St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-29
BIERAIANN WRITES.
A Letter From the State Auditor
to a Personal Friend.

A Letter From the State Auditor
to a Personal Friend.
The Olmsted County Democrat of
Oct. 25 publishes letter from Auditor
Biermann to persona! friend in Roch>
ester, who had written Mr.. BIermaun a
letter sympathzing with him over his
prospective defeat. The letter was
written some time ago, but its publica-
cation at this time shows most con-
clusyely that Mr.. Biermarn had prop
erly forecaSted the situation even at
that time. Here is the letter:
ST. PAUL. Sept. 26, 1894.
Friend Durand: Your sympathetic
epistle of the 21st inst, with clipping
from the st. Paul GLOBE about Gov.
Nelson's speech at Granite Falls-at-
tached with hardwood toothpick-is
received. L confess my disappointment
at its contents and wonder if any man
on earth is blessed with truer and more
faint-hearted friends than am. Your
very encouraging conclusion is shared
by sundry other politically short-sight-
ed friends in my immediate surround
ings. The aforementioned dispatch
seems. in your opinion. to haYe settled
the result OF the campaign. Why you
should be thus stunned by such
little incident passes my compre-
henSlon. You ought to be in
my place and read pretty much every.
thing said about you in print through
invested IS month for clippings from
papers commenting on your humble
servant. l will forward the entire lot if
you will send me the necessary postage.
You will then discover that l am the
blackest villain ever occupying a place
i'll the state capitol. There is nothing in
the calendar of crime but what l am
accused of-from robbing the state and
school children out of millions of dollars
down to the petty stealing of forty-acre
lots. l confess that l was somewhat
surprised at being advertised in this
fashion, not remembering 10 have COM
mitted crimes of any nature whatso-
ever.
You are thinker, student and
profound philosopher. l am somewhat
OF philosopher myself, but of more
practical mould than you. The ungen-
tlemanly and uncalled-for attack of the
governor seems to have upset you en-
tirely. How would you feel after read
ing the shameless assault made on you
by hundreds of newspapers? You,
doubtless. would naturally conclude
that close inventory of the votes cast
next November would be necessary, III
order to prove that l had been in the
campaign at all. differ with you and
Will now proceed to prove that you
know nothing about human nature, and
that you are especially ignorant as to
the manly attributes which have ever
characterized the American people
although your ancestors have lived here
Tor centuries.
A full Democratic ticket is nominated.
Of md rn,.i< 81
the ticket and bis assOciates-except the
nominee for state audltor-are conceded
by all to be honorable and worthy gen
tlemen. Why ain l singled out for at
tack? Because l am a thief and a
scoundrel? Not much, MARY Ann
OF course you know that no person in
the state believes me either thief or
scoundrel and least of all the intelligent
editors who daily and weekly make me
their sole target for attack and abuse
while they have nothing but words of
praise for my colleagues on the ticket.
Between you and me it may as we'll be
admitted that thls is not Democratic
year to any alarming extent. For this
reason l consider myself highly cOmpli-
mented by causing the entire party
batteries to be directed against me
alone. This can be accounted for only in
one way. They fear my election even
under present adverse circumstances,
Can you conceive Of higher compli-
ment being paid me? They evidently
know that the people of Minnesota have
Implicit faith in my honesty and integ.
rlty.and that all these villainous attacks
made upon me are instigated by pow-
erful railway corporation and its agents
because they could not control me, and
thus rob the state out of millions, to be
finally placed in the Golfers of the Great
Northern Railway company. l don't
blame them for being anxious to trade
me off for Honest" Bob Dunn. l
also take it for granted that it is gen.
orally understood that | could have
made nice little fortune for myself,
"unbebnownst' to any one; that l
would have received the Populist and
Democratic nomination without lifting
finger and been elected without any
material opposition if I had been clever
enough to serve the interest of the Great
Northern Railway company instead of
the people of Minnesota. In a contest of
this kind have no doubt as to what
the verdict will be. Politics will cut no
figure in this case. They can buy the
newspapers against me but the people
of Minnesota can't be bought to vote
against their own interest. They know
that my defeat means that future state
oouisoio Will tuiuh tWlCc UelOT6 tUGy
antagonize the Great Nor thern when
certain defeat and disgrace will be their
only reward. But it is getting late. and
must quit. quote the last sentence
of your singular letter. "God bl ess
and help you-but you must suffer de-
feat all the same" Thanks, awfully.
As an Offset and as an illustration of
how widely we differ, l assert that l |
will be elected by plurality or major
ity unprecedented in the history of Min
nesota politics. My good friend, "put
that in your pipe and smoke it." Sin.
cerely yours, A. BIERMANN.