The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-06-24
DUNN'S RECORD.
1900 Campaign Won on Record
Nof Hon. r. G. Dunn.

|
about the campaign of Judge Loren
w. Collins of ST. Cloud" said an old
time republican recently who watched
| the trend Of Minnesota politics for a
score or more years, is that the efforts
to besmirch the reputation of r, c..
Dunn are made by the same Office
holders who praised Mr.. Dunn's re-
cord as state auditor in previous cam
paigns. 81 remember well when Gov.
Van SAINT, then Captain Van SAINT,
was making his campaign in 1900
against John Lind, who had been gov
ernor two years, Often in his political
speeches he referred to Mr.. Dunn as
our splendid state auditor" and he
told how the democrats claimed the
credit for all the good things that
Mr.. Dunn accomplished, including
Mr.. Dunn's success as state land COM
missioner in dealing with state lands.
"The democrats boosted how they
instituted reforms. Captain Van
SAINT showed the voters of the state
that Mr.. Dunn was the real promoter
of tax reform and that the democrats
were merely stealing his thunder.
The democrats pointed to the fact
that Governor Lind had recommended
an increase in the gross earnings tax
of railroads to per cent. Captain
Won Can't o foi nn6 t1,nf Mr. N
was the first man to make this recon-
mendation. again the democrats
boasted how we'll they managed the
system of state lands and how the
permanent school fund and other
funds accruing from the sale of state
lands have grown during their admin
istration. Capt. Van SAINT punctured
their argumen is by showing that Mr..
Dunn as state land commissioner had
accomplished these results. "Just
to show how Capt. Van SAINT praised
the record of the former state auditor,
which his appolntees are now trying
to injure, l will quote a few lines
from Van SAINTS speech delivered at
GAINESVILLE, Minnesota, October 6,
1900, after Mr., Dunn had been state
auditor six years. The following are
a few extracts:
"The plain fact, my friends, is that
our political opponents have made a
desperate attempt to steal our thund-
er, and are trying to persuade the
people that the ideas and plans they
advance for carrying on and improving
our state government are their own,
while as matter of fact every sub
stanial thing they possess or present
they have purloined from the repub-
lican cupboard.
"The democratic state platform pro-
ceeds to indorse what it terms Gov
Llnd's proposition to the last legislat-
ure for tax reform. by which the cost
of the state government would be de-
frayed from corporate taxes only.
Let me draw your attention to the
fact that this proposition is not origi-
nal with John Lind by any means, l
find on page four Of the biennial re-
port of the republican state auditor,
the Hon. Robert G. Dunn, which was
laid before the state legislature when
it convened in January, 1897. "The
modern tendency in taxation by states
is to lessen tax rate upon reality and
derive increased revenue from taxes
upon corporations, inheritances, etc.
This, it seems to me, is the proper
time for our state to make an advance
toward this system OF taxation !"
I'm their speeches the democrats
crate upon what they have accomp-
lished during the last Two years to
protect the state lands, and officials
have had no more to do with this
branch of the state government than
with the distribution OF the rainfall.
"The state auditor IS ex-officio land
commissioners, and ills due to the
present republican state auditor, the
Hon. r. G. Dunn, and to no other Off.
cials, that the many complex and
troublesome questions connected with
state land grants to railroads have
been so satisfactorily adjusted an6
! the states interests the in so eff
GENTLY protected.
These are only few instance:
where Capt. Van SAINT saw fit tt
praise the record OF former state aud
itor r. G. Dunn. Practically the
entire republican Campaign was based
on Mr. Dunn's record, for the dem
ocrats had been in two years. Th,
campaign was winner because the
people had confidence in Mr.. Dunn
as they have now. It will be Ions
time before-they will believe tina
Capt. Van SAINT did not tell the truth
in 1900"