The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-04-21

VIII u ofass JAIL 10 prevent mlScnleI, only
that, to complete the comparison, the horn
should be of gold and the ball of polished sill
yer. Both planets while in this close conjunc
tion seemed to borrow an additional efful gence
from each other; and the whole spectacle wa.
inexpressibly beautiful, Venus finally passed
behind the moon, but was not long in emerging
into view again, scattering her sprays Of slve
ry light like her goddess prototype, foam-born
shaking her tresses as she rose from out the sea
ARREST OF SHERIFF FRIDLEY.-On Monday
last, Sheriff Fridley was arrested by Coroner
Cashier, on warrant issued by Justice Bost-
wick. Of st. Anthony, on the complaint of Mr..
SECoNBE Esq, of that place, the plea bein e that
Mr.. Fridley had not settled his accounts accor-
ding to law, and that consequently the plain
titi had suffered pecuniarily for the want of
timely pay-PiOneer, of yesterday.
We find the above in the Pioneer. The Times
also has an article of the same tenor. We are
sorry TO see political malice with, as we hear,
some private'pique intermingled) taking advan-
tage of the mere letter of the statute, to persc-
cute public officer whose only FAULT, in these
hard times is probably the venial one of indulg-
period he should have made the return on his
tax duplicate The other day, Sheriff Fridley
made his settlement in full with the County
Commissioners. 1t was entirely satisfactory,
as We understand. 1t should have been made,
10 be sure, on the first of February; but it is
folly to contend that any body has suffered Pc
enniary loss by the delay. 1t is we'll known
the county lis deeply in debt; and that only
the small amount Of tax belonging to the
schools and the Territory is collected in money
The balance is all paid in county orders, This
is sort of currency the Commissioners have
the power 10 issue al Iitilun; and no county
creditor need have suffered an hours delay in
obtaining all he could possibly receive under
existing circumstances; that is. a county order.
Whether such order was one that had been col
lected by Sheriff Fridley for taxes, or new
one just issued by the Commissioners, could
matter little. The market value of old and
new county orders is exactly the same.
Mr.. Fridley, as all our readers know, has not
been an especial favorite with the Minnesotian.
He was one of those who participated in the
establishment of the Times, with the absurd
idea of supplanting us in the confidence of the
people and business community of st. Paul q
friendship which that ricketty concern has re-
paid with the "serpent's tooth;'' so we forgive
him on that score. But personal feeling aside,
our antipathy to persecution in every shape is
strong enough of itself to induce us to volun-
teer word in behalf of every victim of injus-
tice and malignity, whomever it may be. The
Anti Railroad men and their newspaper organs,
ought to lie satisfied with the torrent of abuse
already profusely poured on Mr.. Fridley's head
for his course last winter in opposition to their
schemes, without stimulating private grudges
10 take the form OF prosecutions for the public
good, to conceal their real character of per-
secutiOn for the qualification of private and
political spite.
- The above was written for insertion in our
paper of Thursday; but other articles previous
iy in type crowded it out. The Times of yes
terday morning exultingly announces that Mr..
Fridley
Appeared before Justice Bostwick of St. An
thony on Tuesday, and without examination
was bound over in the sum of $4,000 on each
charge Messrs. Stanch1eld and JO-
L
ers, were his bondsmen in both eases. The mat
ter now goes to the Grand Jury of Ramsey
County, who, If they find q true bill against Mr..
Fridley, he will have his trial. There are some
cases, we think, in which it is much better to
be fool than knave.'
1.-The conduct of Coroner Cashier and Louis
NJ Oliver. ESQ.,. in this matter. is deserving Of
all praise. They could neither be bought
coaxed nor driven. Let this be remembered
Now is there not something especially mean
and malignant in all this:
Recollect Mr.. Fridley has settled up erera
dollar he owed the county and has his receip,
in full
Recollect: the crime he is charged with is a
delay of about six weeks only in his settle
ment.
Recoliect: that what is now sought to be &C
complished is to punish him crininaliy, by fine
and Imprisonment in the county Jail.
Recollect: that it is private malice on the
one hand. and the vengeance of the Anti-Rail-
road faction on the other. that is exciting this
sratuitous and uncalled for persecution.
The exultatiOn of the Times is charac teristic
Small minds are ever malignant; its idea Of
bravery is to L" kick dead lon;" and generos.
ity Is no part Gifts nature any more than graft
tude.
- Still, Mr.. Fridley nourished the viper, and
there is kind of retribution in its thus sting
ing him after warming it into life.
"Coroner Cashier, and Louis NJ. Oliver
Esq" will hardly thank the Times for group
ing their names together as actire in this small
business. But, perhaps, it may be said of them
as Of many others, "de gustibus non dispu
tanRatm esE''
WESTWARD Hottie Galena Advertiser of the
10th says: "The tide of travel pours along with
increased volume. All East appears to have a
ticket for the West. The railroad trains keep
adding to their dimensions. and every boat 60
ing north is crowded to its utmost stretching
point. A train came into Chicago on the llth.
over the Michigan Southern road consisting OF
twenty -four first C ass cars, crowded with pas
sengers and drawn by three locomotives