The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-09-17

cratic party into power in State and
Nation,-as have no doubt you will
with your indomitable perseverance and
unyielding energy,-let US all devoutly
hope that they viii! manage differently
from what they do in Dakota county.
notice that the elements of opposition
combine better in the Republican coun-
ties than they do in Democratic coun-
ties. Yours,
Fl. A. TANNER.
COMMENTS ON THE ABOVE.
I. We desire to treat our correspon-
dent fairly and courteously-more cour-
teously than he has treated us-hence
we publish his letter and reply to it.
II. He says ''you wish US to ig-
more all the abuses caused by Demo-
cratic management" Not at all. But
those abuses are county matters; they
should be reformed in the county. You
propose to uoite, in effect, with the
Republicans, to send members to the
Legislature who will perpetuate the
ten-fold greater abuses Of the Republic
can party in the State and nation.
III. Who have levied these enor-
nous taxes upon the people of which
you complain! They are mainly due
to Republican Legislatures. And yoal
propose to continue the Legislature in
Republican hands by electing members
who owe their seats to Republican
votes. If it is true that the county
commissioners have been to blame, then
carry the war into the commissioner
districts and select men who will re-
form these abuses. But to do this you
need not sell out eur legislative ticket
to the common enemy.
Ill. "You wish to continue in
office a set Of Democratic officials"
Where have we intimated anything of
the kind!
". You speak of certain furnaces.
1t is alleged that the county commits
sisners allowed warrantee upon those
furnaces to expire, and that the fur.
naces were defective. Give us the
facts and figures How much will it
cost to repair them! Who was to
blame! Some say the fault lay with
a Republican. How is this! Our col
umns are open to you although the
matter is small one, in which the
State at large has little interest.
V. You speak of the printing of the
tax list. We admit that it was USE
less performance - but the question is,
was it legal! The county officials are
put there to erecute the law, not to
make or amend it. If the law is defec-
tive, that is not their fault. The
opinion of the Court has not been given
as to its legality. The whole question
turns on the legal judgment of the
county attorney. We are disposed to
give him the benefit of the doubt until
the court is heard. You would hang
him first and try him afterwards.
VI. You imply that we are Demo-
crat, because we did not wish a Con-
vention made up Of all parties, to de-
clare the Democratic party disbanded;
and to do it unwittingly by adopting
the platform of another convention,
in gross, without examination of its
details. 1t would suit the Republic
cans no doubt to be able to tell the old
line Democrats,-''your new allies have
insulted you they have abolished
your organization, which has survived
the storms and bufetings Of half.a-ccn-
fury you are now at liberty to stay
at home. You can't vote unless you
are recast in the mould Donnelly has
made for YOU" Imagine England when
she united with France, during the Cri-
mean war, to resist the aggressions of
Russia, publicly declaring that the
French nation had '.outlived its USE
fullness and that the French people
could only fight Russia, by disowning
their own country and calling them.
selves Englishmen! No; no; Mr..
Tanner;-we are scarcely fools enough
to kick our allies in that style.
VII. We never said that sit were
better for the Peoples Conven-
ticn to have nothing to do with
either party" On the contrary, we
labored for weeks to bring all the ele-
ments of opposition to the Republicans
into one convention; while some of
your friends were laboring, with equal
zeal, to have the Peoples convention
meet on the same day with the Repub-
lican convention, so as to unite with
them. You did not have the wood
boxes, and the furnaces and the tax
list to talk about then, but your friends
banker ed after q union with Stebbins
and Todd in 1873 IS earnestly as they
do in 1874.
VIII. Is it fair to blame US because
the Democratic convention saw fit to