St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-15
SLANDEROUS Stone.
An Attack on Senator Sabin's
Business Record Acts Like
a Boomerang.
In This Case the Assailant Is
Hoist With His Own
Petard.
Views Of Well-Known Citi-
Zens Concerning the Much
Mooted Charges.
Messrs. Sanborn, Flandrau,
Heard, Mcclure and Others
Express Themselves.
Senator C. X. Davis Views in
Summing Up the
Case.

ing, an ar HIe appeared over Tie Sly
nature ii. q. Stone, formerly as
sist. at receiver of the Saltwater Car
company, severely arraigning Senator
Sabin for the management of the
affairs of that Institution, and accusing
him of gross personal dishonesty. The
article was received with glee in the
Washburne ranks, who had been giving
out hints for some days that such a
document was to be forthcoming.
A GLOBE reporter called at Senator
Sabin's headquarters at the Merchants
last evening to learn whether any reply
was to be made TO the letter of Mr..
Stone, and was supplied with the fol-
lowing documents, which speak tor
themselves. Gen. John B. Sanborn,
Judge Charles E. Flandrau, Hon. |. Y.
d. Heard and Judge George B. Young
are too well known in Minnesota to
need any introduction to the public be-
yOnd their signatures:
WHAT SENATOR sABIN SAYS.
Senator Sabin'S attention being called
to the article of Mr.. Stone and an eX-
preston of his views asked, replied as
follows:
l have to say that as Washburn has reached
the period of dirt and roorbacks in his cam
paign, he, by this. acknowledges his defeat.
] understood that on the eve of The contest
over the speakership this article or
similar one had been prepared, but Thomas
Lowry, Mr.. Washburn's partner in railway
schemes with better Judgment, succeeded in
squelching its publication. II was then laid
aside as treasure to be used on the eve of
the final contest, when it would be too late
tor Inc to answer.
They now finding their campaign demoral-
lied. as final but fatal attempt to regain
some of their lost ground, ventured upon this
personal attack upon me. Stone, of Devils
Lake and Grand Forks notoriety. is entirely
unworthy of consideration, and l will simply
say of him that within the next thirty days
ne may be as anxious to depart from
Minnesota as he is now to keep clear of
Devils Lake. have no hesitation in COM
records with Mr. Washburn or any
other man. The large manufacturing
plant which 1 established in Minnesota was
more than the business of this Northwestern
country would maintain, and in close times
the vast amount of paper which I took from
the farmers of this country, which owing to
poor cropslow prices and high freights, they
could not meet, caused the business to go
down. Every dollar of capital or credit
which had willingly and unnessitatingly
brought into this business in the attempt to
sustain it, and it has frequently
come TO me in this campaign as
originating with one of the opposing
forces. that [ was unable to pay the expenses
OF contest and that their candidate could
easily defeat me with his abundant means
These matters have teen dragged into
court upon every possible point. principle
and technicality. and i'll every decision which
has been rendered by the court. after thou
sands upon thousands of pages of testimony
they have been in my favor.
l shall leave my vindicaton to those more
disinterested than ]. and have no anxiety as
10 the Judgment Of the people upon it.
GIN SANRORN RFpIrDJ ATES TUE Jr,J1U 111, ANrrup
USE OF HIS NAME.
To the Editor of the Pioneer Press
In the communication published in your
paper this morning of H. g. Stone concern
ing the management of the affairs of the cor
porations of Seymour, Sabin d Co. and the
Northwestern Manufacturing and Car COM
pany, and Mr., Sabins connection herewith
my name was used in such manner as TO
create the impression that Las an individual
charged the fault upon Mr.. Sabin. l desire
to correct this and 10 state that the charges
made IN the complaint of the National
German-American bank bore no more
strongly against Mr.. Sabin than all the other
directors and officers of those corporations
and were used to show TIE legal results of
their acts, as my client claimed them to be,
rather than to show any moral turpitude or
bad faith in fact on the part of any lndi-
Vidual. There never has been any claim that
any Iault attached to Mr.. Sabin beyond that
OF 6elng too sangulne and endeavoring to
build up great public enterprises more
rapidly than even the rapid development of
the Northwest would warrant. His zeal in
building up great manufacturing establish
mentS al Saltwater, Duluth and other points
resulted in all the disasters that followed,
and in the most thorough sitting in the
courts of all his acts and dealings with these
corporations and the officers, stockholders
and creditors of the same, there was not a
shadowOf testimony that he ever did ANYTHING
for the benefit of himself or his own fortune
10 the prejudice of others, and the evidence
demonstrated to me that he had made
greater sacrifice of property i'll these enter
prises than any other party. Hence, al
though the bank had, as we believed, the
means of collecting from certain individuals
every dollar OF its debts, it accepted by unan-
1mous vote of the board of directors the
compromise offered by Senator Sabin, and SO
far as know, a large majority of its officers
and directors are in favor of his return to the
senate, which certainly would not he the
case II mere mad been any evidence that he
was personally dishonest or in the least de-
gree unfaithful i'll the discharge Of trusts.
Respectfully, JOHN B, SANBoRS.
St Paul, Jan. IA, 1889.
JUDGE FLANDRAU GIVES HIS CONCLUSIONS
Being called upon to state my views rela-
tive TO Senator Sabin's business difficulties
can say that after four years litigation (orig-
Inally representing creditors pressing claims
against him) l never found the slightest evil
dence that he wrongtully appropriated
dollar Tor his personal benefit. On the CON
trary, he rendered himself personally liable
TO The extent of about a million
and a half or more by indorse-
ment of car company paper while en-
deavoring to carry the enterprise until more
prosperous business times would make it a
success. | entered the case as an attorney
for parties then hostileto Mr.. Sabin and en-
tertained different views, but the above is my
conclusion after full investigation AS cor
roboratory of my own present position can
add that most Of the largest creditors of the
ear company are fully satisfied with Mr.
Sabin's course and so far from charging him
with dishonorable conduct are his friends
and supporters to-day
CHARLES E. FLANDRAU.
st. Paul, Jan. IA, 1889.
Mr. HEARD GIVES HIS OWN AND THE LATE N. w.
KITTSoNs VIEWS.
IL having been represented to me that a
puhGcation has been made impugning the
financial integrity of Senator Sabin relative
10 his management of the Northwestern
Manufacturing and Car company l state
that as attorney for the late n. |
". kittson, who had S1UO,0OO stock |
III the company and a claim for |
over S200.O0o money loaned the institu- |
ton. ] Investigated very carefully, for |
many months, the matters connected with |
such management, and <fpund nothing to |
impugn his integrity. Mr. Kittson very fire |
Quenuy expressed to me his entire covfi- |
dence in Mr.. Sabin's honor. and blamed him |
for nothing except for a too sanguine conf |
dence in the future. and for risking too |