The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1909-08-09

found necessary to adjourn until 1
o'clock this afternoon.
The adjournment was necessitated
by the fact that P. J. Russell, at
torney for Messrs. Wright and Sib-
ley, is trying case in the district
court and could not be present at
the hearing this forenoon.
The examination of the charges
filed by Anton Scheaffer, public
examiner, against F. O. Sibley, A.
w. Danaher and Yves Wright, men,
bers of the board of county COM
missioners of Beltrami county, was
commenced shortly before noon
Saturday. Assistant Public Exam
iner M. F. Kain conducted the
examination together with Assistant
Attorney General L. A. Smith who,
as adviser to the governor, is seeing
that the evidence is properly brought
out.
F. f. Mcdonald appears as attor-
ney for A. w. Danaher and P. ].
Russell as attorney for Yves Wright
and F. o. Sibley.
In addition to the personal testi-
money given their defense, F. O..
Sibley and Yves Wright have each
filed separate answers to the charges
as made by the public examiners
office.
F. o. Sibley, in his answer,
admits that in the year 1908 the
amount levied for the revenue fund
was $4,000 and that the expendi-
lures of the board exceeded that
amount, giving as his reason that
the sum of $4,000 was not a sufi-
cient amount to defray the expenses
Of the county.
He alleged that the district court
expenses far exceeded the amount
apportioned for that fund.
Regarding Count 2 Mr.. Sibley
denied the allegations therein con-
tanned, stating the sum of $4,000
was levied for road and bridge"
purposes and in addition thereto
there was the sum of $2,425 appor-
toned by the State of Minnesota to
Beltrami county for that purpose
(Chapter 4O5, Laws of 1907.
Answering Count 3, Mr.. Sibley
admitted that no such statement as
required by the statute had been
made, alleging that he was not aware
of the existence of such law. He
further stated that during the three
terms he has served as county COM
missioner he has never been advised
by the county attorney or county
auditor that such was the law; alleg-
ing further that he presumed this
was the duty of the public exmamin-
er's office, or their deputies.
Mr.. Wright in his separate answer,
stated that he has been a resident of
Beltrami county since its organiza-
ton, twelve years ago, and that nine
of these years he has been county
commissioner from the first com.
missioner district; that he has seen
the county struggle for existance
when it's revenue by taxation could
not, by law, exceed $4,000 per an.
mum, and this at a time when the
county had not a mile of fairly pass.
able road, no court house, no Jail, OF
public buildings, though it had a
set of county officers to pay and an
annual term of district court to main
tain.
Mr.. Wright admitted that the
taxes extended in the year 1908 fol
the county revenue fund amounted
to $4,000 and that the expenditures
of the board and the pecuniary liza
bilities incurrrd from the different
sources amounted to more than that
but alleges, most emphatically, thai
such excess expenditures were in
cured only after the most persis ten
demands therefor from the people
of the different commissioner dis
tricts. He alleged that no othe1
county officer is so frequently con
fronted with problems and situations
which call for judgment along the
G-L-@SI