The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-14
CAPITOL CASE PENDING.
Attorney General Childs' Opinion Is
Wanted by All.

"The contract for the construction of
the new capitol is all ready to be sign
ed by me, and my signature will be
appended to it as soon as Attorney
General Childs gives his opinion" said
Charming Seabury. vice president of
the capitol commission, to a G o b e
reporter yesterday afternoon.
Mr. Seabury went on to say that he
hadn't the least doubt as to how the
attorney general would cOnstrue the
law, but he had been advised to wait
until the opinion was given. The con-
tract has been drawn up and it's var
ious provisions have all been agreed
upon by the board of commissioners
and the contractors. The opinion will
probably be forthcoming in a day or
two.
Walter Butler, president of the But
ler-Ryan company, the successful bid
der, remarked that he wasn't worrying
about the matter any, but the delay
was slight inconvenience to them, as
they did not feel like going ahead and
ordering the stone to be quarried until
everything was settled. SO far as he
krew the ST. Cloud people are well
satisfied with the contract, as it has
been let, for it would mean work for
the granite cutters who are idle at
present. The only opposition comes
from one or two Minneapolis papers,
which are trying to make a catspaW
out of st. Cloud.
Attorney General Childs has not, as
yet, prepared his final opinion as to
the legal points involved in the award
ing of the contract to Georgia marble
contractors, but it is expected that the
very important document will be forth
coming either today or tomorrow.
Questioned yesterday as to the rumor
that he would not sign the certificates
of indebtedness, State Auditor Dunn
reiterated his former declaration
not to get mixed up in the con-
troversy until the certificates were sub
mitted to him for approval, when, he
intimated, he would ''act in accordance
with the law" This, of course, puts the
matter off as far as he is concerned I'M
til the attorney general has passed
uron the more immediate question as
to the the legal right of the board to
award the contract on a Georgia mar
BILE basis.
The Minnesota Union Advocate, the
official organ of the State Federation OF
Labor. throws the responsibility for
the present situation, at least for the
liberation of the state from its present
difficulty, on the governor and auditor
It says:
If Gov. Clough and Auditor Dunn are as
friendly to Minnesota as they declare them
selves to be now is the time LOT tneni u
act They have it in their power to put an
end to the fraud sought here to be perDetrat-
ed on the state. They should refuse to con-
firm the action of the commission and see
that new bids are ordered. In this way only
VIII the wishes and demands of the people
of this state be respected
Let us have new bids, gentlemen. The la
boring and commercial elements of this state,
the farmers and the manufacturers, all alike,
demand this action. The UniQn Advocate has
given repeated warning that this fraud was
Contemplated. Every action and failure to
act On the part of that body indicated clearly
that they were preparing to run to cover.
The purpose was to go outside Of the state
and the purpose has been fulfilled. But its
fulfl!ment has not been effected without a
determined attempt to avoid the consequences.
The plotting and counter plotting, the half
truths and the whole faisehoods, the delays
the demand for new bids, the repeated and
living assurances that Minnesota stone would
be chosen-all this had for its object to tire
out public feeling and enable the conspirators
to consummate their scheme in quiet This
has failed, and the Union Advocates pre-
diction that all the scheming and procrastina-
ton would only intensity public sentiment
has been fulfilled.
The situation now rests the official at
titude of the governor and state auditor.