St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-17
Mr. DonnejIU RenIies

III seems that the question of Mr.. Dom
nelly's vote on the railroad commissioner
bill, referred to by "a Voter in last weeks
Tribune, had already been discussed in pri-
vate to such an extent that Mr.. Donnclly had
been written to in regard to the matter. His
reply has been handed US for publication,
which fully answers the communication of
last eek.-Editor Pennington Tribune.
SHAKoPEE, Mimi, Oct. 6, 1884.
NV Dear Sir:-I have Just received your
valued favor of the 2Sth, ult., in which you
tell me that copies OF the acts of the legisla-
ture obtained from the Republican commit
tee in st. Paul., in reference to the appoint
ment of board of commissioners to provide
for the management of railroad corpora
tons, passed in 1874, and another providing
for the appointment and election of one rail-
road commissioner, passed in 1875, are
being exhibited, and that 1t is claimed that l
voted against these bills in the senate in the
interest of the railroad companies; and that
thereby sold out the people who had elected
me 10 the senate.
This only shows what contemplate thing
political bigotry is. In political campaign
resort is had to any kind Of argument to in
jure an opponent.
The first bill in question was based
on the repeal of the granger legislation
which prescribed moderate railroad
rates for the transportation of passen-
gers and freight on the railroads of the
state. The board of railroad commits
sioners was simply "a tub thrown to
the whale If You win look at the first bill
| you will see that, like g scorpion, it has a
sting in its tail-a repeating clause-which
wiped out the whole fruit of the granger agi-
tatiOn- was the only man in the senate
who voted against that repeal in good faith.
! The Hon. f. T Drake, president Of the Sioux
City railroad, also voted against it, because
he Pretended that be did not want board OF
commissioners We two were the only sen
ators who voted no. There was a great
crowd present, nd Mr. D.ake, beaming with
smiles over TIE success of the railroad,
walked across the senate chamber and shook
hands with me, "oyer the bloody chasm,' -
amid the uproarious laughter of
the senate and the assembled crowd
of lobbyist 1t was good joke but sorry
one for the people. And now, those who
ought to be above such tricks, quote that
vote, when / stood ''faiteful among the
faithiess," as an evidence that l sold out 70
the railroads. LOrk Lord How mean q
thing politics will make Of man.
The second bill reduced the powers Of the
first board of commissioners, aud was in the
interests of the railroad companies, and
therefore ] voted against it. Gen. Baker is
now railroad commissioner under that bill.
What does it amount to4 The general Is an
able man, and friendly, / believe, to the
cause OF the people; but he has as much
control over the actions Of the
railroad companies Of this state as the Tartar
priest has, when he beats bis drum and blows
his horn over the course of an eclipse
These questions. of course, have nothing
to do with this campaign, which turns on
other ISSUES, but 1 refer to them in self de-
fence
The lies that are circulated against me in
this contest are so multitudinous, and pos
sess such an infinite variety, that feel like
! exclAimirg. with the worthy German, the