St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-04
LIES NAILED.
The Dastardly Attack Of the Pio-
neer Press Met by
AfndaVitS
Which Prove Beyond Doubt the
Infamy Of That
Sheet,
And Establish the Purity of Action and
Purpose of the Democratic
Candidates.
A Disgraceful Publication Which Can But
React on the Heads of Its
OriginatorS,
And Cause the Ring Ticket to be
Buried Under a ParalyZing
Majority.
monumentaI FaIsehoods.

Monumental EalSehoOds.
Though having established reputa-
ton for monumental villainy and robust
falsehood, the Pioneer Press, in the present
campaign, has essayed the task OF eclipsing
itself. a problem which, it must be granted,
seems more difficult than Archimedes' task
of lifting the world without a spot upon
which to rest his lever. For two weeks
this unscrupulous sheet has daily been
building a frame work for some colossal
pyrotechnic of lies when it was supposed to
be too late TO refute them. On the principle
of the better the day the more damnable the
deed, Sunday morning was chosen for the
explosion. and Mr.. William R. Merriam,
the would-be boy mayor, was sent for to
touch off the match. He promptly re-
sponded, and remained at the Pioneer Press
office until o'clock Sunday morning, aid
ing in loading the gun.
For supreme villainy, for deliberate and
atrocious lying, for dastardly cowardice,
for falsehoods uttered knowing them to be
falsehoods without shadow upon which to
rest, the article concocted and inspired by
William R. Merriam in Sundays Pioneer
Press eclipses any newspaper effort on
record. When Mr.. Merriam left the Pio-
neer Press editorial rooms at 2 o'clock Sun
day morning his cheeks would have illum-
med the darkness by blush Of shame if
they had not been made callous by the
enamel of indecency.
In the midnight darkness this would-be
head of great city conspired with shame
less newspaper and its most villainous pro-
prietors to pile Ossa upon Pelion Of false
hood. knowing them to be such, but relying
upon the nearness of election day to prevent
the statements being disproved as thoroughly
as circulated. And then, with mock hero
ism, they invite meeting of business men,
to consider these mountainous lies, which no
Individual will dare father.
The attack which is made with so much
malignant though stupid falsehood is upon
the present city government and the new
one which will be chosen when the votes
are counted tomorrow night. It consists
first of the statement that Mr.. Roche has
regularly made his annual reports for five
years, that they show over hundred men
on the pay rolls who do no work but are
simply political strikers, and that they have
been privately submitted to cotere of
Democrats who secured their suppression
because they revealed a system of robbery
There is not man who has resided in the
city the past five years, Democrat OF Repub-
ican, who does not know that the state
ment is false on its face, but as there are
many recent comers, it is well to wipe out
Messrs. Merriam & Co.'S slanderous Sabbath
day lie. To this end Mr.. Roche submits the
following affidavit:
CoMPTRoLLER's AFFIDAVIT.
STATE OF MINNESOTA, CO
County of Ramsey.
Personally appeared before the under
signed, a notary public in and for said
county, John w. Roche, comptroller of the
city of St. Paul, who being first duly sworn,
deposeth and says, that all the statements
made in the Pioneer Press of date Sunday
morning, May 3. 1885, under the head of
Astounding Discoveries" relative to his
detailed official reports, and also as to all
matters contained therein as relating to
himself, are each and all absolutely false in
every particular.
And further, that since he was first sworn
into Office as city comptroller on the 18th
day of April. 1865, no member of the COM
mon council of said city, individually, or col
lectively, or any man, woman or child, has
during that time ever asked him to suppress
or delay the publication of his annual re-
ports or suppress any item of receipts or
expenditures.
And he further says that it was abso-
lutely false that over one hundred men or
any number of men whatever were drawing
pay from the city treasury, who per-
form no service in return, or that S140, 900
year of public moneys or any other amount
was squandered in the pay of men who per-
form no service. And further, that in the
month of January. 1885, he furnished Fred
erick Driscoll, chairman of the committee
on taxation of the chamber Of commerce of
this city, with full and complete list OF all
salaries upon the pay roll OF said city and
the amount paid to each, which report is on
file in the chamber of commerce. and was
afterwards published in the Pioneer Press.
Deponent further says that it is not true
that the bonds of several contractors are IN
default to the amount of ,0G0, or any
other sum to exceed the sum of about
S12, 600, and the reason that such bond is
not sued is solely that the same is under
consideration to see what amount is due
thereon. JOHN W. ROCHE.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this
eth day of May. 1885.
THEo. E. PARKER, Notary Public
The falsehood relative to employees being
carried On the pay rolls who do no service was
most deliberate in view Of the fact, as
stated above, that the business manager of
the Pioneer Press was, as chairman of a
chamber of commerce committee, supplied
by Mr. Roche with complete list of every
name on the city pay rolls last January and
the amount received by each, said list being
afterwards printed in his paper.
To make the falsehoods dovetail, City At
torney Murray was quoted, (his alleged
words being put in quotation marks as
though literally copied, as opposing the
publication of Mr. Roche's reports because
they would damn the Democratic party in
the city. Here is Mr.. Murray's sworn
refutation of Merriam & Co.'S supplementary