The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1920-03-06
GRAVE IRREGULARITIES
CHARGED ACAINST,O'NEL
Public Examiner Fritz Makes Startling Statements Concern
ing Unlawful Practices Transacting Public Business in
Seventh and Even Second Commissioners Districts

1t has been known to some that
Ralph O'Neil, commissioner for the
Seventh district, was pursuing thrifty
policy in handling the road work in his
Jurisdiction. Chisholm people, in par.
ticular, have known that road foreman
Clark O'Neil was commissioner
O'Neil's own son. 1t has been no Sc.
cret in the Seventh district that Tom
Cochran was commissioner .O'Neil Is
own brother-in-law. It also is known
and admitted that E. l.. Lockhart, Gus,
todian of the Hibbing courthouse, is
commissioner O'Neil's own son-in- law
Nepotism seems to be a fixed policy
with commissioner O'Neil and he has
followed that policy to the limit, or SO
far as he was able.
Now comes the startling informa.
ton that grave irregularities charac.
terize commissioner O'Neil's admins.
tration of public business in the Sew.
enth district. To man up a tree, il
looks as if teams owned in the o Neil
family have been given employment
to. the disadvantage of citizens not
possessing the pull that goes with kin
ship to commissioner O'Neil. Consider
able complaint has been heard in the
district as to that selfish family policy
Now comes Andrew Fritz, public ex
aminer, with some serious and startling
revelations in a formal and special re,
port that he makes to county auditor
Bergen. Mr.. Fritz plainly points out
what the law requires and shows ex
actly where commissioner O'Neil and
his favored ones have not complied
with the law. In closing his enlight,
ening report, examiner Fritz plainly in,
forms the county auditor that grave
responsibility rests on him and that
if issued time checks have not fully
complied with the law, then he should
decline to issue his warrant, under pen.
atty of mourning grave liability. In:
cidentally, too,' the special report shows
that certain Irregularities exist in the
Second district, for which commission.
er Naughton is credited with being re,
sponsible.
Public examiner Fritz report, under
date of Feb. 4, is as follows, viz
"The special examination, recently
made by this department of the rec.
ords of your office with regard to the
issuance of time checks, disclosed the
following irregularities:
"Road foreman are paid for their
services on time checks which are al,
most universally certified by the fore.
men, themselves, and Charles Daniel.
son, foreman of the tool house, Gin
the Second district) is paid $500 per
day on time checks also certified by
himself.
"The law provides that time checks
may be issued for manual labor, only
and for the use Of teams, wagons and
scrapers. No provision is made for the
issuance of time checks to foremen and
certainly, the law does not contemplate
that any man shall certify to time
check in his own favor. To permit
such practice would be as absurd as to
allow him to take his own acknowledg.
ment. This class of employees must be
paid for their services on verified
claim, allowed by the county board in
the regular manner.
"In several instances, time checks
have been issued by foreman to him.
self, covering the service of numbe,
Of men and teams a day, in addition
to time check covering the foreman 8
own time for the same period. As an
illustration of this practice, attention
is called to time checks issued to fore.
man Tom Cochran on the Sturgeon
Lake road, and by foreman Clark
O'Neil, on the McNiven road.
"On the Sturgeon Lake road, time
checks were issued by foreman Coch.
ran for labor and teams during the
year 1919, amounting to something
over $27 100000. Of this amount, near.
ly $13,OOO.0O was paid to the foreman
himself, part of the amount being fol-
his own time and the balance for five
or six Casually six) other men and
teams. These time checks show that
these men and teams were employed
for nine hours day for practically
every working day in the year, which
IS a remarkable record for Northern
Minnesota.
"On the McNiven road, time checks
were issued by foreman Clark O'Neil
for men and teams amounting to some.
thing over $22,000.0O, of which amount
over $4,000 was paid to Mr.. O,Neil
for the time of four or five men and