Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-04-25

Ously accompanied the TRIBUNE man
to the bank, and after coming into his
Office indicated the place where the
poll list of the last election was kept.
He said he had not looked at the same
and did not care to do so, because he
did not wish to become mixed up in
any further trouble in regard to the
matter. Scanning the list, it was
found that the name of Thomas Phalen
appeared at the foot of the first COL
umn and was numbered as the 32nd
voter who had been registered at the
spring election held at Paynesville
March 13, 1906. The men who acted
as judges of election were J. H. Fing-
er and Aaron Knebel, and r. W.
Haskins acted as clerk. Mr.. Knebel
kept the second register of votes as
clerk. The last five names at the foot
OF the first column of the poll list are
the following:
20. Homer Town.
30. j. D. Amos.
81. Herbert Brown.
81. Thomas Phalen.
Alf. Harris.
The first name on the second col
umn was.
81. w. c. Furrier.
The TRIBUNE man then asked for
permission to have the page photo
graphed. The clerk said he would
have to consult the village attorney.
He returned in few moments and
asked if the TRIBUNE man would not
as soon step up and see the village
attorney himself. Atty. Frank Toll
man has his Offices over the bank, and
the writer enjoyed a few minutes chat
with the popular legal adviser of the
Paynesville people. Mr.. Tolman is a
very pleasant gentleman to meet, and
we chatted along general topics few
moments. In regard to the photo
graphing of the public records as a
piece OF newspaper enterprise, Mr..
Tolman rather thought that it could
not be done without an order from the
court. Going down to the bank again
we awaited the return of the recorder,
who it seems had telephoned to Will
mar to Sam Porter (city attorney at
Willmar) for advice. Sam, we were
told, advised that the TRIBUNE should
not only be denied the right to have
the record photographed but also all
access to the records without an order
from the court. Mr.. Holifer, however,
recognized the right of the public to
inspect election records (Sec. 313 of
Revised Laws of Minnesota for 19O5)
and gave the writer the privilege to
again carefully scrutinize the record.
Mingling with the people of Paynes-
vile for the short time that we had
left we learned many other interesting
facts. Thomas Phalen is one of the
best-liked boys of the town. Every
person whom we met had a good word
to say for him, and everyone seemed
to think that he would do nothing
wrong if he understood what he was
doing. His name appears on the To-
cal telephone directory as the district
manager of the Minnesota Central
ises. His local telephone number op-
pOsite his own name in the directory
is Phone No. -. The facts in regard
to his room were brought out at the
hearing at Willmar. Mr.. Phalen is a
firstclass telephone man. Citizens OF
Paynesvills informed us that at the
first intimation that there was any,
thing wrong with any phone in the
city, Mr.. Phalen would at once put it
right. 1t made one wish that he was
the district manager at Willmar in
stead of Paynesville.
Furthermore we learned that Mr..
Phalen takes as much interest in pub
lie affairs at Paynesville as most any
other citizen of the town. He is a
member of the Paynesville CONNER
cial club, of social club, and is al
ways at the front in encouraging pub
lie doings in a social way. He is
somewhat OF baseball fan, and is a
patron of this sport at Paynesville.
There is not a person at Paynesville
who does not wish that he get out of
this trouble without any further pro-
ceedings. He has contided to some
OF his friends that this trouble has
taught him lesson, and that he will
strictly mind his own business here