Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-10-16
Pare at Brownsflale.

Page at Br0wnsdale.
The Christian chapel was comfortably filled
and n few seats at the upper end to spare
when the last stragglers entered. The writer
hereof missed the first Of Pages address, and
is told, some of 1t, was devoted to him person
ally. Page said that my name &C. J.. Short
was spread ALL over the county tax books
not alleging but causing the inference, that
| it was there improperly. Let me briefly state
; all my connection with tax books. was
County Attorney for four years. from the Isl
OF January, 1850, and during that time, recov'
cred for the county, upwards of ten thousand
dollars from ex-trcasurers, town and county,
cx-sherif's, and register of deeds. l made
my own Investigations, preparatory for suits,
and employed no Hayden ut an expense OF
5000. Some paid up at my figures, but drew
three different complaints, and employed NO
Page at $50 per complaint. was directed to
do this work by the County Commissioners.
In sitting the matter down to what would
stand suit, may have signed G. j. Short,
County Attorney, to memoranda on the books
of double assessments, or other errors, but
think not, as remember the form in which
tabulated my Investigations and their result
on other books and other paper. 1 received
for these and other services as County AttOr-
ney 500 per annum. I was deputy to Orman'
20 Allen, County Auditor, from fall of 1850, to
SEINE time in 1868. From January LIST, 1857, to
April LIST, 1859, was deputy county treasur-
er, to appear one day in each town, and also
to collect delinquent personal property taxes.
My name appears on the books as deputy
auditor and deputy treasurer, where 1t legal
~ and properly ought to appear, and not other
wise.
Page invited the "petitioners'' last summer
to Jones' hall to hear his reasons for not re.
signing. He now falsely represented 1t as a
meeting of his friends, and declared the only
ones invited, intruders; their organization to
receive him, an insult; their reasonable re-
quest for part of the time to reply, an out
rage; their contradictions to some of his lies
from the benches, as mob violence; their self.
control in not avenging his abuses, as his hold.
ing a mob at bay.
Page manifested this much regard for truth,
where he could lead the ignorant of his audi
ence to infer falsehood, he preferred it to
stating one directly. For instance, he COM
pared the last four years tax levies with the
proceeding four, expecting the inference that
the amount levied was the same as the amount
expended, and did not stop to explain that for
the first period, back taxes paid in, rendered
large levies unnecessary, or that the slight
increase in expenditures, was fully accounted
for by the increase of population, and by Ger
tain offices, like the Judge of Probate, having
become salaried offices, instead Of being paid
by fees, and not appearing in the county
expenditures as formerly.
Again, he said, Notwithstanding the people
voted against bonds for a courthouse, the
Commissioners, have levied 5000, for one
desiring the impression that building, which
cluded in borrowing which must be submitted.
However the people may differ about building,
they want no demagogue to direct grand ju-
ries to look for cracks and insecurity In the
buildings as Page did two years ago, and
when he has spurred up the Commissioners to
action, to attack them for it.
Again, he said, Ingmundson told a grand
juror II don't want to be indicted" and evil
IDENTITY wished the inference that that was
criminal. Page said the treasurer's office and
the auditors Office are intimately connected,
and who knows what crimes have been COM
mitted in the four years Mcintyre was Audi
tor that he could conceal if treasurer, infer
ring that taxes, accounts aud papers
pass from the auditor to the treasurer, while
the reverse is true. An ex-treasurer elected
auditor, might patch up old matters, but an
ex-auditor elected treasurer could not, if dis
posedto.
But Page made no bones of the complete
and perfect lie when it served his turn. For
instance he said, mo man in Mower county
can say he ever saw VIM. Da, der drunk. but
they have put up a man against him who is
stepped in whisky e lies to the square inch).
Again he said, ''Ingmundson died a default
ter
Again, my connection with the Smith mat
ter then commenced" referring to drawing
the complaint. "Whatever did, I did as an
attorney" This, in face of tho fact, that
from the spring of 1859, (nearly three years
before) he had continuously assailed Smith in
speeches and newspaper articles innumerable.
He said he himself was the only honest man
in the State that could stand up and oppose
the rings.
But time and space forbid to notice all his
direct lies, or misleading statements, it would
involve a review of his entire speech.
Near the close, he said Mcintyre has been
Auditor four years; if Office is good thing
pass it round and elect some one else. He
then solicited votes to re-elect himself to an
office he has held for seven years, at double
Mes salary.