Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-08-19
COL. GRAVES skin NED.

Hon. ". ". BtlEs0n Gives HIS VGe,Us of the
Fifth District FYght-Ihe Charges against
Kindred False.
To the Editor of the Duluth Tribune:
DULUTH, Mimi, Aug. Is, 1881 observe
that you reproduce in your columns this
morning the report of an interview with Col.
Graves which was published in Saturdays
Pioneer Press, in which it is said that SPILL
son, the Kindred candidate for state senator
# is privately telling people that, of
course, as a religious man he cannot support
Kindred" A reasonable amount of trickery
and low strategy is to be looked for in most
political campaigns, but l was certainly
unprepared to believe that Col. Graves
would allow his angry passions to so
lord it over his sense OF honor, that he would
to injure either Mr.. Kindred or myself, put in
circulation a known untruth. 1 assumed
therefore, and SO remarked to others, sthat
Col. Graves had probably been wrongly re-
posted, and had intended, upon that assertion,
to pass the matter by without notice. The
republication of this interview in Col
Graves home organ rather staggered my dis
belief in its authenticity, and therefore this
morning sent the colonel note of which the
following Is copy:
'.Col. Graves: Will yon have the kindness
to inform me whether you are correctly re-
ported in your interview published in the
Pioneer Press of Monday and reproduced in
the Tribune this morning. If you are, will
you please give me your authority for stating
that have privately expressed myself as you
therein claim have" Yours, etc.
VIM. w. BILLsON.
To this note the colonel condescended to
make no reply further than to tell the bearer
OF it that NO reply was necessary, and that it
was all right. The statement contained 10 the
above quoted passage from the colonel's inter-
view is utterl y untrue. Whether he knew it
to be SO when he uttered it will not hsrshly
nor hastily undertake to say. / am of the
opinion, however, that if he had spoken 1t In
entire good faith, his first impulse upon re-
ceipt of my note would have been either to
assign his authority or make some explana.
ton or apology for not doing so.
The cunning motives which led the colonel
to Introduce my name in his reply to inquiries
relating solely to congressional matters are
not difficult to fathom. Ii, by an invention
of this kind, could be induced publicly to
disclaim the statements and sentiments i'm
puted to me, my disclaimer could be paraded
before the friends of Mr.. Nelson as an evidence
that had become champion of the Kindred
cause.
If believed the imputations against Mr..
Kindred's character, 1 should perhaps be IN
der no moral obligation 10 deny the express
sions Col. Graves ascribes to me, although I
udu III bTuIu never uGtcIeu tNem, 6uI De1leV-
ing, as do, that the charges against Mr.
Kindred are without substantial foundation,
in fact, cannot with self.respect allow N.Y.
self to be quoted as endorsing them. I prefer
to be defeated, rather than to be elected at
such price.
But have a better opinion of the sense of
fair play of the people OF this district than
my crafty enemies. No fair minded or dis
passionate person will ask that allow my
name to be falsely used in support of what I
believe to be unfounded charges against
either of the congressional candidates, and
they will believe that / would be as swift to
prevent it in the case OF the one candidate as
of the other.
If it should turn out that majority of our
people have it for their only desire in the
matter of the senatorship, to vote for bawl-
ing Kindred man or shrieking Nelson man,
as the case may be, I shall undoubtedly be
''left."
In my judgment, however, the congres.
sioual and legislative issues are SO logically
separate and distinct from each other, as to
justify suspicion that the efforts to entangle
| them proceed mainly from those who are ex.
citedly pursuing personal or political ends of
their own, without q due regard for the pub
lie interest Respectfully yours,
WIN. ". BILLsoN.