The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-12
HOW Is THIS +?

T G b e prints today very
serious charge made by a member of the
house of representatives from one of the
districts of this city, Mr.. Dunn, against
a leading state official, Oil Inspector
Schiffmann The former gentleman
charges the latter, without equivocation
or evasion, with an attempt to beat the
existing primary law, by securing under
false pretenses an amendment to that law
which would open the door to serious
frauds on the franchise. Inferentially
the statement attributed to Mr.. Dunn also
involves a serious reflection on the first
assistant corporation attorney of st.
Paul, Franklin H. Griggs, if not on Sen
ator Horton. The inference is entirely
warranted from the words of Mr.. Dunn
that these three gentlemen-two of them
certainly-were engaged in a conspiracy
to annul the operation of the existing
primary law requiring those who vote
at the primary election to be residents of
the election precinct in which they vote,
and, indeed, putting an end wholly to
the necessity of thoso who vote at such
primaries becoming registered.
Messrs. Schiffmann, Griggs, Horton and
Dunn are all Republicans. All of them,
except, perhaps, Mr.. Dunn, are active, in
| deed, aggressive, local Republican poll
ticians. They are all at this moment en-
gagged in the public service.
When Mr.. Dunn's conduct was first
called in question in connection with the
transaction, it was declared in the col
umns of one of the local Republican
newspapers that he had refused to intro
duce the proposed amendment to the
primary law, which he now declares to
have hidden a fraud, because he was
under the influence of a leading Democrat
among his constituents who was anxious
to promote colonization and other illegal
practices in connection with the primary
election. The name Of the gentleman who
the public was told thus controlled Mr.
Dunn was stated in the specification of
the charge against Mr.. Dunn
According to Mr.. Dunn it would further
appear that Assistant City Attorney
Griggs on his own admission is willing
to prostitute his office to the needs of
dirty, dishonest, political trickery and
that his opinions given in the discharge
Of official duty, are unworthy of being
relied on as expressive of his real views.
If this charge is true, and it appears on
the published statement Of Mr. Dunn to
have for its foundation Mr.. Griggs' own
admission, that gentleman should not -e
allowed to hold his present office. Cor
poration Attorney Markham cannot, for
his own good name personally and of
ficially, as well as politically, retain such
man in his Office.
T h e G l o b does not assume any re-
sponsibility for the various statements
and counter-statements which are made
relative to the transaction. The men in
volved are all Republicans. If what Mr..
Dunn says be founded in fact not one Of
the men he names is morally fit to occupy
the position he holds. An exception may
be made in the case of Senator Horton.
who may have been an innocent party in
the transaction outlined by Mr.. Dunn;
but, with reference to Messrs. Schiffmann
and Griggs, there can be no ques. son
whatever that their conduct stands very
seriously in need of defense.