The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-10-31
ROASTS' EN- BROWN
Governor Van SAINT Calls Down
The Democratic Globe.
Flags That Newspaper to a Turn
Shows The Sheet to Be
Base FaIsifier.

Governor Van SAINT Monday sent
the following letter to The st. Paul
Globe and the Democratic state central
committee. 1t is self-explanatcry
"To the Editor of The ST. Paul
Globe. 81. L. Buck, Chairman Demo-
cratic State Central Committee /;
Frank a. Day, Press Agent of the
Democratic State Central Committee,
st. Paul, MINI. Gentlemen Upon
my return to the city. attention was
called to statement Published in The
st. Paul Globe and widely circulated
by the Democratic state central COM
mittee in poster form, tl.at was a
tax dodger and that our steamboats,
did not Fay any taxes in Iowa.
81 take the first opportunity to
brand said statement absolutely false.
81 do not personally own steam
boat or any part of steamboat, SO do
not pay any taxes upon that class of
property in this state. 1 do, how
ever, own shares of stock in the Van
SAINT & Musser Towing and Transpor-
tation company of Muscatine. Iowa,
and in no other steamboat company.
This company was organized there be-
before 1 moved to Minnesota, and now
pays, and ever since it's organization
over twenty-five years ago, has paid
its taxes at Muscatine, Iowa, it's home,
as can easily be shown by the records
of the courthouse in that city. The
receipts showing these payments are
in my possession and are open to your
inspection.
"The statement that claim to pay
my taxes In LIE Claire, Iowa, is false,
and the wide circulation of the as
eertion in the poster issued by your
committee and the LeClaire's assess
or's return on said poster is mali
cious and wilful innuendo to place me
in a false light before the people of
the state. You might with equal pro-
priety get the assessors return from
every hamlet on the Mississippi river
in Iowa, that did not pay any taxes
in said hamlet.
81 shall appeal to every fairminded
Democrat in the state 20 stamp with
his disapprovsl this deception and
reprehensible manner of campaigning.
"You know full well that the op-
position to me of The St. Paul Globe
and of the Democratic state central
committee does not arise from the
fact that do or do not paw my taxes,
but because I have done all in my
power to prevent the merging of the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific
railway systems and Of the formation
of the Northern Securities company
in violation of law. aa
"Why do you not discuss on their
merits the real issues in this cam
paignf Why do you say nothing about
the Republican administration Of the
grain inspection or of the binding
Irvine department. or of the state
board of control, or of the tax amend
ments offered to the people Iy the Re-
publican party. instead of reso-ting to
wilful and malicious abuse of the can
didatess These accusations sgaints me
are on par with your attempt to dis
credit me with the laooring classes in
the alleged interview published in
your paper In relation to the coal
strike, and which you were compelled
to retract; and your further misstste,
ment that / did not favor, at the meet.
ing of the state board of equalization,
increasing the assessment of public
service corporations.
/ regret being compelled to paradt
my personal affairs in the newspaper
of this state, but in view of the false
accusation of lodging taxes l will
state that the records of the assessor
and treasurer of Winona county show
that 1 was assessed and paid a per
sonal property tax of $242 SO in the
current year last past. In your dill
gent search of the tax records of Wi
mona county why did you overlook
this important fact il your purpose
was not TO deceive the pu5licf
ST therefore demand that you an(
each of you hereby retract the above
mentioned statements 30 published b!
you for they are absolutely and out
rageously false.
i SAMUEL e. VAN SAINT.
The letter is certainly straight for
ward document and will have weigh
L - L.. l