St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-27
APPEAL TO IGNORANCE.
Pioneer Press Defense Gets
the Governor in Worse
Scrape Than Ever.
CUNNING SECOND THOUGHT.
Lucid Statement Of the Case
by One Who Kn oWs the
Details.

AS the day of election approaches
and the Republican managers see de-
feat in the air. their efforts and thei r
cash disbursements are increasing. The
effect OF the exposure of Gov. Nelson's
corrupt connection with the Great
Northern land grant has set the com>
mlttee fairly crazy. The damaging de.
tense OF the Pioneer Press has added
much to the embarrassment of the COM
mlttee, and there are many to be found
VINO still believe that the publishers of
that paper were engaged in conspira-
cy to defeat Nelson: Its frank confes.
sion on the day following the exposure,
that Mr. Riermann had done "his sim.
pie duty as an official" an act for which
1t claimed he deserves no special credit,
completely heads off the attempt to
switch Off on the pretense that the lands
which Blermau proposed to deed were
valuable. This was a second thought,
and came after the governors defend-
ers had submitted their first brief.
Rowing. however, that the people are
always ready to accept as true the
opposite of what the Pioneer Press
SGnUlHR
out circulars in dozen languages stat
ing that Auditor Biermann had entered
into deal to deed lot of valuable land
to the Great Northern road, and that
but for the vigilance, cunning. zeal,
honesty, feryor, virtue. integrity, ear
nestness, industry, enterprise, vigor, re-
llaoleness, faith, hope and charity of
Gov. Nelson this awful deed would have
been accomplished. OF course they are
careful to send this only to such local.
tiles as are not we'll covered by the
daily papers. and where, trusting to the
ignorance of the people, the standard
reliance OF Republicans in their hour OF
need, they hope to prejudice a few
votes against Biermann and for Nelson.
Ihls course. however. will react, for the
state papers of all parties, the Repub-
llcan papers taking their cue from De-
tense No. of the Pioneer Press. had
already put their defense in type before
the committee concluded to give the lie
to its organ by declaring that Auditor
Biermann had not "tone his simple
duty as public official" as the Pioneer
Press states. Gov. Nelson is said to
have inspired this change of base. al
though it was he who inspired, if he
did not write, the Pioneer Press de-
Tense. The facts of the case, however,
are too we'll known to be successfully
disputed. The following statement of
the case by member of the Democratic
state central committee is as clear and
pointed as any that has been made.
The plain purpose of Auditor Bier
mann in making an arbitrary selection
of lands to fill the Great Northern
grant was to apply the comparatively
valueless lands which have been culled
over for twenty-five years to the filling
of this grant, leaving the valuable tim
Der lands yet TO be ceded for the state
to select from in filling it's own grant.
Any other view of the case can only
come from friend of the Great North
ern road, which is eXerting every pos
sible influence to prevent the issue of a
deed of those lands to itself. The
Great Northern was very anxious to
have its filings accepted, and was more
than willing that the matter should be
rushed through with all possible ex-
probability that Gov. Nelson could
secure the acceptance of its
selections; but when Mr.. Biermann,
acting for the state, made the selections
himself, the Great Northern suddenly
discovers that 1t is in no hurry about it,
The law says, and the supreme court
has ruled, that the right of selection
rests in the state, and as there is no
other state official who can act for the
state III these matters it becomes the
plain duty of the land commissioner
and auditor to make these selections. 1t
Is duty that Mr.. Biermann has not
shirked, and, at the cost of many politi-
cal and personal friends, he has per-
formed a duty which saves millions of
dollars to the taxpayers of the state,
defeating the designs of the Great
Northern road on a corresponding sum.
He has done it in a modest, unassuming
and natter of-fact sort of way which
commends him to the people much
same thing with dramatic parade, red
lights and general stage effects.
The pretense by certain Republican
managers that the lands selected for the
Great Northern are OF great value is an
insult to the intelligence of those whom
| it is sought to deceive. 1t was only
| adopted as second thought, and after
the utter failure of the governor to
| justify his remarkable course. The
Pioneer Press, in its defense of Gov.
Nelson's position the day after the
exposure was made. does not
pretend to deny that the lands
selected by Mr.. Biermann for the
Great Northern are comparatively
valueless, and, what is more, it virtu-
ally admits that the action of the au.
ditor was proper. The official explainer
of the governors course III the Pioneer
Press of that date (Oct. 23) says:
II fail to see where any special credit
attaches to Biermann in reference to
his action In regard to the certifying of
these Grea. Northern lauds, nor for any
claim to extreme virtue on his part in
the matter, for IN his refusal, it it is as
ne states, he only performed his sworn
duty"
The quotation is taken, word for word,
as 1t appeared in the governors official
organ, and it is hardly fair to assume
that it would prejudice his case.
The issue is therefore made clear and
definite. 1t is for the people to decide
whether the Great Northern road or the
state itself shall become possessed of
the millions of dollars worth of timber
lands which are soon to be ceded. Let
the choice be made as definitely as the
issue has been made clear,