Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-08-29
Al Open Letter e Sherman PAGE.

>w,ng to tho difficulty and uuplcas antness,
you are able . throw srousd personal
interview with you; because you have
avoided. both q the public
meeting to which you Invited us on Sat!
urday evening, the 17th inst, and at your
office when the committee Of tho pcti.
lioners sought hearing, to listen to any
proper presentation Of the views of your
petitioners, or to have removed the misap-
prehensions you pretend rs 10 the earnest
ness aud universally ofa desire for your
and because i've ns~tters@la
shall discuss are Of high public impor-
tAsce and interest. ..-
Il Wasaone Of the committee Of eight.
You refused 10 receive that committee in
An open aud manly manner, but Inter
viewed and questioned them separately
IN regard to their personal business with
you, aud some Of them III regard 10 meet
ings in their respective towns. You, a
Judgcl aud expect 10 attain fair under
standing Of case. sufficient to base your
action upon. by n hectoring cross exam
ination, and no permission or opportunity
t. present other information than what Is
called for by Your questions. Why. your
conduct Is only worthy Of a miserable
pcttifogger. could have informed you
that in the territory where procured over
\ hundred signatures. the petition, from
want of time, was very imperfectly Cir
culsted. That In all probability half rs
many more would be glad to sign. THAI
Of those who refused to Sign, the large
majority expressed approval m the pc
tition, hut excused themselves individual.
", because their financial relations T.
your friends or 10 cases in court, led them
to apprehcnd ruin in case OF an open
expression Of opinion.
If you were interrupted in your Satur
day night speech, you owe 1t to your own
/ unfairness. You could have spoken two
| hours without nm interruption, had you
not planned to prevent few moments
even, IL the petitioners. to expose aud
deny your gross misrepresentation. You
chose 10 speak till after IL O'Clock, and
then recommend the audience 10 iMMe.
liately retire and not violate the Sabbath
You hyptcrite! your only desire was ia
shut off an answer. Had 1t not been fl,
the safety valve Of interruption, after you
had made men hopeless of other reply
and falsely accused them, yOn might
have provoked M explosiOu-afterw which
there would have been no more Sherman
Page. Never call sheriff to your aid
under such circumstances.
/ will notice q matter personal &c
myself, Only because fair specimen ol
the acts tor which We request you tC
resign. You read an affidavit Of one
Sarah V. Miner, stating that had obtain
ed her back pay and bc uuty Of some $500
eleven years ago, aud had refused and
neglected to pay it over. Had YOU
brought me before you, and given INC an
opportunity 10 rebuff the affidavit, with
any evidence might produce, such q
course would have been in accordance
with the ideas Of judicial uprightness
and fairness that your petitioners hold
But you produce it at a public meeting
without notice, AMI purpOsely lay your
plans 50 that there shall lie no emporium
ity for denix: even. As long Us YOU
could control grand juries, you proceed
ed by indictments, found against those
who had incurred your personal cnmlty
for acts that when tried in the light 81
law aud evidence, in open court, cOu ID
not be shown to be criminal. WheI
grand juries refused to do your bidding
you continued TO annoy this unfortunate
class, by examinations before justices
swayeu by your opinions or directly be
lore yourself, and placed them under
bonds 10 appear and answer to alleged
crimes, and you have helped to spread &
knowledge Of what had assumed the ap
pearance OF disgrace, 10 St. Paul and
Washington. Vast expenses have accrued
TO the county, but no convictions have
ever followed ONE OF these accusations
tor the purpose If lnjuring the character
and standing Of those who do not hum
BILE themselves before you.
10u Also stated my action as one OF
the csnvaasiog board Of Mower county
eight years ago, in manner calculate
TO induce the belief that there was some
thing wrong In our action. The facts arc
that tue board did not include in theil
canvass the three towns Of FrankfOrd
Grand Meadow and Nevada. We had nc
returns from those towns Substantially
complying with the provisions of tho
chapter on elections" We gathered from
some of tile names on the poll list, thai
certain papers were intended for returns
from the town Of Frankford. But they
did not have the name Of the town, o,
county, or day, or year, Of the election
the blanks of the printed form of returns
were wholly untitled, add no proper form
of endorsement was upon the envelope.
The town of Grand Meadow was in nearly
the same condition. The returns from
the town OF Nevada, though properly
headed, were signed by three individuals
with nothing to indicate that they were
the judges Of election, and nothiag ia
the accompanying papers showing tina
they we're such Or sworn as such. The
Icanvassing board could not have lncludeG
their canvass, without violating theil
had . right to establish, in the distric
cast in those three towns TO elect them
| have held my peace while your under
lings accused me Of fraud 10 that matter
OOS AoO~ N1At SOU AunW uCAACA~luN
you understand perfectly we'll that oul
duties we're purely ministerial, and that j
by no means follows that because cur,
Of general Jurisdiction could hear an(
determine the right of the case, AK
lcould hear evidence to supply emissions
THAT we % y board could do other thai
canvass those returns, where, aud onl,
where, there was = substantial cOmplranc,
with the provisions Of the chapter o,
elections. Aud ~ the party YOU hea6le(
were In power immediately thereafter
with county attorney, County commits
lsioners and grand jurics under your con
troll, it was your du,v to have prosecute,
Us and seat us 10 states prison, il ",
were guilty Of what vow would fain hav
the people believe. No, you anil thos
sympathizing with you, preferred then, u
l1ow, to induce q belief vi wrong in tn
Ignorant and uureaectinE, rather tina,
in 4 manly way, 10 confront the accused
with the sccus0r and his Witnesses.
we'll remember the new view / got Of lll'
infinite depth Of human meanuess m,
depravity when a hristtan brother, unde
the influence of your style Of partisan
SHIP, issued secret circular, characte,
A.