The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-22
Finn is CAUTIOUS
WITH HIS REPLY
Wants His Mineral Lease Re-
port Statement In Repub.
Iican Papers First

George a. Finn, in charge of the
press bureau of the Republican state
central committee, and land clerk in
zthe once Of state auditor under R. c..
Dunn, has made a three column reply
TO the mineral lease report of Public
examiner S. 7. johnson. Up to last
night the reply had not found space in
any st. Paul newspaper, presumably
because of Mr.. Flinn's failure to fur
nlsh the newspapers with copies of his
defense.
4 knew T he Clio b e was opposing
K. G. Dunn for governor, and did not
think 1t would publish statement of
facts, Mr.. Finn said last night, when
he was asked why he had ignored T h e
Gil o o e in replying to Johnson's state
ment that he, as land clerk, had become
interested in mineral land leases worth
hundreds, of thousands of dollars. Mr..
Finn did not explain why the other
81. Paul newspapers, all of whom are
not opposing the ambitions of the
Princeton man to- be governor, were
similarly treated.
1t is understood that the reply was
expressly written for the country Dunn
press, but how a copy of it found it's
way to the Minneapolis Tribune, where
Nv eao "a AItSdz OII4Y evening" GQ1-
ton, is notSexplained
Much of the reply ignores the points
raised by the ypuhiic examiner, but the
former land clerksa dmits that he is in
terested in contracts for state lands
Tor which the preliminary arrange
ments Were made. when Mr. Dunn was
st11l In Office and he was in the service
OF the state as land clerk
The Virginia Silver Case
The principal case discussed by MFR.
fIlnn In his reply is the Mabel Evans
lease; which the public examiner cited
as, having been converted into con-
tract with Mr.. Finn and his partner,
g. Patterson; the beneficiaries.
: The defense is in reality a long his
tory OF the proceedings by which the
state asserted title to thes Virginia
s1fver, with incidental statementss-as
tos the threats which he declares were
used against him, Mr.. Dunn, State, Au-
dltor elverSon and others interested. Of
1claliy '-or sfna nciaily, in the valuable
iron claims-in st. Louis county
: Incidentally MFR. Finn says that the
value ito the lessee will not be above 8
cents per ten.a from which must be de-
Quoted the costs in defending the iiti-
cation, developing and mining the
property and paying the taxes
The statement fntimatesl that the
publlcs examiner was in league with the
Duluth mining men who attempted to
secure the property by serfppfng 1t
Through the United States land Office
at Duluth, and says that not only rep
resentatives of these parties, but 9TH
ers high in political circles, threat
ened to make trouble for Mr.. Dunn in
the preconvention fight unless they
would consent to divide the spoils Of
the valuable property.
Tells of His Office Work
The report details the practice in
vogue in the auditors office in making
mineral leases, and says that as evil
dence of Mr.. Dunn's fairness in making
mineral leases at the close of his eight
years service as state auditor many
voluntary expressions were received
from persons interested in the mining
business as to the absolute fair treat
ment they had received on all oeca-
sions.''
Concluding his long communication
the former land clerk said:
From my close connection with the
states contest for the tract covered by
the Evans lease, I am in position to
testify to the admirable manner in which
the case was conducted by the state Off
GERS.
The fact that I obtained fractional
interest in certain state mining contracts
two and a half months after l left the
state land Office is a matter which seems
to give the public examiner much con-
Germ. These interests are fractional, the
main parties in interest being several
citizens of Minneapolis and elsewhere