The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-12
COUNTY ATTORNEY
KANE CALLS A HALT
ON THE JAIL GRAF
Declares Contracts Must Be
Wound Up and Useless Ex-
pense to the County Stopped
Work lnexcusabIy Delayed.

The graft in connection with the
construction of Ramsey county's new
quarter of "a -million-dolla jail must
cease.
This is the declaration of County At
tcrney Kane, and he has told the mem
bers, of the county board so in Ian
guage which left no doubt as to his
meaning.
81 want this Jail contract closed UP,
and closed up pretty quick, too, SAID
Mr. Kane in addressing the county
commissioners. "The county has been
robbed long enough and it is time TO
call halt. If you fellows don't 90
something towards closing this con-
tract, and do it right away, you Will
hear from our Office"
"I think it should be closed, myself"
said Commissioner Pottgieser
''Wel, if you think so, why don't the
board take some action in the matter
and not allow it to drag along month
after month, with its expense to the
taxpayers?" said Mr. Kane. "The board
has given away enough in penalties 10
have made a substantial showing III
the reduced cost of the structure, and
now, with the work practically COM
pleted, nothing is being done to close
the contract and do away with the ex-
pense of a superintendent of construc-
ton, who receives SIS per day for doing
nothing Every day this contract is
allowed to remain open means an addi-
tional and useless expense to the eoun-
ty, and the time has arrived When
halt is going to be called, even if our
office has to step in and take hand IN
the matter"
County Attorney Kane says the loose
methods of doing business by the coun-
ty commissioners has cost the county
thousands of dollars in the conStruc-
ton of the Jail.
"The structure should have been
completed and accepted by the county
months ago." declared Mr.. Kane, but
hardly contract which has been let
in connection with it's construction has
been completed on time. In every IN
stance where contract was let,
provision was made that required the
contractor to pay penalty in the event
of any failure to complete his contract
at a given time, but not ane cent OF
these penalties has ever been collected.
When the question of enforcing the
penalties came up before the county
board the commissioners simply voted
to allow more time, and no penalty has
been collected
1--WE have stood for. all of this, but
now, when the Jail is practically COM
pleted, and has been for months, we
are still paying superintendent of
construction SIS per day because a por-
ton of the sodding or some small
plumbing contract Is as yet incom-
plete And nothing is being done to
have these jobs completed. A weeks
work four months ago, would have
completed the structure in every de-
tail, but this work is not yet done for
some reason or other, and until it is
the county will continue to pay out
money for nothing"
The county board is expected to heed
the warning of Mr.. Kane and take
some action regarding the closing of
the jail contract at its regular meet
ing tomorrow, but should it fail to do
so, County Attorney Kane will take the
matter into his own hands.
"This new Jail has already cost too
much" said Mr.. Kane. Il fail to see
where it is any great credit to coun-
ty to advertise that it has the finest
iail in the Northwest The class of
people usually accommodated in a jail
are not entitled to all the luxuries of
the world" !.