The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-08
sTEARNs COUNTY REPUBLICAN
COMMITTEE REFUSES TO FILE
IT'S EXPENSE List.
ARRESTS ARE THREATENED.
AS THE CORRUPT PRACTICE Law
PROVIDES ONLY THAT METHOD
OF DEALING.
THOSE INTERESTED IN JOHN LINZ
Talk of rushing Thorough In
vestigatfOn and Testing the Law
If Necessary.

Proceedings will be begun in a few
days by Stearns county Democrats to
find out whether the corrupt practices
law passed by the legislature contains
any provisions that the Republican
county committee Of that county is
bound to respect.
So far as its present working is con-
cerned, it seems to be largely show.
Statements filed by candidates show
that an ''itemized' report under the
law may be in five items or in fifty,
and the opinion has been expressed by
lawyers of generally considered ability
that the mere statement that 81 spent
so much" would be a certificate of
expenses within the meaning of the
law
Where a successful candidate has
failed to file a certificate there is a
ready recourse, as the proper officers
may refuse to grant to the delinquent
candidate certificate Of election With
the defeated candidates that course is
impractieable, but provision is made
for bringing criminal proceedings.
What can be done with a committee,
though is harder to learn and promises
to cause lively investigation into
the power Of the act, as at present
drawn
Why the Stearns county Republican
committee should refuse to file Ger
tificate Of it's expenses has aroused the
curiosity Of the Democrats of the coun-
| ty, for while they elected the full coun-
| ty ticket and would have no reason to
| complain of lavish expenditures on the
| Fart of the county committee, they
| profess to believe that the refusal to
| file the report is the mask OF some
| political skullduggery which may have
| had a great deal to do with the plur-
4 ality of Gov. ClOugh, on whom hard
fight was made there and who crept
into office by small plurality. The par
| tfsians of Lind therefore contemplate
! carrying the matter into the courts,
/ and an action may be begun this week.
/ Stearns county Democrats claim that
! their majorities through long term
i OF years have been so liberal that it
/ would be the climax of the apparently
! preposterous for the Republicans TO
| devote any monstrous sums of money
to trying to save the county for the
| local ticket.
| On this is based the belief that the
| refusal of the committee to make
| known the amount of It's disburse-
| nents is due to fear of an investigation
| which would show that the money had
| not been spent for proper purposes un-
| der the law. 1t is suggested, too, by
the Democrats, that the source of the
| contributions to the work of the COM
mittee, if reported as actually made,
and as required by law, would plainly
| show influences at work which were
| inspired by hopes of the success OF
| Republican tickets other than that for
| the county offices.
| Section q Of the corrupt practices
| act provides that every treasurer Of
q political committee, as defined in this
act, who shall wilfully fail, neglect or
refuse to make out, verify and file with
the county auditor the statement re-
| quired by section 10, of this act, shall
| be guilty of q miSdemeanor and upon
conviction shall be fined not more than
$100 or by Imprisonment not less than
| three months"
Nothing is said about courses of
procedure and it is inferred that they
remain the same as for other misde-
/ rneanors, although the act provides es-
! pecial lines for the pushing OF prose
/ cution of delinquent candidates. In
| sections II and IL it is provided that the
attorney general shall bring action
against the delinquent, or instruct the
county attorney Of the county where ne
lives, to bring such action, but in the
event that both these officers should
fail or refuse to begin the proceedings
| then a. citizen may bring action In the
name of the state, with his own at
torneys and at his own expense AS
| to the committees, the understanding Is
| that the procedure would be to bring
the DELINQUENCY to the attention OF the
! GRAND illly or swear out warrant IN
/ iustice court for the arrest OF the tardy
| candidate. This will be the course OF
procedure in Stearns county.