The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-14
REPORT WILL NOT
BE FOR dunn ALONE
Friends Believe Governor is
About to Give Johnson Doc.
ument to Papers

While Gov. Van SAINT persits in
his refusal to discuss the request of
r., C. Dunn, Republican candidate for
governor, for copy of the Johnson re-
port criticising the administration OF
the state auditors office under Dunn,
the impression gains ground that the
report win be made public late in the
week.
The governors friends say that he
has practically determined to cal.
Dunn's bluff by giving out the report,
and that he will not limit the knowl-
edge of its contents to the former state
auditor and Republican candidate for
governor, but will give it the widest
publicity.
The report, ever since its completion
by the public examiner and the men
employed under him, has been in the
custody of Attorney General w. j..
Donahower. The report is still in Dona-
hower's office where it is the basis of
number of legal inquiries as to the
liability of the men said by the report
to have profited by the illegal cutting
of pine and by mineral leases not exc
cuted according to law. The single re.
port returned to the governor is Still,
in the keeping of the attorney general,
but there is an office copy in the files
of the Office of Public Examiner john
son.
Gov. Van SAINT was asked yesterday
if he had made any decision with refer,
ence to the Johnson report, for which
demand had been made upon him by
Mr.. Dunn.
Il don't care to discuss the natter
the. governor said in reply to the in
quiry. Il have the request of Mr.. Dunn
for copy of the report contained in &
letter written some days ago, but re-
ceived by me only on Monday on my
return from st. Louis, but l am not
ready as yet to say what 1 intend TIC
do
May it be imagined that the re-
quest, reinforced as it is by the in
formal demand of the Democrats, win
not be allowed to go unheeded?" was
asked.
II suppose newspaper men, like
poets, are allowed to exercise their
imaginations," was the evasive reply.
=. Current gossip about the state capt.
>tol, however, is that the request will
be ignored in the sense that copy be
sent exclusively to Mr.. Dunn. In
stead, it is expected that the Johnson
report, with all that it contains of DAM
aging statements and conclusions as
to the administration of the state audi
tors office in the past eight or ten
years, will be given out to the news
papers for publication before the END
of the present week
Mr.. Dunn, if the gossip is founded
ON facts, will have to be content with
getting his information second hand,
and will make his defense accordingly.
He is to open his state campaign Fri
day night at Rush City, Chisago
county, and if he makes reply to the
accusations said to be contained in the
Johnson report it will be from under
ground information.
In this connection it is stated that
two or three copies of the report nave
escaped from the custody of the pub
lie examiner and are not now in Of
fetal hands. A Minneapolis man, who
d was in st. Paul some days ago, told a
group of political friends that he knew
of two copies of the report which could
be obtained by anyone very anxious to
be so provided.
1t will not be very surprising If the
Republican state central committee,
knowing how much of Importance the
knowledge of the contents of the re-
port is in preparing for a defense, is
already in possession of a copy of the
report.
d Gov. Van SAINT has no official in
formation that the demand by the Re-
publican candidate for governor is not
bona fide, and he is troubled. The deli
cacy of the governors position can cas-
lily be appreciated, for if he withholds
publication of the report he will be
the Republican candidate Tor governor,
and if he gives it out Republicans who
are loyal to the nominee for governor
will declare that he is favoring the
enemy.