St. Paul daily globe., 1893-08-24
Ex-TREasURER REFS.
Failure of the Executive Commit,
tee to Act.

Failure of the Executive Commit
tee to Act.
The council committee appointed to
investigate the allegations made by
Conrad w. Miller relative to the man.
agement of the city treasury by ex-City
treasurer George Refs did nothing at
last nights meeting. and after a propo-
sltlon had been made to adjourn for two
or four weeks 1t was decided to not
meet again until the chairman of the
committee shall call tine members to-
gether. George Refs was not present
last night, being out of tine city, and the
committee did not desire to proceed in
his absence. Chairman Daily had re-
ceiYed from him, however, statement
In reply to the charges of Mr.. Miller rel
ative to the money paid for making out
and serving personal notices. In his
statement Mr.. Reis says:
The claim is made that l am not en- :
Titled to the money for personal serv-
vices and for making out the notices.
Ihe contrary was shown in causes tried
in the courts where the records were
carefully examined. If were not en-
titled to the money then all the money
paid by the city from 1871 to the pas
sage of the Bell charter in 1892 for these
services would have to be returned by
the persons to whom the same was paid.
If MIR. Miller had stopped to inform
himself he would have found that the
money allowed for these services was
used in paying for all the work, and
that in carrying out the work, as it was
then considered necessary, the amount
allowed by these bills did not make up
for the cost of the work.
Much more stress was formerly placed
upon the necessity of personal notice.
and for quite number of years it was
considered an absolute necessity.
This continued to be the case uutif
the decisions OF the courts showed that
such notices were not necessary. The
passage of the Bell charter did away
with the necessity of any personal notice
by allowing postal card notices in place
of this.
A long time ago, when but few as
sessmentS were made and but few per
sohal notices were to be given. it was
easy for one or two men to do all tile
work connected with the making out
and serving of the notices, but with the
great number that were made from 1884
to 1890, the rapid changes or ownership
during that time, and the continual and
quickly-shifting population during this
period made it very difficult and often
impossible to reach people, with
out making an effort to SYSTEM
aticaliy keep up a record of owners
names and residences and thus enable
these notices to be properly addressed
The money allowed for serving these
notices was used to pay the salaries of
the men who carried the notices, as
we'll as those who assisted in keeping
the necessary books from which the
proper addresses were furnished. The
amount SO allowed and received was
less than what it actually did cost.
As to the legality of the bills
allowed by . the common council.
1t ought to DE sufficient to satisfy any
one, that as members or as chairmen OF
the committee OF claims these bills have
been examined and passed upon by the
following members of the council at
different times, namely Judges Cornish.
Korr, Otis and Sanborn. The legal de-
partment passed upon the same many
different times and the matter extends
over the life of many different admins
trations. common councils and legal d g.
partmentS.
In addition to che above, this very
same matter and the salaries paid out
of the bills so allowed by the common
council, have been fully examined into
by the district court and fully gone into
in a lengthy decision {copy hereto at
tached). which was sustained by the
supreme court.
Nothing further can be accomplished
but to keep up malicious persecution,
and make as much annoyance and
trouble as possible.
Any copies of vouchers, papers or de-
cisions that may be wished for by the
committee will be furnished whenever
desired.