The St. Cloud journal., 1872-03-28

own ingenuity anu all Cno oOtsl0e 1nuu'
ence you could bring to bear upon Mr.
Becker to induce him not to locate the
bridge where it now is. You worked
moreover, in the Legislature, as you
never labored before, not, as you say, tt
ronovate the bond bill AID purge it o.
ohjectional features, but to defeat 1t al
myrthcr. What's the use Of denying
it, Charley? You know that you sent
one of your emissaries to me, after the
bill had been amended, with the pro2c'
sitiou that I should agree to its being
killed in the Senate, and thus relieve
tho people Of St. Cloud, and myself, as
Mayor, Of any responsibility in the mat
ter.
And do you really suppose that any
citizen of St. Cloud will believe you,
assertion that you never intended to op'
pose the proposition before the people
You know that plenty Of evidence eau
be furnished Of your pl citing in secret,
your midnight conclaves, your promises,
threats, entreaties, and tears, I had al
most said, if by such, or any means,
you might gather around you an oppo.
sition sufficiently respectable in num-
bers to cover your defeat.
The pretext that you were cndeavor.
ing to protect the city from "a steaT'
on the part cf the Couocil, is shallow
and 8imsy one. A pretext Of some
kind, Mr.. Gilman, is the last thiag that
you are ever likely to want ; but, trust
me, the one you have invented 10 this
instance is "too Min." It may serve
to entertain Mr.. Wait or your grand.
mother, but is thrown away upon the
intelligent readers of even your own
organ.
Do you and your "Rius" seriously
believe that the people Of St. Cloud
will credit your accusation Of contem-
plated fraud and dishonesty and crime,
on the part Of such men as Burbank
and Lewis Clark, and the Smiths, and
Bridgmac, ard Owen, aud VIM. Powell,
and Schulten, and Lamb, aud Carter,
and Dorr, who comprise the Council :?
for when you attack the Council, you
do not strike at an intangible body, but
at the individual members who COM
pose 1t.
No possible objection could be urged
against the original bond bill, except
upon tho hypothesis that, in some unac-
countable way, the Council aud myself
expected to appropriate what might not
be needed to secure the right of way
and depot grounds. I venture the as
scrtion that such possibility nov (
suggested itself to any ono outside Of
your "Ring," and that the paternity Of
tho thought, even there, can be traced
to your anxious wish that some flaw
might be discovered in the reputation
of men whose honesty has never been
questioned.
So much for your first interrosatory.
As to your second, I have only to say
that it has no application to my case
tor, as you are we'll aware, I have sever
al time refused to permit my name to
be used, in our nominating conventions,
AND have never been a candidate for any
Office Whatsoever, where party liucs
were drawn or recognized.
AS regards any political aspirations
which I may have for the future, l
would: remark that you are welcome to
enter your protest, wbeu submit my
claim. At presout, my highest am.
bition is to maintain an integrity
which I deem Incompatible With the
political trickery that you have taught
me, by precept and example, is ncces-
sary, in order to secure Office.
Your friends might have been salts
fed Of my feelings IN this regard, by
the answer they received when l was
offered the nomination aud support Of
your "Ring' for the ofics of County
Treasurer, if only I would betray my
friend Burbank, ard say nothing to in.
jurc the prospects Of Wait, in the can.
vass of those gentlemen for the Sena te
The character and extent of you,
private fcrtuce, Mr.. Gilman, is 90 con
ccrn Of mine. 1t is a matter Of entire
in difference to me whether you are
worth five or fifty thousand dollars
When successful politicians don't gel
rich, I credit it to ignorance Of .frs
principles, as you have taught ME
when they do get rich, on salary of
| 81, 400, I account for it by miracle
aud my faith revivcs in the narrative
Of the "loaves and fishes" Adopting
your theory, if you are not rich, it ar
CUES mental im5ecility if you are, i
indicates moral o1liquity. | am will
ing to accept your statement that yor
are only moderately "well fxed," out
uniting the above characteristics, give
you credit for them both.
! AS you seem to prefer the iutc:roga.
tive style, let me ask if you are not scr
ry now that you ever intermeddled
with the bond proposition? You had
retired from the Land Office, as you
friends say, With moderate oompeten
cy, and had you been content t, move
along, in quiet, ploddiog sort Of way
you are just tho description Of person
I to have enjoyed considerable reputation
3 among those whoee good opinion is no
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