The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-12-08
County Officers Riddle Assertion in
City Press That County Repudiates
Just Debts.
TORRANCE HAS A STATEMENT
Tells What State Asked of Commits
sioners and Explains His Attitude
on Controversy.

IN an effort to counteract the I'M
just criticism relative to Beltrami
county which have been made in the
Twin City press a statement last
night was telegraphed to all the city
newspapers signed by the CONNER
cial club committee and county Off
GERS.
In addition, County Attorney Tor
rance today addressed still another
communication to the public through
the columns of the Pioneer. Both
statements follow:
The county officials and committee
of the Commercial club have issued
the following statement:
PARTICLES appearing in the daily
press Of yesterday contain statements
to the effect that Beltrami county
has Frepudiated it's obligations be-
cause the Board of County Commits
sioners of this county have refused
to pay the incidental expenses in
connection with the trial of the Du-
mas case. H..
AT an informal meeting, held at
the Court House in Bemidji on Tues
day of this week, three members of
the Board of County Commissioners
were present, and there met with
A. L. James, assistant attorney gen.
eral and a committee appointed by
the Commercial club, to wait upon
them. The object of that meeting
was to secure the pledges of these
three commissioners that they would
vote in favor of the allowance of
bills, thereafter to be presented to
the County Board, for incidental ex-
penses incurred in connection with
the preparation and trial of the Du-
mas case.
1.-TWO of the commissioners agreed
to vote in favor of the allowance Of
such bills, and the third did not re-
fuse, but merely declined to pledge
himself to the payment of any bills
until they are presented to the
stated that they were in favor of
allowing all proper bills against the
County, and that every obligation Of
the County would be promptly met.
cat the last meeting of the Board
three bills for incidental expenses"
in the case were disallowed by the
Board. These bills bore the
written approval of A. L. James,
- Assistant Attorney General. They
were disallowed by the Board because
the Board at that time did not know
the total amount of the claims that
might be ultimately presented to
them for payment. They did obtain
the opinion of their County Attorney
that in case they disallowed such
bills the claimants could not enforce
payment from the County. This
opinion of the County Attorney was
expressly confirmed by Assistant
General James at the meeting of last
Tuesday,
eve believe that under such cir
cumstances it is unfortunate that
newspapers of this state should pub
lish as "fact' that Beltrami County
has repudiated it's obligations. The
County Commissioners stand ready
to pay every legal claim, against the
County, and ought not to be criti-
cised because they declined to pledge
themselves to the payment of bills
not then before them.
eve further consider it unfortun-
ate that any newspaper of the state
should publish it as a ''fact" that the
State Board of Investment of this
state will decline to loan it's money
to this County on account of any
Misrepresentation of the facts. We
feel confident the state will loan it's
money only where it is needed and
where the security is unquestioned.
"Beltrami County is on a cash
basis. 1t is under careful business
mana cement, and we believe the.
County Commissioners of our County