The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-09-30

dSSdlicu duu III was w dCCOll pllSu bulo
that Public Examiner Johnson was
set to work. As his place depends up
on his ability to successfully smirch
the character of Dunn he devoted
himself eagerly to the task, which he
set about without any other author
ity than the evident malice and hope
of reward which inspired it. He has
now delivered himself Of two volum-
inous and elaborate reports dealing,
or pretending to deal, with the details
Of the multitudinous transactions of
the state auditor in timber trepass,
mineral land leases and other cases..
The first of the two came out before
the state convention and was intend
ed to prevent Dunn's nomination.
But is was so plain an attempt to
trump up case against Dunn ut Of
irrelevant or distorted facts that its
only effect was to show up the malev-
olence Of it's author and to inspire
such general disgust and Indignation
that it was one of the elements Of
Dunn's success in securing the. NOM
nation.
The second report made to the gov
ernor last July, seems to have been
prepared in the hope that it would
furnish effective ammunition to the
enemies of the Republican party in
their efforts to defeat the Republican
candidate for governor, But there is
as little solid substance in it as there
was in the first adventurous screed.
1t is characterized throughout by the
same labored effort to strain and twist
and pervert innocent facts-when he
touches facts at about of their
proper relations and bearings In order
to give them coloring prejudicial to
Dunn. The fact that such a report
had been filed with Gov. Van SAINT
had been made public, and the insinu-
alton was permitted to goabroad that
it contained charges of serious ma
ture against Dunn therefore sent an
urgent request to the governor for a
copy of the alleged indictment against
him, The governor replied by giving
it to the newspaper before it was sent
to Dunn. This was hardly fair, but
nothing could have been more FORUM
ate from party point of view. For
this conspicuous parade Of the alleged
charges against Dunn served to call
public attention sharply to the feeble
ness Of the effort and to awaken gen.
eral interest in the reply of Mr.. Dunn,
which was published in full in the
Pioneer Press yesterday. That reply
was so clear and strong and full in Its
presentation of facts, and it is so COM
pletely demolished the weak and stu
pid snarl of ignorance and misrepres-
entation that nothing was left of it
when Dunn got through with it.
The refutation of the so-called
charges was so thorough and conclu-
sive that no editorial commentary
could add to it's effectiveness.
OF course. as will occur to every one
at the outset, Mr.. Dunn has an i'm
mense advantage over his assailant in
such a controversy. For he is known
to all in advance for the frank. blunt
straightforward honesty of his char
acter. This shines through all the
attempts of his accuser to obscure
and darken it by clouds of misrepre-
sentation, and in this light the facts
arrange themselves in their orderly
and natural sequence. They are
their own vindication. The people
had confidence in Mr.. sJOhnson,
What ever disposition they might
have had in the beginning to believe
in his candor and impartiality has
been extinguished by the transparent
lack Of both in his two reports. Mr.,
Dunn comes out of the controversy
more firmly intrenched than ever in
the respect and confidence of the
people. Mr.. Johnson has forfeited
by his part in it whatever show he
had Of either to begin with.