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

Willcut's shoes and debating to
fellow officials as to their affilia-
tions, friendships and even ap-
pointment Of their assistants.
Still others are deeply dis
pleased with Mr.. Halden's etcr-
nal scheming and working to
build up and maintain a personal
and powerful political machine.
From that Spider Den he spins
cunning webs to entangle the
weak and the unwary.
Many taxpayers and voters
firmly believe that auditor Hal
den is entirely too close to Big
Interests. They mention many
cases where he has seemed to
favor such Big Interests as
against the settler and small
property owner.
The history Of the courthouse
fer the past 20 years compels
many to believe that Mr.. Hal
denis personal influence on fel.
low officials and employees often
is sinister.
A great cry is going up all the
way from the ii ip of Minnesota
Point to Rainy Lake and from
Carlton, Itasca and Koochiching
counties on the west to Lake
county on the east, "Scrub out
the Courthouse at least so far
as county auditor Halden is con-
cerned. d.-4--.---.--.-.s,,--.--- =
X X
The previous issue of the Rip
saw had the following paragraph,
viz:
"Once upon a time, after
proper procedure, the Scott Graft
Company Of Duluth, a reliable
and honorable firm, pulled $48.75
out of the county treasury in re-
turn for supposedly supplying
'tlumber" to the Harris road,
mentioned in the foregoing. Com
pctent testimony is available to
furnish proof that not a single
silver of that lumber ever went
into the Harris county road.
There are those who ought to
know where the .$48.75 worth
of lumber really went but the
man who received benefit at the
good-natured expense Of St. Louis
county is not talking much for
publication
The foregoing paragraph seems
to have peeved some Of the court
house boys. Special county at
torney Charles E. Adams stopped
the Rip-saw editor on the street
and accused him Of unfairness,
taking the position that the para
graph really accused someone Of
grsfting. Mr.. Adams. understand,
gets $3.50 a month, for telling the
county commissioners what they
can do to keep out Of Jail or
what they can do to get into
Jail. He also has been called
the paid apologist of county
auditor Halden and such of the
commissioners as take pleasure in
being the auditors tame pets.
Naturally, he was only doing his
share in the general order of
things in taking the Rip-saw edi-
tor gently to task. He did it 20
litely and no resentment was felt
bur it plainly appeared that he
had not carefully surveyed the
premises in which he assumed to
act.
Later in the day, when the
Rip-saw editor was prowling
around in the marble-lined court
house, commissioner Walter Swan
strom called at the Rip-saw office
to request the editor to correct
some alleged errors in the fore
going paragraph. He seemed just
a little grouchy and not finding
the editor in, asked a nearby
neighbor of the Rip-saw office
to call the editors attention to
his error, misdemeanor, or lese
majeste, whatever the courthouse
boys may consider it.
\ +
A few days previously, the
editor found a paper tucked
through the office door which
purported to be a copy Of an
invoice of lumber BOUGHT Of the: