The Saint Paul globe., 1904-09-17
dunn REPLY WILL BE
GIVEN OUT MONDAY
Former State Auditor and Man.
aaer Finn Busy Collect
ing Data

ing Data
On the assumption that the usual
epithets applied by the Republican
campaign bureau to Samuel T. John.
son. state public examiner, will not be
sufficient to dispute the truth Of the
charges against Mr.. Dunn and mem
bers of his official family, former State
Auditor r. c. Dunn. George A. Finn
and the others implicated in the SEN
sational reports of the public exam
iner made public Thursday, are work.
Ing over time to prepare a denial
Both Mr.. Dunn and Mr.. Finn told
he Clio b e Thursday that they
would be ready to present their side
of the case to the public by Friday
night, but yesterday it was announced
on the authority of w. E. Verify. sec
retary of the Republican state central
committee, that the reply would prob
ably be made public on Sunday, and
that it would reach the public in the
Monday issues of the morning news
papers.
The Johnson reports, as published by
L he G b e, were so complete in de-
tail and yet so concisely stated, tha.
they were read by thousands aside
from the papers usual clientele. AT
the state capitol complaints were made
that no more copies of the paper OF
Friday could be obtained on the
streets as early as O'Clock yesterday.
From tie fact that nearly everyone in
the state mouse has a personal ac-
quaintance with both Dunn and Finn,
and the Johnson reports were known
thPra n ha in of
preparation, their practically complete
publication caused a genuine sensation
yesterday.
Aside from a little circle of warm
personal friends of the candidate for
governor at the capitol, no attempt was
made to palliate the condition which
the public examiner boldly declares has
caused a loss of thousands of dollars
to the states school fund in pine
illegally taken by lunbermen, and the
system of fsvoritism by which clerks
In the office of the state auditor were
permitted to utilize their knowledge of
conditions of the state lands to their
own immense advantage.
Few Excuse Accused Men
One state official excused the Finn
and Peterson contracts for iron lands
on the theory that "the money of the
clerks was just as good as any Other
mans money! He did not attempt to
explain the statute absolutely forbid
ding the practice of permitting clerks
to use their official information to their
private gain and to the exclusion of
every man less favored with inside in
formation.
From inquiry at the capitol it be-
comes apparent that quite circle OF
state officials and their employees have
at different times dabbled in iron leases
and contracts, not always, however, to
their profit. A case is cited where a
group of officials, at the suggestion of
and on data supplied by a former clerk
IN the auditors office, formed pool
that cost altogether $500 and invested
In mineral land leases. Explorations
costing about as much as the original
pool were made, but nothing was dis
covered. The leases were allowed tG
lapse, and one state official sadly be-
walled his losses yesterday.
Attention was called yesterday at the
capitol to the stringency of the rules
of the United States land offices. In
these offices the rule is to absolutely
forbid clerks or their relatives to profit
by official knowledge of vacant lands
In each land office district, and sum-
mary punishment has been meted out
in number of cases where inrractions
of the rule have been discovered. 1t is
but fair to the state officers to say that
none but the few who are "for Dunn
without reference to his record or that
of his associates in the office of auditor,
make any attempt to excuse the revela.
tions made by the Johnson reports both
stumpage.
Finn Searches Records
Mr.. Finn himself spent several
hours in the state auditors office yes
terday, looking into the records relat-
ing to mineral leases, and it is sup
posed that his statement will be in
cluded in the general statement that
the former state auditor and candidate
Tor governor is expected to promulgate
either Sunday or Monday. Swan B.
Molander. former stumpage clerk
spent the entire day on the stumpage
records in preparation of the detail
which the statement will make as to
charges of gross neglect and laxity OF
methods in the sale of the states pine
made by the public examiner.
Both Mr.. Finn and Mr.. Molande1
denied themselves to newspaper men,
further than to say that their reports
will be included in, the general denial
which Mr.. Dunn is expected to make
There is a rumor that the Dunn mer
will attack the public examiner on his
record of passes said to have beer
given him by railroad companies, and
for which he is said to have charged
transportation to the state.
The public examiner was not at his
Office yesterday, spending the day ir
Minneapolis, where he is a candidate
for a Republican nomination at ths
primaries. Gov. Van SAINT spent ths
day in his Office in the capitol, but ha6
few callers. Several of the men who
are in close touch with the present
state administration, however, called
on the governor during the afternoon
and while they were received in the
inner Office it was not denied that the
subject of the Johnson reports was
discussed.
Tried to Head Off Report
1t is said that strenuous efforts were
made by personal and political friends
of the Republican candidate for gov.
ernor to prevent the reports ever get
ting as far as the attorney general.
WfsgIe Stick
Wacf1 RIFE