The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-05-19

Ot. AOuAS County. ACCORDING TO
that alleged "copy'' of an "orig-
inal invoice' thu county ordered
the lumber April %, 1915. 1t
called for 80 pieces of 3x8, 20
feet long; 3 pieces 4x6, 16 feet
long; and 20 pieces 2x6, IL feet
long. The document stated that
the order was "shipped to Jos.
Peer, Haines road"
The alleged invoice copy was
signed "Scott- Graft Lbr. Co. by
NJ. j. Olson" Every word, let
ter and figure was in type-writ-
ing, even the signatures. There
was no certification and no affi-
davit as to correctness. But
there was the following notation,
viz:
"Original invoice shows ship
ment to Jos. Peer, Harris Rd.
This was a typographical error. -"
Or the body Of the sheet in pen
Gil were the words, "Please cor
rect in your paper,' but no name
Of the one making that request.
| X
So much for all that. On page
156 Of the Financial Statement of
st. Louis County for the year
ending December 81, 1915, said
Financial Statement being an Of
ficial record compiled and pub
lished according to law by the
county auditor, may be seen the
following:
COUNTY ROADS CONTINUED.
Harris Road.
Commissioners District No. 5.
215263 Scott Graft Lbr. Co. .$4S.75
This entry, dear Rip-saw read
er, is taken from the carefully
balanced books of the county
auditors office. It is printed in
the annual Financial Statement,
as required by law and is a docu-
ment intended to be taken at face
sfvalue, without any reservations,
comebacks or explanations.
| Either the Financial Statement
is false as to that item or the
typewriter document, rather
anonymously pushed through the
door of the <Rip-saw office, is
false.
Either some county commits
sioner was careless Or the county
auditor was too busy to correctly
audit. The Rip-saw has no desire
to be unjust but, to date, it has
no legal evidence that warrants
any apology or backing down.
While it may be believed that
$43.75 worth Of lumber was
bought for the Haines road, the
official records show that it was
bought for the Harris road.
While it may be presumed that
f'Jos. PEER was foreman Of the
Haines road, the item does not
state so and any or every man
referring to that record cannot
be expected to carry in his head
a complete list of the Sc foremen
employed on the country roads
last year, if not the year before.
Taxpayers with a taste for fig
ures and correct accounting are
wondering what kind of book.
keeping it is that charges COM
missioner Kauppi with having re-
ceived $4s.75 worth of lumber for
the Harris road when, if this
anonymous document may be be-
lieved, the purchase should have
been charged. to commissioner
Swanstrom's district. If an error
exists, it never was noted or cor
rected until the timid little Rip
saw called attention to it, for
that Financial Statement was
printed at least eight long, weary
months after the lumber was pur-
| chased. These Financial State
ments, like a bank cashier, are
supposed "never to make mis-
takes. 4"
While the auditor and a major
| ity of the commissioners may not
spend much time searching the
scriptures, they should search
their muddled records before try
ing to "call down" the Rip-saw.
The foregoing remarks may
seem like much ado about moth
| ing, but they show that any man
Of ordinary intelligence would be
warranted in suspecting graft,
especially if he knew some of the
stunts pulled off in the township
having the Harris road.
County commissioner Penttila,
Oh Eveleth resident, representing
| the Sixth district of St. IOuis