The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-06-09

famous kicker at the pricks, so
to speak, in his personal mouth
piece, The Mesaba Ore, says, VIZ:
"Maybe in his excitement and
hurry to reach his threatened
property at Sturgeon lake, Coun-
ty Commissioner O'Neil did not
notice the rotten condition Of the
road he is supposed to keep in re-
pair, and don't. Were we not a
Christian gentleman we'd almost
be inclined to wish that there
might be forest fire every day
and that the commissioner had
to make a hell-bent trip over
''his" roads at least once in
every "a hours. About the third
trip and like enough the commits
sioner might be jolted into the
knowledge that he is supposed
to be a county commissioner for
others than county auditor Hal
den.
Grant McMahan, commissioner
for the broad Fourth district, has
at least $105,0O0 to spend on the
roads in his domain this year.
His district is thinly settled and
not closely ribbed with roads, but
when it comes to getting a maxi
mum out Of the road workers
and an appropriation, Mr.. Me-
Mahan is credited with standing
in the front rank. His expert
ence in handling men is an in
valuable asset and his experience
in getting a maximum appropria-
ton for his district also is be-
coming very valuable. He is not
credited with wasting any sleep
over what goes on around the
courthouse or in the other dis
tricts, but he proposes to have u
mighty big hunk Of puddin' for
the Fourth district. Great pains
is taken in the auditors office
to serve Mr.. McMahan in every
possible way, but he is credited
with refusing to sell his soul. Get
ting what he demands, he may
afeelt SOB y
inanlike to vote with the major
ity, thereby not cumming up the
game in any way. There are
much less capable commission
ers, the Rip-saw is assured, than
Mr.. McMahan and commissioners
much more comformable to the
wishes Of King Odin.
The very first issue of the Rip
saw told how Col. Hank johnson
was paid $40 a day for 25 days.
work, presumably spent in pros
recting for gravel near Flood
wood, the gravel being required
to ballast the Duluth-St. Vincent
highway. The state and road
engineers had been over the route
for year without seeing any
suitable gravel. Finally, Col.
Johnson found some coarse sand.
This was rejected by Road Engi-
reer Coe as being too fine. State
Road Engineer Cooley said that,
rather than spend $4,000 or $15,-
600 in freighting in gravel from
Carlton, the state would accept
the coarse sand, the clay road
bed helping out in the matter.
A number Of critical cusses at
F'loodwood kicked on Col. Hank s
remuneration as a skillful gravel
prospector, declaring that the
gravel was there and well known
to the public, but that Col. Hank
never had found it and that he
got his easy money for something
that was not gravel, although Col.
Kauppi declared that it would
have been cheap for kindly old
st. Louis county at $1,000.
Listen, dear old Taxpayer:
Last week the county road en-
gjneer sent Assistant Road Engi-
neer AL. Anderson up there to
learn the exact facts in the mat
ter. The bunch around the en-
gineer's office and the auditor's s
office and the rooms of the board
Of county commissioners, declared
that no real gravel would be
found there but, since all the tur.
moil had been stirred up, it might
be well to know for sure.
Engineer Anderson duly re,
turned and reported that the
gravel was there and exactly
where as told in the Rip=saw.
The Floodwood insurgents now
probably will renew their clamo1
that Col. Hank johnson be com.
L l. L