The Saint Paul globe., 1903-01-22
JOHNSON GOES AFTER
The SCALP WORN
BY Mr.. RALPH
Drainage Commission Dis
cusses the Case That Is
Being Pushed Against En-
gineer-Is Charged With
Having Several Sources of
Income From His Office.

The state drainage commission. con-
sisting of Gov. Van SAINT. State Treas
| urer Hanson and State Auditor Iver-
son, held a session yesterday and dis
cussed matters connected with state
| drainage" as Gov. Van SAINT put it.
The particular phase of the drainage
business discussed, however. was in re-
lation to a change in the engineer of
the commission. Public Examiner
Johnson and one of his expert account
ants were before the commission for q
couple of hours, as was also w. Z.
Merrill, of Minneapolis, who represet-
ed the attorney generals office in the
hearing on the indictments found
against George A. Ralph, in Polk
county.
Ralph, who beside being the engi-
neer for the state drainage commits
sion, has been engaged in doing work
on the county bitches in the northern
and western part of the state, was in
dicted for presenting false accounts to
the board of county commissioners of
Polk county.
The indictments were dismissed by
Judge Watt Tuesday on motion of A.
Y. Merrill after the court had ruled
against the motion for a change of
venue, and also that in the trial Of the
defendant on the indictments it would
not be admissible for the state to in
troduce evidence tending to show that
there had been transactions other than
those mentioned in the three indict-
ments.
The facts in the cases on which the
indictments were found against Ralph
were gone over before the drainage
commission yesterday and the state
public examiner and his expert ac-
countant submitted figures for the
commission to examine.
Owing to the departure Of Gov. Van
SAINT for st. Louis no definite action
was taken last evening, but the COM
mission will hold an adjourned session
Monday, when the matter Of making
change in the office Of engineer for the
commission will be discussed and de-
cided.
johnson Warns Up.
None of the members of the COM
mission would talk last evening as to
the matters discussed, but when the
attention of Public Examiner Johnson
was called to a printed statement to
the effect that the charges against
Ralph were persecution rather than
prosecution, Mr.. Johnson warmed up
a bit.
Il believe there are from 250 to 800
different charges of the same kind on
which indictments were brought
against Mr.. Ralph. The three indict-
ments were dismissed against Mr.
Ralph on motion of the attorney rep
resenting the state. AS to whether
there will be other indictments found
have nothing to say"
A state official who is thoroughly
conversant with the charges made
against Ralph said last evening:
'The records show that in one case
Mr.. Ralph charged three different
counties for services on the same day
and also on the same day secured from
Judge Watt an %. X to a~bill for work
done on a ditch which was ordered by
the court It was on this case that a
motion was made to have the trial of
the indictments heard before some
judge other than Judge Watt on the
ground that he, being a material wit
ness, was not qualified to hear and try
| the case. The court, however, ruled
that evidence of this character would
not be admissible, and, this being the
| case, he was qualified to act as the
| trial Judge"
Engineer Ralph has been employed
| by the state drainage commission at a
salary of $3.50 per month since Sep
! tember, 1901. and has given entire sat
| isfaction. The charges made against
| him by the public examiner are such
| that it is quite likely that the commits
| sion will make change in the position
| of engineer.