The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-11-10
Gen. Pope Talks,

Gen Pope took the floor and said
that the citizens Of Mankato and of the
state are interested in this matter, that
started with a political movement
These great friends of public libraries,
the st. Paul Dispatch and Mr.. Wise,
were instigators of the agitation. He
asked Mr.. Wise whether he had ever
taken enough interest in the public
library to go inside of it.
Mr.. Wise said that he had not been
in the library. but had shown his in
terest by subscribing to the fund and
paid his subscription.
Gen. Pope said that he had himself
given much of his time and efforts to
the library. He had never had a
dollar of library money for an hour
Because he had always been esteemed
an honest man, he had been given an
office of great trust by Gov. Lind. He
had recently been lied about and Wilt
fed and statements as false as hell pub
lished about him. His friends were SO
impatient that they could hardly wait
for him to prepare his answer. He
had been pilloried and held up through
out the state as thief and robber and
he was tired of it. The articles in the
st. Paul Dispatch were as false as hell
in their purport, and intent. State
ments that were favorable to him had
been cut from articles and the unfavor-
able parts distributed throughout the
state To some extent this was true in
this city.
Gen. Pope said that the library board
had never called on him for money or
for statement. He was entitled to
and expected to have from the library
board approval of all that he had ever
done. He would go before that board,
but was hardly ready to do so yet, as
he was lacking some things that ought
| to, go before the new members. He
asked of the citizens suspension of
opinion until he had been heard from.
He said that the council owed him a
little more than the statement that he
did not owe anything. He was along
in years and somewhat broken in
health, and all that is left to him was
his character. He did not want this
taken from him without just cause
Mayor Currier said that there was no
disposition ON the part of the council
to do him an injustice. 1t had only
acted on the report made by w. I'll
Donaldson.
Gen. Pope said that he had no COM
plant to make of the council or the Ii
brary board. 1t would have been fair
to him to have allowed him to give his
side of the case before the report was
published. He said that Mr. Donald
son had shown a gift of continuance
and had found it necessary to put in a
good deal of time at $40 day.
Mayor Currier asked whether he de
sired to be understood as,,questioning
Donaldson's report ON the library mat.
ter.
Gen. Pope replied in the negative.
saying that every dollar had been prop
erly expended according to Donald
sons report.
Mr.. Currier said that he understood
that Donaldson had difficulty in trac.
ing up the $500.
Gen. Pope said that this was so, as
with all his acuteness he did not dis
cover the certificate at the National
Citizens bank. No charge had been
made against himself by any response.
BILE party, said Gen. Pope. All the in
situations have been based on Donald
sons report. The matter was closed
now as far as the council was con-
cerned and was transferred to the Ii.
brary board, and he was willing to
trust it there.
Ala Maxa. I.,o~-a