Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-06-02
A COMMUNICATION
paid Advertisement

the taxpayers against the present
board of county commissioners. In
view of this fact, will try to enlight-
en- the public by stating few facts
as to the cause of the controversy.
A year ago the board of county
commissioners allowed the county
treasurer an extra clerk for a month
in order to get the delinquent person
al tax. list for previous years made
up. When said list was completed
it was placed in the hands OF the
sheriff and resolution was passed
by the board of county commission
ers giving strict orders to collect at
once. So Mr.. Kositzky had nothing
to do with collecting, excepting per-
haps through the generosity of the
sheriffs dividing fees with him.
; Last spring Mr.. Kositzky asked the
board to let him have a deputy the
entire year. This the board refused,
because all county treasurers here
tofore have done the work in the
office without any assistance, except
through the months of January, Feb
ruary and March, and when he was
not allowed this deputy he threaten
ed with an investigation of the coun-
ty auditors office. During the sum-
mer Mr.. Wilson, assistant state ex-
aminer came, and Kositzky, acting
as his right hand, devoted several
weeks of the county's time in trying
to find some faults. At last he had
a report submitted to the governor,
and Attorney General Miller asked
Judge Winchester to call grand
jury to investigate. The grand jury
was drawn by Mr.. Kositzky, and he
was very much pleased with his work
until the grand jury had been to-
gether about week and made re-
port. Then Mr.. Kositzky found that
he had drawn a fraud jury" as he
pleased to call it in statement of
costs of the jury. He also attempts
to hoodwink the public, as the bal
lifts, witness, delay of court and Mr..
Newton's fees for answering Mr..
Miller's appeal to the supreme CO..
are not included in the 'cost of the
grand jury"
This spring the county treasurer
again demanded a deputy for the en-
tire year, although the commission
ers had allowed him deputy for four
months and a clerk for two months
(three months more help than Mr..
Sperry ever had), but as he is at
tending to everybody's business in
preference to his own, the natural
result was that he was sWamped with
work. For the credit of the office
the commissioners granted him help
during the tax paying time, but when
this time had passed the board cut
off his deputy, as he was not needed,
according to the opinion of the CON-
missioners. Again Mr.. Kositzky
threatened with law suit, but he
did not start his case at once. On
the other hand, he waited until the
18th day of May (the day on which
the summons was served), so that
the case cannot be tried at this term
OF court and the public will not be
able to judge as to who is right. 1t
takes ten days notice to get a case
tried.
Mr.. Kositzkys streak of economy
is only a cheap bluff to hoodwink the
taxpayers. He certainly deserves
credit as an economizer when applied
to others, particularly the county |
commissioners, because he has sued !
them to reimburse the county for all
salary and mileage drawn since Jan
uary 1, 1907, amounting to $4,014.78,
which he claims was frauduleItly
drawn, because no service was per
formed. Mr.. Kositzky has held The
office of county treasurer since Jan.
uary 1, 1909, and how he can swear
in his complaint that 10" the pre-
vious two years no services were
rendered by the commissioners is a
mystery. 1t seems that he must have
seen the board some time When the
addition to the court house was being
built in 1908, but as he he's not seen
the board during the past year it is
not much wonder. He seems to con-
strue an oath very literally anyway.
He is very saving when it applies to
he would apply it in the
treasurers office. The bills, like one
for postage for the month of January,
to $9O.66, would not be
to the board for considera-
lion.
Last March the county treasurer
vas called to show where the county
funds were deposited. The law re-
1uires that the commissioners desig-
nate banks as repositories for county
funds and the amount for which each
bank must give bond. This was done
md the board was very much sur
prised when the treasurer reported
100000 in one bank, viii CHI the board
had made a depository for only $780,
300, and the capital stock of said
bank at the time it was made de-
pository was only 100000, and the law
strictly forbids the board of county
to designate any bank
l depository for an amount in ex-