St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-04
IN SECRET SESSION
The County Commissioners
Discuss Elmund's Bonds
AND FINALLY APPROVE
After Requiring Every Clerk
to Give a Personal
Bond.
A CERTAIN COMMITTEE
Will Practically Have Charge
Of the Treasurer's
Office.
FINALLY APPROVE
CERTAIN COMMITTEE

$500.030 has been approved. Edmund
and his friends. however. have nothing
to feel proud of. The approval of the
bond was secured through the most re-
markabIe chain of circumstances ever
known in the history Of Ramsey county.
Not only is it true that the county COM
missioners were forced TO go into exec
utive session to discuss the bondsmen,
but it's also fact that every clerk,
deputy or assistant, appointed by Ell
munu, must give personal bond
secured by competent sureties.
Nothing of the kind was ever required
In this county before. nor did the board
of county commissioners ever hold All
executive session over the bondslnen of
any incoming county official. 1t was
never necessary, and the fact that It
was necessary in this case Is of no par
ticular credit to the new county treas.
urer. In addition to the foregoing. 1t is
also true that Edmund vii. not be she
county treasurer in tact as mGeh IS he
might desire to be.
"A certain committee, coeaSting OF
Maurice Auerbach, Albert Sche!fer and
Tim Resrdon. will have an eye on
the county treasurer's Office. and, 10
fact, will have practical control OF
lt. Had not snch au arrangement
been effected, many Of tie bondsme n
would have retired FROM the bond and
Edmund would still be looking for sure
ties. These three men betrayed per-
sonal interest in tho matter at yester-
days meeting of the comIrlssione rs.
Albert Sclleifer, in the role of orator
and explainer. stood before the board
and took each bondsman in turn and
told of his possessions. His talk was of
q rambling nature, general in character.
AID not particularly satisfactory to the
board, but later on when the committee
proposed the arrangement referred to
and required personal bonds to be given
by the clerks, the commissioners ap-
proved the bond. but they
Were Absolutely Certain
of their ground before doing SO. 1t was
the first time on record where the Ram
sev county commissioners had the nerve
to question a county officials bond, and
two bankers who appeared before the
board were particular to express their
qualification that such care was being
exercised III guarding the interests of
the county of Ramsey. 1t has come to
a pretty condition of things when the
county commissioners are forced to go
into executive session to discuss the re-
liability of bondsmen. There should be
absolutely no question on that score, and
no bonGsman should be accepted, or
even thought of, unless he is known as
once to be reliable and worth over and
above the amount he represents on the
bond. The co nmiSSionerS disljked the
idea Of going into secret session. Tney
felt that they were open to t he public,
that they were transacting public busi-
ness of such nature that no secrecy
should BIZ observed, put it became
necessary, to preserve the respect and
dignity of the county, to discuss Ell
mund's bondsmen in secret. Some of
them were found to be worth less than
the amount they represented on the
bond. 1t is an odd situation, to say the
least.
MI. LllIuuu lldu given III Oub Ou il0*
quent occasions that he desired to ap-
point Maj. Libbey his chief deputy.
There is now some doubt as to whether
he will be allowed to carry out his in
tention, for it was understood at yester-
days meeting that, unless certain man
is appointed instead of Libbey. the oond
will go to smash to the extent Of nearly
$500, 900. 1t is also understood that, if
this certain man Is appointed, other
bondsmeh will Withdraw, SO that Treas
urer Edmund is not secure by any
means, even at this time, for the retire
ment Of bondsmen may occur at any
time. Some of the Doadsmen retired
when they became aware that they are
responsible for the full amount of the
bond instead of only the amount they
represent. From all of the foregoing it
is easily seen that Treasurer Elmund's
trials are not over by Jug full.