Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-29
COUNTY AUTHORSHIP.
The Second Epistle of j. w. Mcclung in


or more ago was furnished the GLOBE Monday
night by Mr.. McClung, with the understand
ing that it was not TO be printed until this
morning, a similar understanding having been
made with the Pioneer-Pre The Pioneer
Press violated the agreement but rather than
deny MIR. McClupg hearing the GLOBE pub
fishes the matter apparently at second hand
Ed. GLOBE.
To the Editor of the Globe.
On the 10th of September / made some
charges against County Auditor Lee Davis, af-
feoting his consistency as Democrat
in voting for County Commissioner Blaisdell,
Republican candidate for assessor against the
only Democratic candidate running, to pay
said Blaisdell for voting him 81 1000 job, and
also affecting his official character in bargain
ing and selling the Office of county assessor to
Mr.. Beaumont at subsequent election.
These charges stand undenied by Mr.. Davis,
but Mr.. Beaumont came promptly to the front,
and put in plea of mot gailty" as to all that
part of the indictment relating to himself.
He goes further, and charges me with willful
falsehood in making statement which would
be such reflection on the purity of Ramsey
county politics, and SO improbable in itself.
Such an unheard of thing as mans de-
clining one Office on the promise of getting
another. in this county, or in fact any TRADING
in politics" by such immaculate beings as
usually browse and feed around court houses,
shocks Mr. Beaumont's pure and unsophisti-
Gated soul, and he is sure I am lying and
that l know it.
Well, it is hard to believe that Joseph was
''willing to negotiate" unlike his namsake of
old does from his ant
denial that Lee Davis alone was the gay de-
ceiver who followed joseph up to rob him of
his virtue, and "surprised'' him in the spring
by fairly pulling off his coat tails to force him
into his unholy tolls.
Mr.. Beaumont says, ESQ far was from
having any pF0% psns annoa or
sor in 1877, that 1 engaged myself
in good faith to certain parties in st. Paul
to 90 to Dakota Territory and take charge of
business etc. This may all be true, and only
proves that in view of the uncertainty of the
election of assessor in the spring, a certain
thing in Dakota with future to it, was bet
thing, and had better be accepted.
Again, Mr.. B. says: $50 far was I from e1-
pecting to receive the appointment of Assessor
in the spring of 1877, that do not think there
was a man in st. Paul more surprised than
was myself when I was appointed" This is
really wonderful that Lee Davis should be
such mind reader that he should intuitively
know that Beaumont would accept this Office
without any negotiations" beforehand. 1t is
also surprising" that Lee should ask
Beaumont, before voting for him.
to give bond with good security
that if elected assessor he would appoint Koch
his chief deputy and give him $500 out of the
$4,000 the law allowed for help, and leave Schef-
fer, the other deputy, to suck the hind teat with
only $500 in lit, which soured on Bertram's
stomach of course. He WASH that kind of q
hair pin. The appointment surprised" Mr..
Beaumont, but these negotiations rather ''sur-
prise me-since / am informed that Joseph
was not willing to negotiate" He says so.
He would not 'trade" in county offices and
deputyships He says SO himself. Now If Mr..
Beaumont will permit me to deviate, on this
occasion only, from my usual courtesy, l beg
leave to intimate that this looks trifle thin.
It is hard to believe that he would lie about
such things, but probably he has not such a
horror of liar az have, since he processes to
believe that I, who have lived here for twenty
five years without lying, would commence
at this late date, and about
so small q matter as this little dicker be-
tween him and Lee Davis-which really am
not much exercised about, but lika to stir up
the monkeys sometime s, just for the fun of the
thing-even at the risk of a little scratching
| from the animals, and a little Safeguarding
from my good little friend of the st. Paul
VINO WOulQ ike 10 keep buo prlubluR OI
| the tax list, and throws off on all the ticket
but Davis.
| bargain and sale of a county office is q
matter difficult to prove from the very secret
| nature of such transactions. Men even who
know about it don't like to give evidence and
mix up in such matters. Circumstantiai evil
| dence, admissions of the parties, and such 9th
er signs as may crop out, must be depended
on rather than positive testimony
The circumstances here are that Beaumont
was an independent candidate ;that Davis want
ed him out of the way ;that Davis past votes on
| this office showed that he considered it mere
trading capital; that he at least was willing to
dicker; that Beaumont did get out of the way
| that common rumor at the time, generally be-
lleved by Democrats. charged that he got out
of the way on the promise of DIS friends that
he should be ''taken care OF; Chats the word )
| that prior to the spring election, bond and BE.
curity were asked and given that Davis should
make a little more capital by taking care" OF
Koch, who was made to believe the fond de-
fusion before the fall election that he was the
coming man. and finally that after getting
all his part of the bargain, Davis did vote for
and elect Beaumont assessor-'sur-
prising him more than any man in
st. PauI'-not,DithstGndin those bonds.
Now when we see the tail of the animal in one
place and his head in another, you have simply
to throw up heads and tails to ascertain to q
certainty WQ6r6 his DOWSlb AT6s Anu tu6 pun
lie can see where Lee Davis's bowels would
naturally yearn under these circumstances.
But will add one other testimony. 1t is not
legal evidence such as court would receive,
admit. and is not offered as such. But
offer 1T to show that I had good reason and
good authority for making the charges l did,
and that they were not wicked inventions,
prompted by malice, as Mr.. B. would have the
public believe. Coming from the man of all
others who introduced Mr.. Davis originally
to st. Paul as his clerk, and who has always
been his confidential friend, the public can
Judge how and from whom Mr.. Smith got his
information, and whether that
information had or had not
any foundation in fact. sought Mr.. Smith
to-day to see if he recollected the conversation,
but he was out of the city, and all can do is
to give my own affidavit, which will at least
clear me of the charge of wilfully inventing q
falsehood, as charged by Mr.. Beaumont, and
will go for what it is worth with other circum.
stantial evidence. I do not care to protract
this controversy, but if the gentlemen want a
little more grape" they can be grati6ed.
j. W. MoCLuNa.
State of Minnesota, county OF Ramsey, ss.-
J. W. McClupg being duly sworn, deposes and
states that sometime in the fall of 1876, while
Lee Davis was running as the regular Demo-
cratic candidate for auditor of Ramsey county,
aud Joseph I. Beaumont as an independent can
didate, 1 was informed by Robert A. Smith.
ESQ.,, an intimate and confidential friend of
Toe nouio rot Reaumopt yyaa willing tn de-