The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-08-15

rluay 10 lake some nOtlCe OF Une
matter. ToS%holly ignore it after it
had been published would be almost
too raw. so the ?. P. printed the fol-
lowing editorial, to which the REPRE-
SENTATIVE wishes to call particular
Mr.. Biermanns state auditor of Min
nesota, is falling into the habit Of
taking the public, unsolicited, into his
confidence, III a4large and expansive
way. 1t is rather wonderful how con-
fiding Mr.. Biermann is, and how willing
he is that he should be recalled to
public notice about election time. He
made a personal explanation not long
ago in the natter of pine land sales,
which had curiously got through his
office in a fashion that involved large
losses to the state. or course that
was not Mr.. Biermann's fault,as he was
quick to show. And now, just as the
state is receiving the money due it by
bringing to book the purchasers who
found 1T SO easy to get around the scru-
tiny of the state auditor, and just, we
may add, as election draws near, he
appears in wonderful statement in
tended to show that Biermann alone
the state and the rapacity of a great
railroad corporation.
We have read the documents in the
case with great care, and they seem
extraordinarily simple. They show
that the Great Northern road has
been DESTROYS Of proceeding with the
selection of.lands under it's land grant
as rapidly as might be, which is not
criminal as far as we can discover.
They show that, in order to prevent
its claims from being barred by stat
ute, the road filed list of selections.
This it was obliged to do. as matter
of form. or sacrifice it's future legal
rights, whatever those may be. And
that appears to be the whole story:
out of which Mr. Bierman constructs
wonderful tale of his ideal fidelity to
the interests of the people, and his I'M
apprOachability when great corpora
tions are displaying their charms. :
If all that is alleged in the docu
ments is true it shows nothing but an
ordinary conduct of public business on
either side What all this fuss is about
no one who is not after POpulist or
Democratic nomination, or both, would
not be able to understand. We would
only remind Mr.. Bierman that a man
may protest too much" This pain
fully constructed and unproyoked de
mnDstration of virtue, following the
pine land disclosures, argues a certain
over-anXiety. If Mr.. Bierman is real
ly us good man as he says he is,Whlch
heaven forbid that we should doubt,
the people would probably appreciate
it more if they were left to find it out
for themselves. He ought certainly
n n tot q
he can get from the documents that
he has Just put into circulation. as a
bid for continuance in office and an
offset to the unpleasant pine land IT.
regularitieS Of recent date.
The particular point about this in
famous editorial is found in the eX
preston that tile document "shows
nothing but an ordinary conduct of
public business on either side" The
fact that Mr.. Doran desired Mr.. Bier
mann to violate his oath and do an in
jury to the state for the benefit of the
Great Northern road is, in the opinion
of the Pioneer Press, nothing but an
ordinary conduct of public business"
No doubt the 2. p. is honest in the
matter. 1t belongs to the public
be-d-d" class of newspapers. Where
the interests of the people conflict
with those of the corporations. the
first named must give way every time.
This is the ''ordinary conduct Of pub
lie business" according to the 2. p.
idea.
All these corporation paid papers
should be boycotted by the people Of
this state. They are the fountain
heads Of corruption and should be
treated accordingly. They are the
fathers of leg pullers."