The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-11-04
THE MANKATO & ST. CLOUD
RAILROAD.
Brief Reference to a Matter OF
History in Which
Gen. ]. HI. Baker Played an I'M
pOrtant, if Not an Honor
able Part.

The people of Blue Earth county
have not forgotten that they were a
few years since sold out of the Man
kato and ST. Cloud railroad and their
confidence grossly betrayed. One of
the principal actors in the outrageous
transaction was Gen. Baker, the pres
ent nominee on the Democratic ticket
for the legislature from Blue Earth
county.
That there was, besides the ''sell
out" an overiSSue of the stock of the
company by Baker, its secretary, that
gentleman will not deny. The author
lied number of shares was seven hun
dred, but the records show that seven
hundred and forty-three were issued.
When the directors met to cOnsum-
issue was discovered and the minutes
of that meeting show that Secretary
Baker was directed to take up and
cancel the frauduently issued stock
and an adjournment of the meeting
was had until this was done.
If the General or his friends desire
any further information regarding
this transaction we are prepared to
give the number Of shares in detail,
TO whom issued, dates of issue, and
other acts to show his unfitnesS to be
the trusted representative in the
legislature of the people of Blue Earth
county. The Democrats must feel
proud of Baker. They have nomi-
mated MIN for an office of trust in the
face of the strongest condemnation
by their own party organ. At the
time Mr.. Baker appeared before the
Mankato Board of Trade to try to
justify his action for the manner in
which he had betrayed their conf
dence, the Mankato ReuieaU, a paper
which is now supporting Mr.. Baker
for the legislative, and whose editor
labored hard for his nomination be-
fore the Democratic convention, had
'Gen. Baker talks great deal of
the iniQuities of railaoad corporations
but when he becomes party to the
sell out of the st. Cloud and Austin.
railroad, he was guilty of a wrong to
those who had reposed their conf
dence in him for which he can never
atone during the remaining years of
his life"
And again, in the same issue of the
Rivieao MAY 4th, 1885, the following
compliment is paid the Democratic
legislative candidate by Mr.. Wise:
'He will understand beforehe gets
through with this matter, that his
abuse and buster has frightened no
one. The people of Blue Earth coun-
ty and of MankatO thoroughly know
Gen. Baker-they are familiar with
the reputation he brought from Ohio,
the reputation he made through his
varied and checkered career since, in
Guiding the finding of congressional
committee of his own party when SER
wing as commissioner Of pensions at
WaShington-and no people in the
world have been more lenient and
forgiving than they have been with
him. When he abuses and Whites the
reputation of his old neighbors and
fellOw-cltiZenS-every one of whom is
at last his peer-simply because they
are not satisfied with his explanation
of trust which in their over-confi-
dence they entrusted to his honor,
and ask for further information. he
has assumed position which neither
his ability nor his personal reputation
can sustain.
They really hoped that he might
present some reasonably fair eXplana-
tiOn, for his own sake, but when he in
dulged in all the falsehoods and trick
cry of a demagogue, and added there
to the buster of bully, he abused
the leniency of those who have here
tofore overlooked and forgiven his
shortcomings, and soliidif1ed public
sentiment as to his guilt"
How do the Democrats like the
present attitude of their organ, and
how do they like the purity ~ of their
candidate Baker as illustrated and
declared by Mr. Wise?