The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-06-01
DUNN DENOUNCFS
JOHNSON REPORT
Public Examiner Tells of Con.
tlnued Investigation and
Former Auditor Answers.

1T is simply a campaign roorback-
document prepared by the Collins
supporters at the expense Of the state.
1t teens with falsehoods and cowardly
insinuations, and is unworthy of q re-
ply. There is not a direct charge in
the entire report, nothing but cow
ardly insinuations, and l do not care
to dignity it by an answer. l defy Mr.
Johnson or any member OF the admin
tStration gang to make a direct charge
| against my character or my conduct as
a public official. They know that they
cannot do SO, and have resorted to this
cowardly method of trying to secure
support for Judge Collins by making
yelled insinuations against me. The
gang has become desperate, for they
know that If am elected governor
will cause some Investigations that
show them UP in a light that will be
anything but creditable"
This, in substance, Is the reply of
r. c. Dunn, Republican candidate for
| the gubernatorial nomination, to the
third section" of Public Examiner
Johnson's report, made public yester-
| day.
Johnson's Third Section.
The report, to which Mr.. Dunn filings
| back a def, was filed with the gov
ernor yesterday by Public Examiner
Johnson. 1t is prefaced by a state
ment that it is a continuation of inves-
| legations made under legislative enact
/ ment, and IS accompanied by number
| of exhibits, the entire report going to
| the governor and thence to the office Of
! the attorney general.
The report covers period from 1895
to Jan. l, 1903. inclusive and says
that the total amount collected for tim
| Der trespasS was S146,6332O Prior to
1895 the state realized $62,362.94, and
| from settlements made by the pine
| land investigating committee, S17,-
| 332.5O, the total collections being $685.
| 328.64.
The records show this amount ac-
/ counted for and converted into the
| state treasury, but the examiner con-
| tends that the books show that it was
cheaper to take timber by trespass
| and then settle for it than it was to
purchase it from the state in a legal
way.
The examiner says that the records
| also show that the same men tres
| passed from year to year, but no GRIM
inal prosecutions appear to have been
| undertaken, or any judgment taken for
| collections of penalties. The report
/ calls attention to the low prices of pine
! stumpage prevailing prior to 1895, and
| the lack Of an inducement to trespass;
| that at the state sale in 1895 stumpage
| brought only an average of $252 and
| 1854 in 1897, while in 1902 it had in
creased to $3.50 per thousand.
| The report says that from 1895 to
| 1902 stumpage sold by authority Of
| the state timber board. estimated by
| the state estimatoFs at 264, 754, 900 feet,
| brought at the sale $1,301 1853, whereas
/ the estimated value by the state es-
1 fiF1ao h4Tf 00TE cI@ i'm o.
an underestimate by the cruisers of
| $329,787.45.
The examiner also says that the av-
| erage price received by the state for
| pine sold at public sale during the Pc
| Rod under investigation was $3.50,
while the average price paid under
| trespaSs proceedings was 1924 per
| thousand. He also criticises the adj
ministration of the auditors office in
| the alleged issuing of illegal permits,
! alleged emitting to file log marks, al
| legged acceptance of insufficient bonds,
| selling Stumpage on certain sections
! where it is alleged larger growth Of
1 timber existed than is legal to sell from
| one section.
Mr.. Dunn Talks.
| Mr.. Dunn, when seen at his home in
| Hamline last night, said he had glanc-
| ed over the report, but had not read it
| carefully because it appeared to be
nothing more than mere rot. He was
| not afraid, he said, of the effect it
| would have and did not care to give it
| the dignity of reply.
1T is nothing more than contempt
| ible, dirty politics." said Mr.. Dunn,
| "and it will not do me any harm. There
! is not a single act of my official ca
| feer that viii not bear the most rigid
| examination that Judge Collins CO..
horts can give it, and this latest docu-
ment, got out at the expense of the
| state, is not worrying me in the least.
| Whenever they make a direct charge
against me will answer it ready
enough, and they will also answer to
me for it. They know this only too
well, and for this reason they confil e
! themselves to cowardly insinuations.
| eFor eight months past they have
| had experts going over my records,
| and now, with the campaign on and
the time ripe for them to produce
| something, the best they can do is to
| make a few insinuations. Johnson's
men have been busy with this work for
| months, while his official duties have
| been neglected. He says he has not
| enough men to care for the work in his
| office, yet he has three or four at work
| trying to make campaign material and
| they have failed.
You can say for me that the state
i VII IGFGI gain d QOIldI DIS d VI
| this investigation and Judge Collins
| will never gain vote by it. I am
| willing to have my record placed before
| the voters Of the state, for / have moth
! ing to cover up, and that is more than
| some of the people behind this inves-
| tigation can say. There is a time COM
| ing when Mr. Johnson, will be called
| upon to make an accounting. and he
| might have hard time to explain to
| some grand jury what he did with the
| money he was supposed to spend for
railroad fare when he was riding on a
| pass.
'"They know that they are beaten,
| and are becoming desperate. Why
| doesn't some one ask State Auditor
Iverson if the state ever lost one cent
| through my method of handling the
| timber lands? Mr.. Iverson, although
one Of the supporters OF Judge Collins,
would not dare say anything but no.
IF I am elected governor there will
be some investigations that will not be
welcomed by persons now holding Of
| fee, and these people who are now
putting up this mud-slinging fight
against me are well aware of this. 1t
is little wonder that they resort to
contemplate methods to defeat me- NV
candidacy is in the hands of the voters,
and have nothing to fear from all the
reports that Mr.. Johnson and his en-
ployes may make
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