St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-25
He HIDES The FACTS.
Examiner Keny ems Report
on the Finances Of RAM
sey County.
He Starts Out With a Misrep-
re 3entation OF Printing
Charges,
And Works on the Theory
That He Must Find Some
ERRORS.
Methods Of Paying Out
Money Meet His Disap-
proval.


mitted the results of his examination OF
the affairs of the treasurer, auditor
and county commissioners of Ramsey
county. In the main he says he found
the books and accounts all straight, but
be thinks lie has turned up several cases
of failure TO abide by the law in the
matter OF disbursing funds, and he pro-
ceeds at length to eXpatiate upon them.
In some of these Kenyon may be right,
but in others he has displayed either
lamentaOle ignorance of The law and the
facts or has been guided by what h
seems to regard his especial function, viz:
Not to examine to see that all is right,
but to hunt out something wrong. He
seems to be haunted by the idea that
unless he can report something wrong,
he is not doing his whole duty. An eX-
ample of this is found in his report con-
corning charges made by the GLOBE
Publishing company for the publication
Of official county notices of delinquent
taxes and expiration of redemptions.
If Mr.. Kenyon is no nearer the facts in
:he other matters to which he refers,
his Office is farce and his examinations
piece of bungling expense. In the re-
port he says:
"The bills for printing were inspect
ed, and there were apparent over
charges in some of them, While in those
involving measurements under trade
rules and settled on contract basis
there may be errors of mag aitude, which
would only appear by submitting the
bills to an expert for remeaSurement
and veritication. Many Of these bills
were measured by Mr.. Dreis,
whose action has been in some
some measure discredited by the
remeasurement of D. Ramaley. Many
bills appear without printed copy (Which
copy no doubt may be supplied in most
eases, AMI others appear to have beeu
settled OH contract basis, without re-
gard to the limit fixed bylaw. Among the
latter were the following: No. 1l16S,
allowed April {, 1890, to Globe Printing
company, for publishing notice Of eXpi-
ration of redemption, at S272.25. The
law chapter 1874, General Laws 1850 pro-
videS that the publisher shall receive %
cents for each description published,
and the list showed 234 descriptions,
which would make the bill $3.50, an eX-
cess of S213. 70. Also Voucher No. 1886,
allowed March 2. 1851, to same company
for similar work, at S419.56; the list
showing 472 descriptions, would limit
The bill TO S116 under the law; an over
charge of S:O156. Also Voucher No.
130lS. allowed March Z. 1892, at $547.S7
to same company, for similar list of
$50 descriptions, the legal charge
would be $3.50, an overcharge
Of S410.31, the allowance being S547.S7.
These Overcharges should have been cor
rected by the auditor, as the printed
statement at. the head of the list states
that % cents for each description is
added for the publication, and the list
published in 1888 for similar work, al
lowed May 5. 1888. i'll Voucher No. S99S,
was for the legal charge Of 25 cents per
description"
The most cursory examination Of the
files Of the GLOBE would have shown
Mr.. Kenyon that each of the pubica-
lions to which he refers was made three
times. not once. as his report would in
dicate. and that, instead Of 234 deScrip-
tons in tie first case. there were thlee
Zines that number, or TOP descriptions,
for which the county paid at % cents
which he refers, instead of 472 de-
scriptionS, the matter received three
insertions, and there we've LAG deScrip-
tons. In the third case, there were
LOO descriptions, instead OF $50, as
reported by Kenyon. 1t is incredible
that Kenyon did not know this. and
equally incredible why he should so
StultifY himself in submitting report
without reference to or suggestion Of
The law in the premises.
Balance of the Report.
The treasurer's accounts were verified
on numerous different days. sufficient
TO ascertain that the system adopted was
being followed and that the system pro-
duced proper results. Statements Of re-
ceiptS and payments are made daily to
the auditor and proper entries made IN
the auditors books each day. A some
what extended examination of claims
allowed by the commissioners
was made, and numerous in
stances of allowing claims defective
as TO being itemZed were found. Sec.
10. chap. s, General Statutes of 1878,
provides, "before any account. claim or
demand against any town or county of
this state, for any property or services
fer which sucn town or county shall be
liable, shall be audited or allowed by
the board of officers authorized by law
to audit and allow the same, the person
in whose favor such account, claim OF
demand shall be, or his agent, shall
reduce the same in writing to items,
and shall verify the same" Section
lis Of said chapter also provides that
''any member of such board who shall
audit and allow any account. claim or
demand required by this act to be item
Ized and verified, without the same hav-
ing been first duly itemized and verified,
shall be guilty of misdemeanor. In
many cases of claims for labor and ma
terial furnished there does not
seem to be any record or in
formation to show that the claim, if
It were itemjzed. would be legal claim
against the county. This omission is
particularly apparent in claims for la
Dor performed and material furnished
for roads and highways of which
the commissioners have supervision,