St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-11
ERASED BY AUTHORITY
or LAVALLEE, so SAYS BURNS @
THE BLUE PENCIL.
RECORD READ TO THE BoAg-

The County Auditor Testifies Tha
| Every Erasure in Blue Pencil
| Was of Taxes Abated by the
State Auditor-Some of These
Taxes Had Been Paid-Hearins @.
Not Completed.
At the Burns investigation yesterday
| Commissioner Lauer testified subStan-
TALLY AS the other commissioners had
| previously testified; he knew the COM
| misslonerS had stricken off some names
where the tax was abated or could not
De collected: did not know about any
other than those names in red INK; did
| not know that McDermOtt, O'Leary and
Lauer had been stricken from the list
until he read it in the papers abo ut
three weeks ago.
.Lavallee was called for cross-exam-
lnatlon. Filed the report in the county
auditors office i'll the presence of Egan
and Jessrang. Lavallee denied emphat-
ically that he had called Burns atten-
ton to the necessity for striking off any
names, and repeated his assertions of
the previous day. that Burns erasures
were made without authority.
Admissions were made as to what h
FACTS were as to the actions of the board,
that they did not personally know as to
each name authorized to be stricken
from the roll, and as to what Mayor
Wrlght'S testimony would he. aud that
he did not personally tell Mr.. Burns
what names were to be stricken from
the roll.
Here the prosecution rested.
Burns sworn in his own behalf, testi :
| fed as to his duties as county auditor.
and that he was clerk of the board of
county commissioners and secretary of
the board of abatement. Testified as to
the usual method of reports and record
and time of meeting. The board meets
hTst and third Monday in each month,
and adJourns from day to day, if &C.
caslon demands, and at the next regular
meetings The proceedings, having been
published. are read and corrected, ii
need be, and are then recorded in the
commissioners record, In this case the
board met on the Sd, adjourned to the
9th. proceedings published Oh the 18th
ana read to the board and recorded III
the record on the 18th. Copy of the Of
| hclal paper admitted to be a true COPY
and filed in evidence. In-this publica-
ton and on this record which was read
before and approved by the board, all of
the blue pencil names, as well as the
red ink names. and those concerning
which question has been raised, ap-
pear.
The list from which the names had
been stricken in blue pencil, being the
return from the clerk of the district
court on which warrants were to issue,
was here shown to with ess. He re-
ceived tliiS list from the clerk of the
court June 5. and presented it to the
board at its first meeting and It was by
them referred to the committee on tax
alton to make such corrections as might
be necessary. 1t contained some names
which had been i'll dispute which the
state auditor had ordered abated and
some of duplicate assess ments and some
which had been paid since the list was
made out. On the morning of July 3,
before the meeting of the board. Com
| missioner Lavaflee, chairman OF the
committee on tax eS, came into his office
and in the presence Of two clerks,
Egan and Jessrang, LavaIlee and he
examined the list and these taxes which
had been in dispute but which were
ordered abated by the state auditor
were stricken Off by him in blue pencil
under the direction of Lavallee: those
which had been paid. among them Moves
Bros. & Cutler ct al, were III like man.
ner stricken off. and some were
ordered stricke II off by Lavallee for
good and Suffi cent reasons given by
him. The witness took up each name.
and stated the facts as to each Nc
Dermott was said by Lavailee to be on
the list three times, and he ordered that
stricken off, and McDermott a. Knsella
for the sam reason. None were stricken
off except as ordered by Lavailee. or
known by the witness to have been
paid or abated, or to be subject tc abate-
ment. This revision was made in or
der that expense and annoyance might
be saved for executions were to be is
| sued on what renamed of the list. In
favoritism or corruptly. O'Leary's
name was stricken off, Lavallee said, in
consequence of statement made by
him before the board. Lavallee after
wards came to his desk specially to see
about that name. and to see that
it was stricken off. Wergedahl
and some other names noted were
| stricken off. which were OF abated bv
the hoard, but for reasons given by Mr..
Lavallee. Witness said he did not
strike the names off except as lie was
acting under the direction of the COM
mittee. He suggested some names, but
they were those that were abated or
were known to be subject to abatement
under the law. After the completion of
the checking, the report or list was
| placed before the board, considered and
acted OH. their action published, and
afterward approved by the board of
county commissioners. A question was
raised by Mr.. Edgerton whether the
commissioners had in fact approved the
t proceedings of the Sd. which resulted
in long wrangle. The hearing was
adjourned until Monday at IL a. M,
without completing the testimony of
| Burns.