Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-11-20
4 Letter from A. F. Storey, ESQ.
Little Falls, Nov, 18. 1879

through the public press in regard to the
late election of county officers in this
county, but the efusion of Mr. Richard
son published in the Transcript of last
week being an attack, by insinuation at
least, upon myself and upon my friends
who supported and voted for me, I feel it
incumbent upon me. to say a few words
in reply. 49,.
Mr. Richardson asserts that his major
ity-twenty -eight--was much smaller
than. he expected and which he would
have got had it not been for ''foul means
Systematically arranged and secretly car
ried out" As to what those foul means
were, we are not informed, evidently in
tending that the public should imagine
that / had secretly circulated some horri-
BILE SANDER the effect of which was only
overcome by his own superhuman virtue.
Presuming this to be the purpose of Mr..
Richardson, as l can conceive of no DOS
sible other, l have just this to say. So
tar as l was concerned I conducted the
canvass fairly and honestly, and the only
sla''de7', if he so pleases to call it that,
which circulated against Mr.. Richard
son, was, that i believed him to be Who'll
ly incompetent to perform the duties of
the office to which he sought to be elect
ed. l certainly made no secret of this
opinion. | believed it then, I believe it
yet, and. furthermore, I venture to say,
without fear of successful contradiction,
that Mr.. Richardson cannot find a respect
able attorney, in the least acquainted with
his legal qualifications, who will say that
he is qualified to fill the office of county
attorney. Indeed I was told by a we'll
known attorney, since the election of Mr..
Richardson, that he ought to be prose-
cuted criminally for getting goods. under
false pretenses, but the trouble with such
a prosecution, is the complete defense
which would be available to Mr.. Rich
ardson, that the public were we'll aware
of his incompetency, and hence no false
pretenses.5: In fact I: have been told bv
some Of Mr.. Richardson's warmest sup
,porters, repeatedly, that, while they knew
him to be incompetent for the office, they
would vote for him for personal reasons,
because he was an old settler, or for old
acquaintance sake. 7 shall be very much
mistaken if it is not discovered before
the next two years elapse that some other
qualification is required, one, which be-
lieve to be unfortunate for the county,
Mr.. Richardson does not possess. Mr..
Richardson himself admits that he does
not pretend to any "greot legal attain
ments," but again leaving the public to
infer that while he is not Choate, a
Burr or Webster in jurisprudence, he is
yeta lawyer of no mean grade, as indi
Gated in the very broad assertion at the
conclusion of his letter that he "will let
no guilty man escapeH':'
Again Mr.. Richardson finds fault with
tho rpYoi1h1inon Nf Mot1oxy
he received but the meager allowance of
one vote in that town. This is very un-
generous, to say the least, when the fact
is taken into consideration that there is
quite large democratic majority in the
county, and in order to secure his elec-
tion Mr.. Richardson must have pandered
to that party for votes, which be did to
my certain knowledge. I mi ght, as con-
sistently, find fault With the town of Two
Rivers, where my support was far from
generous, although it is largely demo-
cratic: Mr.: Richardson, having been
elected by democratic votes, is hardly in
a position to complain because party
son seems to think that because he is an
"old settler" and at one time favored the
town of Motley and didn't charge it any
thing, he was entitled to the vote of it's
citizens. He ;forgets that principle of
law, it he ever knew it, that private rights
are always subservient to those Of the
public, a principle which is applicable
here, for the citizen who votes is perform
ing public duty, and personal friend
ships and private preferences ought to be
thrust aside. The covert imputation that
Leon Houde was the cause of this ungen-
erous action on the part of the voters of
Motley toward MI. Richardson deserves
silent contempt I give it that much
consideration.
l have not tspace to notice the many
senseless ISLANDERS that we're used against,
and which probably defeated me, know
ing. that time will eventually demonstrate
their falsity, suffice is to say that run"
on my merits for the Office of County At
torney of Morrison county, and not as a
good many have intimated, as the cham
pion or "stool pigeon" ofany man or any
set Of men.
In conclusion let me add, that under
stand it has been currently circulated
throughout the county by certain per-
sons, whose religious education must have
been sadly neglected in their youth, that
having been defeated at the late election
l was going to leave the county. I desire
to say that all such reports are wholly
without truth orauthority and that can
now, as heretofore, be found at my Office
ready to transact any law business which
Yey be entrust ted to my hands.
Yours truly,
A. F. STOREY.