The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-09-29
SOME MORE FUNNY WORK
AT FLOODWOOD.

this village that was built in 1911
and, ever since, has been used as
a county highway.
This highway now is desired as
a cedar post depot and wood
yard by men representing Big In
terests. There has been an inten-
ton to change the route of this
highway so as to run it through
a village alley and over village
lots, connecting with the older
portion of the road farther west.
1t has just come to my knowl-
edge that, at the regular Septem-
ty commissioners, four or five
men, representing Big Interests,
put in a petition, asking this
change in route and praying that
the commissioners legalize the
new route and put it in condition
for travel.
A cartway through the lots
mentioned has been used by one
of the men who presented the Pc
tition. This cartway saved the
petitioner from using his own land
for such purpose but it was put
there and used without authority
from the owner of the lots or any
legal action to secure such right.
This cartway is what the county
commissioners illegally legalized.
L am informed that this >peti-
toner had a long interview with
special county attorney Adams
and that he then advised the COM
missioners that they could legal
ize the new road through the vii
lage on the same day that the Pc
tition was presented, without any
legal notice or a hearing in the
matter, whereupon the commits
sioners did as they were advised.
It is entirely too easy to get
signers to any petition and men
who signed that one now declare
that they did so under misrepre-
sentation, having been told that
it's object was not to change from
the old road, otherwise they
would not have signed.
Since the Indian lid went on,
Floodwood has assessed no taxes
for street improvements. When
some of the village trustees
thought to do so, these four men
who own or represent owners of
large property, objected on the
plea that they would get the
county to make needed improve
ments.
Still another man has fenced
off a part of a street in use for
many years by the public and is
using it for a lumber yard.
Any man who advises the
elected representatives of the tax
payers to set aside and ignore as
"mere scraps Of paper" the laws
of the state Of Minnesota, thereby
permitting them to commit an IL
legal act, is not safe man for
the taxpayers to have in a posi-
ton Of authority.
[ always have understood that
a legal notice of sixty days must
be given before the county COM
missioners proceed to legalize a
highway and that said highway
must be &C feet wide.
This is the second time it has
come to the knowledge Of the tax
payers that the law requiring
legal notice has been set aside by
the county attorney. The other
case was that in which $4,000
worth of road bonds were sold
through the agency of Fred B.
Myers. Now comes this failure
to give statutory notice in the
matter of this Floodwood road.
How many other cases may there
not be?
A good many taxpayers would
like to know by what authority
the county commissioners pay
$4,000 a year to a man who
is not answerable to the peo-
pie while the duly elected county
attorney has assistants at his call
when legal questions are involved.
In the future would it not be
well for all taxpayers in st. Louis
county, when any commissioner
is to be elected, to get his pledge
that he will vote at the board
meetings for the abolition of this
sinecure office and let the legal
county attorney or his duly ap-
pointed assistants do the county
work, for which he was elected
It would be advisable for the
county commissioners to rescind
their action of theirs at the next
meeting in October; then view
the lands after publication and
call for hearinp