Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1912-06-21
BlCE MAY B. Be { GUILTY ] |, .|.l|'..
Continued from Page One.)

l.
CONTINUED from Page One.)
After futile effort to get a state
ment from County Auditor Bice, the
Inter-Ocean reporter succeeded III in.
terviewing Deputy County Auditor
Kramer. When asked to show his
fee book and receipts for the money
that he had received for certifying alb.
stracts Of titles, Mr.. Bice plead bust
ness engagements and asked that the
reporter call again. The reporter did
call again-in fact he made several
calls-but never was the elusive Mr..
Bice within reach. }'2"
When asked to show the fee book,
Deputy County Auditor Kramer said
that the county auditors Office had
never kept fee book. az5a5as s=@
"At the end Of each month we Just
take the items of the regular transfer
book, and pay the money to the county
treasurer" said Mr.. Kramer in answer
to the Inter Oceans request. :.s::s.st.
Have you the receipts from the
county treasurer to show that you paid
any fee money into that. Officer" he
was asked. -~ %r Az "a ~.
".sure, we have them" he said. q
where are they?" he was then ask
ed.
II don't know where they are, and
furthermore, I don't think that is pub
lie business" he responded. e ~ @ ~
''Why isn't it public business?" the
reporter asked him. u fs,S y 55s@.
Because, don't think the law is
constitutional" he responded. "At
least, there is test case up before the
supreme court now, and until that law
is proven constitutional we don't have
to keep fee book nor do we have to
account to the public for the money
we take in ,s$
The test case to which Mr.. Kramer
referred was the fee case that origin.
ated in Sargent county as a test of the
fee law passed by the Legislature in
1907. The law passed March g., 1911,
superseded and repealed the law APP
proved in 1907. There is at present no
test being made of the law passed in
1911 for it is constitutional il every
way. ;5E s3rta h 81 S9.s558ay
"And, then, toe" continued Mr..
Kramer, you say this law was passed
March 8, 1911. This is not true, it was
approved at that time but did not go
into effect until July 1,1911, SO we
do not have to show a fee book of
transactions prior tosJuly I, 1911" =
According to the law cited earlier
in this article, the law was not only
approved March 8, 1911, but it became
law at the same time. If the investi-
cation already done is correct, Mr..
4 Bice will have been guilty of criminal
I violation on every count Of the law,
that is, he has; failed to perform any
of the duties required by the law.
"Oh, I know what you fellows are
after" went on Kramer, but let me
tell you We have those receipts and we
can show them when the time comes,
" 'sWhy don't you show them now, if
you have them, he was again asked.
i don't know where they. are,"' he
answered. II think that Mr.. Bice has
them in his personal accounts.
s Il this is true, and County Auditor
Bice does keep them i'd his personal
accounts, he has violated the law on
4 this count. "a ss;ssss
Mr.. Bice and I were talking this
& matter over the day you asked him
for his fee book and we estimated
that we had turned over to the county
treasurer, about $40 Or more = said
y Nj. Kramer in conclusion.
II Mr.. Bice has turned over to the
county treasurer $40, or If he has
B turned over more than that, he has
violated the law in regard to his keep
ing the fee book any way, 50 the IN
4 Vestigation may lead to his being
charged with criminal violation of the
law; if he has not turned the money
! over to- the county treasurer, he may
he charged with embezzlement as well.
lIELG SON TALkS