St. Paul daily globe., 1888-04-15
That Paper Given the Choice
Takeing 1t Back or Being
Sued for Libel.
HOnOped Citizens Will Pro-
tect Their Names From
Malicious SANDERS.
Rows in the Republican Ranks
of the Sixth and Tenth
Wards.

eHSAl udlly dIllcleS grossly VlGuperdGlVo
and of personal character directed at
the officials whom the taxpayers have
chosen to manage the affairs of this
city. No notice being taken of
the slanders by the parties as
sailed the management of the Dispatch
on the date of the Democratic conven-
tlon, published an article dOuble-shot-
TED with invectives, charging certain
officials with having brought about the
defeat OF Comptroller John Roche for
denomination, their own motion being
to reimburse themselves from the
city treasury for the expenses
OF the campaign. Democrats gen
orally, and the better class of Republi-
in the extreme, the consensus of Opin-
ion being that the Dispatch should be
made either to publish an ample retrac-
ton OF its statements, or to prove them
to be true. To that end the parties
asSailed instituted preliminary proceed
lngs yesterday through their attorney,
Hon. G. d. O'Brien, who served upon
George Thompson, proprietor of the
Dispatch, written demand for re-
traction of the libellous article, in ac-
cOrdance with the provisions of the new
law relative to libel. Failure on the part
of Mr.. Thompson to comply with the
demand within three days, the term
specified by statute, will result in
the owners of the Dispatch being
made defendants in series of libel
suits, with damages amounting in the
aggregate to very large amount. The
complainants are Chief of Police John
Clark, City Clerk Thomas Prendergast,
Alderman G. H Petsch and r. l.. Cor
man, president of the board of public
work. So much has recently
been said by the Dispatch
in regard to the city officials,
whom it has dubbed the 'city hall
gang" together with indiscriminate
charges of boodleism, that taxpayers
wi now be afforded an opportunity to
eitr II see the Dispatch eat a very large
dis of crow or take it's case into court.
Thasetcome will be. watched with con-
sid fable interest by the public.
THE LIBEL.
r..'he article regarded as libelous was
published in the Dispatch April Z. 1t
made the grave charge that the officials
or the city government sacrificed John
w. Roche for criminal purpose. Fol-
lowing is the article as clipped from the
Dispatch:
The city hall ring to-day consummated its
greatest villainy. Honest faithful and capa-
bic John Roche, comptroller of the city for
years, was sacrificed at the command of the
chief OF the gang and his lieutenants Mayor
gast, AID. Petseh and Dick Cor
man. The. city hall ring must
have Doodle to elect themselves
and carry through their scheme for plunder-
has always been in their way, and he had to
be got rid of. The ring knows that with this
faithful guardian of the treasury at his post
no scheme of theirs for Doodle could pass his
scrutiny.
Chief John Clark was disposed to talk
freely enough. He said:
1--WE all supposed that John Roche
would be nominated until the conven-
tion was held. We hadn't the slightest
nomination, but he had the delegates
and they voted for him. I think the
man who runs that paper is going
pretty far to accuse us of trying to
work up Doodle ring SO he can get in
his spite on Mike DAILY, If he had got
the county printing, probably he
wouldn't have SO much to say. He sup
ports John Roche only because he
wants to vent his spleen on Mike DAILY,
and then he lies about US fellows"
City Clerk Prendergast passed the
matter over by saying simply "YeS, we
commenced proceedings to-day. and the
matter is in the hands of Mr.. O'Brien."
President German, of the board of
public works, was seen last evening re-
garding the matter. He said: "The
article published in the Dispatch was as
contemplate as it was uncalled
for. There has been altogether
too much of this mud sliuging, and a
halt might as well be called now as any
time. |, for one, don't relish being
classed among thieves and public plum
derers, A notice has been served on
Mr.. Thompson, manager of the Dis
patch. and if retraction is not forth
coming within three days series of
suits for libel will be commenced, the
damages being laid in the aggregate at
S125O00.
AID Petsch was seen at his residence
by a GLOBE reporter last evening and
only remarked: II have nothing to say
about that matter at present.
Mayor Smith, whose name was men-
toned in the Dispatch article, also did
not wish to be quoted.
George Thompson was seen by a
GLOBE reporter on the same topic. He
said the notice had been served, but
had nothing to say on the course his
paper would take.