Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-01-16
CHARGES AGAINST
COUNTY BOARD
Are Filed With
Governor
Curry
IRREGULARITIES ALLEGED
Matter Has Be en- Referred to
Attorney General Hervey
for Full Report

In today's issue of the Albuquerque
Morning paper there appeared set
of charges made by the organization
styled as "The Commercial Club OF
this city, signed by A. Staab and 9th.
ers, charging the board of county com.
missioners of Santa Fe county with
various derelictions of duty, mistakes
in making payments, allowing illegal
accounts, and granting over payments.
The New Mexican republishes the
charges that the people might know.
They are In the hands Of Governor
Curry, and it is understood that the
charges and specifications will have
careful and prompt investigation. They
have been referred to Attorney Gener
al Hervey.
The charges are as follows
The Charges.
Santa Fe, n NJ, Jan. 15 1908.
Hon. Geo. Curry, Governor of New
Mexico, Santa Fe, N. M:
Sir-The Commercial Club OF San
ia Fe county. by it's executive COM
mittee would respectfully beg leave to
submit the following charges against
the board of county commissioners OF
Santa Fe county, and as charges and
specifications hereunder do allege
that:
Charge No. THAT said board of
county commissioners have on divers
and sundry occasions made and au.
thorized appropriations from the
funds of Santa Fe county, knowing
the said appropriations to be Illegal
and unauthorized Specification /:
At meeting Of said board of com.
missioners of Santa Fe county, held in
Santa Fe on the 23d day of Decem-
ber, 1907. said board directed that a
warrant be drawn in favor of A. B..
Renehan, who represented himself as
attorney for the First National bank
of Santa Fe, in the sum OF $1,000 to
satisfy judgment obtained March S,
1903, the certified copy Of which is
hereto attached and which shows that
said last mentioned judgment was
made on prior judgment obtained by
said national bank on February 18th,
1896, but because of action upon which
said last mentioned judgment was OBJ
tanned Is not now reasonably possible
OF ascertainment as the complaint In
said last mentioned suit is not now In
the files of the district court of San
Ia Fe county, whereabouts being un-
known, and said warrant in favor OF
=. B. Renehan, attorney, was drawn
from a fund Of delinquent taxes, paid
into the county of Santa Fe under
chapter 65 of the laws of 1907, which
said law limits the use of the funds
SO derived for the purpose Of paying
the debts Of said county for the years
1901, 1902, 1908, 1906" And further
limited by provision for ''pro rata"
payment of said debts.
The basis Of the obligation, if any,
upon which these judgments rest, be-
ing claim prior in point Of time to
the year 1896; this appropriation was
in violation of law, but If such al.
legged claim was one Of the debts Of
the years mentioned and property
subject to payment from said fund
the law was fur ..-er violated by fail
ure to pro rate of all the debts against
the county for such year, and amount
ed to preference of creditors Of this
Judgment creditor had a valid claim.
Further than the legal objections
referred to above it appears from an
investigation of this transaction that
the First National Bank was imposed
upon in this matter, its name being
used without authority and some
time after 1t had parted with any in
terest 1t may have had in said judg-
ment, said bank having resigned said
claim to Arthur Seligman, as your in.
formant has been Informed and be.
lieves.
1t also appears that no verified
claim upon which the warrant for
$1,000 was based, was before the
board of county commissioners at
time said alleged account was allowed
and that the verified account filed a
day later was never approved by the
board as required by law.
Specification No. 2-That on June
7th, 1907. Max. Frost, as an alleged
attorney for H. B. Payne. his father
in-law, but In reality for himself and
others, as your informant is informed,
and believes, obtained default judg-
ment against the county of Santa Fe
in case No. 5000, civil docket, San.
ia Fe county, for s2,046.84 with costs
Of $1225, or q total Of $2,069.O9 with
interest at s per cent per annum from