The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-10-19
COURTHOUSE AUT0CRAT
HAS BEEN MOST UNFAIR
Auditor Halden's September Love Letter to Voters,
Claiming High-Minded Record, Is Most
Merry Bit of CamOuf1age.

In his quadrennial love letter to
the dear old voters, dated September
8, county auditor Halden says:
81 have tried as hard as I knew
how to serve each individual fairly
and squarely, without prejudice and
without partiality."
There is an abundance of evidence
that the willy old monarch Of the
marble-lined courthouse made some
mental reservations when he wrote
that piteous letter to his vassals.
When the supplies were sent out
to the township assessors the last
time, heavy quantities of county
maps were enclosed. One assessor
informs the Rip-saw that he received
about thirty. They bore that famous
Halden portrait in which the bow
legged Napoleon of the Pie-counter
looks like Napoleon the Great just
before the Battle of Waterloo.
The original of that map was
drawn by county road engineer Ac-
ton, undoubtedly at county expense.
That big issue of printed maps was
printed when Halden made that raid
on the county treasury for printing
and stamps at the time he tried to
make campaign capital out Of the
county road appropriations.
At that time, the people feel that
he did not use them and their treas
ury "fairly and squarely." When Re
sent the big patches to the assessors,
he neglected to put in maps bearing
the portrait of Vivian, Calligan,
Greene or Meining, therefore they
should feel that he did not treat them
fairly and squarely."
When commissioner Fischer died
and proper officers essayed to elect
T. H. Little to fill the vacancy, Hal
den fought the appointment most bit
terly, although nothing appeared
against Little except the fact that he
was not likely to be dominated by
the autocratic old boss of the court
house. Kong Odin informed the
peasants in the hinterland that If
they selected Little, they would suf-
fer when it came to road appropria-
lions. Such townships as supported
Little did suffer, seriously, this year
being the first one in several in which
they got their proper proportion.
The citizens in those townships feel
that Halden did not treat them
fairly and squarely." The selection
of Ham" Little was the first time
Halden had lost out for years and it
was the beginning of his many de-
feats and serious slippings. Natur-
ally, Ham" Little is not likely to
feel that Halden treated him fairly
and squarely." There's a campaign
on just now and the sturdy sons Of
the soil in the Second district propose
to take a heavy hand in Halden' 8
Punishment from the courthouse,
When the cunning Kauppi was de-
feated by Joseph Becks in the Fifth
commissioners district, Halden lost
blindly faithful lieutenant and re-
ceived a hard jolt in the solar plexus.
When he and his fiunkies could not
sheer honest, efficient Joe Becks off
the map, they set about to weaken
and discredit him with his constitu-
ents in any possible mean, dirty, de-
spicable way.
When Becks first took office, they
tried to hornswoggle him in the mat
ter of automobile use and control.
They made it hard for him to get in
touch with official matters. They
resorted to nasty little tricks in keep
ing the record of his road funds. He
has had all sorts of trouble and an
noyance. When he has taken the
clerks to task they invariably have
said: 1--WE do as we are told" Nat
urally, Joe Becks is not inclined to
feel that he has been treated fairly
and squarely" by Halden. His con-
stituents agree with him and they are
determined to get even with the
tricky old autocrat on election day.
Thanks to conniving and the twist
ing of accounts in the Fifth district,
banks now charge discount of 2 per
cent for cashing time orders given
for road work.
At one time, the banks at Flood
wood held time orders to an aggre-
gate of $4,000. When those time
orders were sent in for payment, the
ouOlIOl . OAACO ICIulhOu IuOm Will
the notation, "No funds"
The Western State Bank at West
Duluth had orders returned. A mer-
chant at Munger, not a Halden sup
porter, has carried orders ever since
1917.
There have been many cases Of
this kind and in nearly all, If not
every single one, there have boon
ample funds to the credit of the piece
of work for which the time order was
given.
Those banks, merchants and indi-
viduals with whom the scheming old
auditors office have played horse"
cannot and do not feel that they have
been treated fairly and squarely."
They will leave no stone unturned to
help Danish the willy old king on cleo
ton day.
The clerks in charge of road funds
have, on different occasions, reported
that some road foreman has over
drawn the account when there were
substantial balances all the time.
Those road foremen do not feel that
they have been treated fairly and
squarely."
Said Mr.. Becks recently: "The
auditors office does not seem able to