New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-08
MERRILL NOT GUILTY.
,1L CHARGES DISMISSED.
,.c,scrs Say. HO5ceUer, That Find
;,os snstain Some Allegations.
ny Telegraph 90 The Tribune

Feb 7.-On the recommendation Of
,,tornev General State Controller Kelsey
dismissed all the charges preferred
-, Iobn J. Merrill chief clerk of the Cor
Tax Bureau. These were itemized
-. fled BY Frank White. a corporation
o. who declared that Merrill had discrimi-
- ,,niustly in favor Of many corporations
- a5ed and broken the rules governing MS
.~.r,ent and had shown general incompe-
~ me Attorney General. who conducted
..,estication on the charges. decided that
y uerrlu was not guilty. The Controllers rul-
,nr is as follows;
,-,on the report accompanied by the tesu-
and exhibits presented before him, In an
H. i,ass,iqstion made by the Attorney General INTO
llN 1strer OF White agt Merrill. II appears
u. an Exhaustive examination into each OF inc
uAe. eight charges and specifications OF mis-
t,snci shows that not one OF them mas peei
oul-sne5 but on the contrary. that John J.
.iIl has not extended improper faNors or III
ssfos-cA 10 any attorney, person or corporation
cue +hqt he has not in any instance asked or
a az. any corrupt. wrongful or improper con-
iffse-stion Of any kind from any source for lhe
sluesta-,,ance or failure TO perform any act OF
-. IN regard 10 the matters charged. Inc salu
ices are hereby dismissed.
,,u.b comment, however. has been excited by
- attorney Generals finding on which the
-s,.rolIer,s decision was based. and those who
sad
.,i,euv confirm some of the charges.
:, vas charged that Mr.. Merrill failed 10 send
.o,,ce of revisions Of assessments TO the At
.a-nsv General. The Attorney General says:
.Alr Merrill omitted TO send these notices
.,r.u Deoenber %. 1865 He says in a preced-
,rg paragraph: The meaning Of the section is
80 free from doubt and since the matter has
b.sn called 10 my attention ! have suggested
not the written notice OF all revision decisions
- the controller shall be sent TO this office
bicb has been done" Mr.. Merrill testified that
he acted on e misunderstanding of the bill. the
A,,o-nev General says. Some Of the gravest
charges hinted at juggling in the reduction OF
assessments by the substitution OF typewriter
sheets bearing assessment figures. for figures
vbicb should have been made IN the body Of the
report submitted by the corporation. In the
case Of the Francis II. Leggett Company, which
WAS one Of those specified, the Attorney General
found that such typewriter sheets had been at
tached TO the report, setting forth various de-
tails explaining the figures in the body OF the
report. The figures on the sheets. the Attorney
General says, did not agree in some instances
with the figures in the report. He goes on:
From the testimony before me. am convinced
that these reports and the typewriter sheets
attached thereto We're IN the shape in which they
now are when received by the Controllers
Office. I am Of the opinion that these typewTit-
Ten sheets were not attached to these reports
when they were sworn TO, and that al some
point between the time when these reports were
sworn 10 and after they left the possession Of the
general counsel for the F. H. Leggett Company.
and before they reached the Controllers Office
the typewriter sheets were added
No explanation is made Of how they could be
added or OF who added them, or why the Varia-
lions between the figures on them and in the
body Of the report were not discovered.
~, zrz-~;11-- ~or-z---- -, a.
says;
1t was shown upon the hearing that Mr.. Mer-
rill has been in the employ OF the State for
upward Of twelve years: that during that time
the number Of taxable corporations has in
creased from 1851 TO 10469 and that he has
passed upon a very great number OF matters.
and has, during those years. devoted himself
with industry and fidelity 10 his duties.