This, in our humble judgment, is one of…

chunk 517 · paragraph 2001

ruction of accumulated “rubbish” which included principally the bills which had been paid, cancelled warrants, and even stubs of the warrants issued. It is seldom that men in an official position become so very honest that they wish to destroy all evidence of their honesty. In justice to the commissioners now here, it is proper to remark that they claim to know nothing of this entry, and that it must have been done by the clerk, or someone having access to the office. At any rate it appears of record, and from the fact that the bills cannot be found it is quite apparent that the minutes of that meeting were fully carried out. This, in our humble judgment, is one of the worst features of the entire investigation, as it is clearly an attempt to throw the respon- sibility of such an act upon the board and in this way justify the deed. The general public is aware that that particular portion of the pro- ceedings was never given to the public through the published proceedings. Another, and one of the most interesting features principally developed since the ad- journment of the grand jury, is the large num- ber of rebates made to tax payers which were never printed in the proceedings of the board. In a majority of instances the rebates amount to one-half of the assessed valuation, and amount in the aggregate to more than $100,000. ( 37 )