Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-09-10

ct, from beginning 10 emo, tnere Is noS .
ingle sentence that has any foundation in h
ruth. +
Neither in person or by letter, did ever r
equest of Mr.. Baasen, permission either ''for g
,ne of my Clerks" or any other person, :. to ,
Examine the Secretarys office in search Of doc ,
umsnts ;" and this the Hon. gentlemen well |
knew when he signed that letter.
The balance of the quotation, respecting
the conversation which he alleges occurred be-
tween us, son or about the 18th day Of June,
1885," is, to use the mildest expression,
wilful mistake. Neither the visit, or any
thing alleged to have occurred at it, took place;
and in the intercourse that did take place be-
tween Mr.. Baasen and myself, as I will prove
by the correspondence between us, instead Of
promising to furnish me the vote for Govern
or, after having seen and advised with Mr..
Sibley, Mr.. Attorney General Berry, and 9TH
ers, he persistsntly refused toturnishm'e 'oith
any thing but "a FULL, true and ENTIRE
COPY Of the returns.
I may be permitted to state here, that with i
Mr.. Baasen and his motives for writing this ex-
traordinary letter, have nothing whatever to
do 1t is with facts that I propose to deal;
and a statement of those in the simplest form,
with only sufficient comments to make them
ineligible, will carry with it full and COM
plete refutation of the whole tissue of misrep-
reservations made by the Secretary:
The facts are simply these:
On the 18th day of June, 1858, wrote and
sent to the Secretary of State, Mr.. Baasen,
note, requesting permission TO! the bearer
not "to search after Documents" the idea OF
which seems still to disquiet, from some cause
the nerves of the Secretary, but-to make,
from the election returns on fle in bis office,
an abstract of the vote cast for Governor IN
1857.
Mr.. Raasep received the note, and stated to
the bearer, that in consequence Of the great
confusion among the files in bis office, it would
be difficult then to obtain the data be desired,
but, if he would defer making his memoranda
until the next day and then return, nc would
in the meantime arrange the files and afford
him every facility in bis power.
On the following morning, in accordance
with the request and suggestion ot Mr.. Baasen
the gentlemen whom had employed and in
structed as to what desired, returned to the
Office, when he was met by the Secretary
who handed him a letter addressed to Me, anc
requested him to deliver it; declining to per
NIT him to make the extracts, which he hae
so freely granted the previous day.
The letter bears date of the preceding day
the 18th June, 1858; acknowledges the reoeip
of my letter of the same date says he will b.
> ,S,:nny to furnish any facility in his powe
in obtaining information from the files in his Of
l flee, and offers to furnish certified c ony
"the last Fall election returns," should 1 desir
it; but says it will be "polumjnous,F and ash
will have to hire an extra clerk, he will :" ca
: pect a consideration equal to the erpense."
+ At the time Of this correspondence, and 70
+ some time afterwards, no interview had take
: place between US; yet, the Secretary's lette
makes our intercourse in relation to this maj
: ter open by personal interview. Not onl
this. but he states, that at this interview h
offered to furnish me with the vote for Go'
ernor, and that we separated with perfe'
IS understandings promising to make wri
T. ten application for what desired.
T. Of course, no interview of the kind h avir
= taken place, these statements amount to notl
ing; but shall make use of no special plea
~ ing, and unhesitatingly assert, that, at no il
y terview did anything of the kind ever tran
er pire. No such offer was. ever made, as
CT will prove by the Hon. gentleman's lette
'n written long after the date at which he sa.
- this interview took place.
LIE One word first, however, in reference to IL
lis first letter which received from Mr.. Baase
IS the substance of which have already give
By this letter, it will be seen, he offers
''' furnish "a certified copy Of the last fall elt
DC ton returns )" but adds, they 'are uotunai
40 ous," &c. Had he intended by this offer,
u furnish mere abstract Of the vote for Go
10 ernor, as he alleges, it would not have be-
If. very "voluminous." Eight or ten pages,
"a most, would have contained the entire abstra
I'M But we are not left in doubt long as to VIII
nc was intended; as the next letter from t
Is Hon. Secretary, written some ten days late
&c dated June 2sth, 1858, and incorporated
'e- his letter to the Pioneer and Democrat, full
and explicitly explains whatever may
doubtful in the former one. The copy
d. offers to furnish is s. FULL, TRUE and ENTIR
copy OF the document or returns; but of Il
in its order.
Well may Mr.. Baasen have said that
els returns were "columiuous," and kept lot
,ur out for fees, when, it is remembered, II
,ir- there are some seuenty counties in the State
ov. an average of about ten precincts to the COZ
ON ty, and an average, again, Of not less than J
es- teen officers ooted for in each county and p
ed cinct-each county making duplicate retur
H. to the Secretary's Office.
eg- This would make about SEVEN HUNDR
hat PRECINCTS The Poll Books and officers G
,ne tiicates of each precinct would contain
ov last ten to t,oeloe olios and therefore, if re
the in this estimate, certified copy of the Flu
y q TRUE and ENTIRE returns would contain
aggregate Of not less than from SEVEN TO ZIG
tn THOUSAND FOLIO PAGES.
no. This is what the Secretary offered to f
ion nish; and in proof of it, refer to his o
md letter of June %, 1858, incorporated
in his late letter to the Pioneer and Democr
MIS- But to resume the recital of facts.
Some days subsequent to the receipt of
ors letter of June 18th, 1S5S-unreasonablea as
ex- regarded the offer it contained and little
ro- was the encouragement it held out to us
IRE, ptrsevere in our determination to institute
ent ceedings-atter consultation between u