competent and grossly negligent, butt
not in my judgment Intentionally dis
honest. l therefore instruct you to re-
store the said Ii. o. Peterson to the
Office of treasurer of Hennepin county
and reinstate him in his duties, with
this admonition, however: In the future
he will be held strictly accountable for
the good order of his Office and the rigid
adherence to the laws of the state so far
as they relate to his Official duties.
Yours respectfully.
WILLIAM r. MERRIAM,
Governor.
Mr.. Peterson, who will probably be
officially notified of Gov. Merriam's
opinion today, will at once take charge
of the treasurer's office and resume his
duties. The friends of MIR. Buxton, at
present the acting treasurer. be-
Iieves his exile from the Office will be.
short duration. Mr.. Peterson is quoted
as saying he regards Gov. Merria ms
act of reinstatement justification eX-
pected by himself, his attorneys and
persons familiar with the results of the
commissions investigation. He asserts
he desired denomination to the Office
for the sole purpose of vindication and
because he thought he was entitled to it.
He also believes the Republicans dur
ing the coming campaign"will be smart
enough to make a strong point out of