The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-03
.PUBLIC:EXAMINER
CHIlctsEs BOARDS
He Says Some of City Depart.
ments Violate Provision of
the City Charter.

las whole, believe the taxpayers
of the city OF St. Paul are to be con-
graduated upon the efficiency and care
fulness with which their officials trans
act the public business says Public
Examiner Samuel T. Johnson, in con-
Guiding" report to Mayor Smith and.
the common council on the public rec
ords. But this statement is qualified
by several charges of minor irregulari-
ties in the system of accounting en-
ployed by a few of the officials and
be ards, and assertions that he has dis
covered evidence of violations of the
charter provision which declares it ille
gal for any official or officer of the city
to be interested or concerned in any
contract with the city.
Concerning liquor licenses and the
collection of the license fees by the
city officials, Exeminer Johnson makes
some charges which are denied by City
Clerk Redhgton, License Inspector
Jessrang and Chief OF Police O'Connor.
I believe that the law contemplates
a cash payment upon the date liquor
license is issued; that it does not con-
template any saloon shall be licensed
or authorized to run until the statu-
tory fee has been paid" says the re-
port. by analysis of the record we
find that saloon licenses were issued
during the year 1902 and the places
allowed to run during that year give
an aggregate Of 9,699 days before the
Incense fee was paid into the city
treasury; that firm Jan. / to Oct. 81,
1908, inclusive, they were allowed to
| run 1900 days prior to the payment
of the fee, thus making for the year
1902 and ten months of the year 1903
| total of 1879 days, equal to forty
| seven years, that saloon was allowed
to run and do business prior to the
payment Of the license fee required
| by law. a.
| Il would recommend that the license
| inspector be required to file, as a per-
| manent record, proper information, un-
| der oath, to show that the business is
| Immediately discontinued at the old
| location when a license is transferred;
| that that license is only used in a law
| ful way at the new location and in
| formation in the same manner that the
| pushes has Immediately been closed
| upon the expiration of the license; that
no saloon has been allowed to run
until its license has been duly granted,
| issued and the fee paid into the city
| treasury. / further recommend that
the city authorities be instructed to
| issue no licenses until the fees have
I been paid"
City Clerk Redington Explains.
"The recommendation made by the
| public examiner shows that he is not
familiar with the manner in which
| licenses are issued" said George T.
Redington, city clerk. "A license is
never Issued from this office until the
fun fee of $1,000 has been paid. No
application for liquor license is even
| considered until the statutory fee of
$40 is paid into the city treasury and
the receipt with the affidavit and APP
pI1catton are in this office and no
| license leaves this Office till the fee
has been paid With reference to ap-
pl1cations for transfer of LIQUOR Ii
| cenSes, such applications are adyer-
tlsed and are granted only after having
| passed through the hands of the license
committee of the assembly and the
[ board or aldermen and their report ap-
proved by the respective bodies.
me report implies that saloons are
| allowed to run without licenses for ne
| RODS which aggregate the number of DAYS
| specified AS matter of fact the Ii
censes cover every day during which the
| day the license is issued it takes effect
| from the date of the expiration of the
previous one. A saloonkeeper may make
ms Application In time. to have the license
the one under which he is running his
| saloon, but 1t may be held over in the
council COZ bodies beyond that date. When
| the license is issued, however, it dates
pack to the time the other expired, so no
| saloon ever runs without a license In
many cases We receive the payment for
PRED
Must Apply Promptly.
Since the report of the October grand
jury, which thoroughly threshed out the
| question Of saloon licenses, LIQUOR dealers
| nave been notified to apply for their re-
newais In time to have them issued on
the gate OF the expiration of their old
ones, said License Inspector Jessrang
| Inc whole thing was settled by the
grand jury, said Chief O'Connor land
there was no necessity for the public ex-
aminer to bring the matter up, as the re-
port OF the grand jury has been complied
Public Examiner Johnson reports that
several Of the boards, evidence of the
violation Of the chapter OF the charter
when provides that no assemblyman,
| alderman. member Of the board of publfc
works or other Office or official of the CITY.
while holding his Office, shall directly or
InaFeetfy De a party to or interested or
/ SAID city, or in any way prosecuted by
IT'S authority, or in the compensation to
pc received therefor. or in the furnishing
suppnes, Iuel or other articles purchas-
or transaction prohibited as aforesaid
ShaH be void, and all moneys which NAV
be paid therein by said city, may be re-
covered back, and the office of any such
city officer or official so offending shall
thereby become vacant upon conviction
thereof
Says They Violate Charter
The fire board, the worhhouse board.
the city and county hospital and the DO
lice board are charged with patronizfng
aldermen and assemblymen. or firms in
which they are interested. The additional
charge Is made against the workhouse
| board that the architect who designed and
had charge of the construction of the
tower which was recently added to the
building, was a member of a firm Of which
the senior member Is, director of the
workhOuse board, and he calls the ex-
| penditure for the tower ''wanton ex-
| trava gance" se
/ The books in the office of the city comp
| troller, treasurer, city clerk and the va
/ rious departments were all found to be
/ thoroughly kept, and are said to give
evidence of great care and effort on the
| part of the officials and their employees
| to maintain absolute accuracy. The gem
| eral system Of accounting was also app
| proved.
The report charges that as Thomas
Grace, water commissioner, did not quail
fly by furnishing S., GOO bonds, the bills
passed at FIVE meetings OF the board at
Ill L