St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-10
DORIAN WILL NOT TALK
Says He Will Not Honor Bier
mann's Attack With a
Reply.
HE THROWS OUT A HINT.
lntimates by Sarcasm That
Biermann Has Cooked
Himself.
SAM HILL TALKS A LITTLE.
Republican Recolleetions Of
the Meeting Before
Merriam.

say in reply tn the accusation of State
Auditor Biermann?" was the question
everybody asked yesterday after read
Ing in the GLOBE the address of Mr..
Biermann to the voters of the state, in
which he makes serious charges against
the Cheat Northern railway and Mr..
DOran.
So. to satisfy the curiosity to hear
from Mr.. Doran. he was seen by a
representative of the GLOBE.
"What have to say in reply to Mr..
Biermann?" said Mr.. Doran. with a
characteristic smile and twinkle of the
eye. He's candidate for Office, is
hep" asked Mr.. Doran after few mo-
ments' silence. as though turning inter-
viewer himself.
The newspaper man said he supposed
he was.
"Well, have no objections to his
getting tiff he can. ! havn't word
to say in reply to him. 1t isn't neees-
sary that L should honor the matter
with reply. If Mr.. Biermann thinks
he can get denomination in that way,
it's all right: shan't object"
Samuel Hill, president of the Eastern
Minnesota and vice president of the
Great Northern, was seen with refer
ence to the charges made against the
Great Northern, and said:
1.-The state had, for twenty-nine
years, the right to select any land that
1t chose, although the grant to the rail.
way was of two days earlier dale. and
final lists were offered to the state au-
ditOr only when the law of 1893 was
passed, requiring it to be done.
No action OF Mr.. Biermann's
could in any way affect the
rights of the railway company. What
ever construction the courts will place
on the rights of the railway company
will be cheerfully obeyed. l never met
Mir. Biermann but twice; once, when l
called Oh him officially during the time
that Hon. w. r. Merriam was gov
ernor, in company with MIR. Grover,
general solicitor of the Great Northern
Railway company, and again. when l
called on him in company with Mr..
Benton. the land attorney of the CON-
panY. and offered him the lists. AS
before stated, the railway company does
not think that Mr.. Biermann's action
can affect their legal rights one way or
The other.
''1Ho not understand why this tirade,ot
abuse was launched at this time, unless
for political effect. or, possibly. to dis
tract public attention from himself and
cover up some of his official acts now
on investigation before the public No
reply is necessary to the slurs or in
iuendoes cast out. l have lived for thirty
three years III Minneapolis, and am will
NJ to leave any matter affecting my
personal standing to this community
for Judgment"
EX-Gov. Merriam was asked concern
ing the interview held in his presence
while governor between Samuel Hill
and attorneys of the Great Northern on
the one side and Mr.. Biermann on the
other, at which Assistant Attorney Gen
eral Childs was present. He replied:
II have not very distinct recollec-
tion of that interview. Mr.. Biermann
is correct, however, in the statement
that l said TO the Great Northern repre-
sentatives that the matter was one lying
wholly within the province OF the Great
Northern. MIR. Hill, Mr.. Grover and
Mr.. Benton were very anxious to
carry their point concerning the right
of the Great Northern to make It's own
selections of swamp lands, even to talk
ing seven-numbered sections. They
urged their case vigorously, and as I
remember it now. l was glad to see Mr..
Biermann stand firm against them. Mr..
Biermann'S account of the meeting is
substantially correct, as remember It."
Attorney General Childs was next
seen. He said:
III remember the interview. It was
an informal talk in which took little
Or no part. The Interview terminated
substantially as Mr.. Biermann has
stated. Attorney Grover was firm in
his insistence on being allowed to make
the selections of the lands from the
grant. He urged the legal right to do
so. Ny recollection is that Gov. Mer-
RAM stood by Biermann. while holding
at the same time that 1t was not a mat.
ter in which he had any power"
Ex-Attorney General Clapp, who
wrote the opinion quoted by Mr.. Bier
mann in his address, said:
II recall the matter indistinctly. l
remember to have received the letter
from Mr.. Siermann that he has quoted,
as well as my reply to 1t that he has
also quoted. l have always believed
that Biermann was an honest man. and
that whatever he did as auditor ne did
under the conviction that he was right"
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