The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-16
A Curious Thing.

At the suggestion OF Judge Parker,
the New York democrats; will offer to
District Attorney jerome, who prose-
cuted the criminal police Of that city
with such vigor, the candidacy of that
party for governor.
The Illinois republicans have made
Dineen, the prosecuting attorney of
Cook county, who unearthed extensive
tax frauds in Chicago, their candidate
for governor.
The democrats of Missouri, in spite
of the bitter opposition of one of the
most powerful and corrupt machines in
the country, have nominated for COVER
nor the courageous man who prosecuted
and convicted the St. Louis boodlers.
Folk will be the next governor Of that
state by the overwhelming vote of the
plain people of both parties, who are
eager to show their appreciation of the
service he has rendered to the state and
of what it sometimes costs a man in
public office to do his duty.
Deserved praise has been bestowed
upon the national administration for it's
searching investigation of the postal
scandals and the vigorous prosecution
of the principal offenders.
From the instances cited it is appar-
emit that the ability to "clean house,
politically is not confined to one party,
and that on both sides of the great
party division courage, honesty and
fidelity to public trust are appreciated.
There was laid before the people of
this state yesterday as the work of the
public examiner the fourth installment
of evidence in the state auditors office
Of transactions involving losses to the
state of Minnesota compared to which
the sums dealt with in the postal frauds
are insignificant and trifiing. How
much the state of Minnesota has lost
under the peculiar business methods in
vogue in the auditor g office during the
period covered by this yet incomplete
inquiry can never be known. That it
has amounted to hundreds Of millions
of feet of pine timber, every foot Of
which belonged to the state of Mime
sofa, there seems to be no room for
doubt.
And then look at the facts with re-
gard to the methods resorted to in the
granting Of leases on mineral lands,
and the steps taken to land those leases
in the possession of employees of the
office from which they were issued.
The revelations with regard to the con-
spiracy in the postal department con-
tain nothing more offensive to those
who regard public office as a public
trust. So. .-
And yet while the one under whose
official administration the transactions
reviewed took place is loaded with par
ty henors and invited to higher digni-
ties and rewards, the officer who, labor
ing under every Encouragement and
difficulty that could be thrown in his
way, made this investigation and
brought the facts to the knowledge of
the public, is jumped upon and sneered
at and abused and tvillifed as if in ex.
posing these things he had committed
some crime against the state.
If any one thinks this was an easy
or an agreeable job, he is, mistaken
Few people will ever know what OBJ
stacles were thrown in the way of the
public examiner, how he was pleaded
with, how threatened, embarrassed anG
hindered in his work. An instance
which came to the public notice was
the persuading of two of his supposed