The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-27

Despite the grand stand plays which
Chairman Bixby, Secretary Whitney and
Capt. Van SAINT have been making on the
proposition of contesting the vote Tor
governor, they have shown decided
lack of nerve in carrying out their bold
expressions. The state executive com
mittee, with Tams BiXby, chairman, alb
sent, and w. G. Mastermann the nominal
chairman of the state central committee,
and Secretary Whitney, as the leaders of
the meeting, convened yesterday to take
action on the recently submitted PROPOSE
ton of Chairman Rosing, of the Demo
cratic central committee, in which he Of
fered magnanimous terms Of settling the
contest question. Mr.. Rosing's offer, as
is known, was that the Republican and
Democratic committee select four counties
each, and if the recount in them did not
show a gain of at least 500 votes for
Gov. Lind, the contest would be declared
off.
WHITNEY'S TONGUE TOO FREE.
The Republican committee takes water,
as compared with its former declarations,
and repudiates entirely the statement
which Capt. Whitney made in the Min
neapolis Journal, when he stated that
he was authorized to speak for Capt. Van
SAINT. His statement was that Van SAINT
was perfectly willing for contest. and in
unless the votes showed conclusively
that he was elected.
The answer which the committee makes
to Chairman Rosing's generous offer is
gotten up with the idea of maintaining
a dignifed position, if possible, as a
means of concealng their apparent hOr-
ror of such thing as a recount. 1t is
another strong evidence of their avowed
purpose of evading a contest, and throws
%ha yiT5s %ha oh n
which they have been attempting TO d aw
about themselves since the agitation for
the recount began.
The meeting drafted the following com.
munication, which was sent to Chairman
Rosing:
L. A Rosing. Chairman Democratic
State Central Committee.-Dear Sir: Your
letter of recent date concerning a re-
coInt of the ballots in certain counties
of the state has been received, and mas
been considered by the executive COM
committee. In answer thereto we desire
to say-tnat you seem to be laboring un5eT
a grave misapplehenSion as to the pow
ers and duties OF campaign committee
1t is our uIlderSt tandlng, both OF the law
and of sound political mana cement, thai
when the ballots are counted, returned
to the proper custodians and sealed, its
duties as TO that campaign, and to It's
candidates, are ended.
Moreover, we are unaware Of any au-
thority for any such informal procedure
as you suggest. The law provides, and
our supreme court has held. that there
can be no inspection of the ballots until
after a contest is duly Instituted, and
then only under the order and direction
Of the court. In fact. that court has
very plainly and forcibly chara cteriZed
such an attempt as Questionable prac-
tice''
In addition to this we have to say
only, that Gov.-elect Van SAINT is absent
from the state and cannot be commune
Gated with regarding your singular prop
osition We cannot and do not assume
to speak for him: but from all that has
been heretofore said by him, and from
his we'll known reputation and charac-
ter, We are of the opinion that any CON
test for the high office to which he has
been regularly and duly elected will be
met by him in a spirit of absolute fair
ness, and with becoming dignity. We
are. however, also of the opinion that
such contest if instituted, must be
along the regular lines provided by law
and the courts, and must be comprehen-
sive and complete in every detail pertain
ing to such proceedings. Yours, ETC.
Charles c.. Whitney. Secretary