The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-11-01

Milaca, Mimi, Oct. 23.-Robert &. Dunn
of Princeton tonight at Republican
rally delivered a speech that shattered
the forlorn hope of the Minnesota DEM
ocracy and made it a certainty that A. l..
Cole the Republican nominee, Will be
elected governor of the state.
Mr. Dunn took up his subject With
vigor and earnestness that boded Ill LOT
the hopes of the Johnson political en-
tourage There was no deviation from
that tone throughout the speech, and
every false argument, every deceptive
plausibility offered by the supporters OF
John A. Johnson was met boldly ana
masterfully
Mr.. Dunn said:
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Two years ago John A. Johnson was
elected governor of this state under false
pretenses. But that is ancient history.
It is the campaign of 1906 we have to
deal with. This year Gov. Johnson rests
his claims for reelection on what he has
accomplished as governor. Now, I have
no personal i'll feeling against Mr.. john
son on account of his having defeated me
two years ago. I propose to treat Mr..
Johnson fairly in the few remarks 1 will
offer this evening.
I have known Mr.. Johnson as editor of
the st. Peter Herald and I have known
him as state senator. The st. Peter Her.
aid will compare favorably with the
average country newspaper, and the aver
age country editor will not suffer by COM
parison with John A. Johnson. AS
member of the state senate he certainly
was not identified with any important
piece of legislation that will send his
name laundering down the ages. He was
an average state senator. Disabuse your
minds of the idea that halo encircleS
Gov. JOhnson's head-he lacks consider
able of being an angel. In short John A.
Johnson is not a bad sort of a fellow-an
ordinary mortal blessed with the gift of
talking well, has plenty of assurance, is
possessed of q vivid magma tion and is
a cOnsummate jollier.
Mr.. johnson rests his claims for re-
election on what he has accomplished for
the state since he became governor in
January, 1905. and those claims are based
largely on alleged sins of omission and
commission by myself and by my sue
cessor in Office, State Auditor Iverson,
and for that reason must to a certain
extent, obtrude my personality into the
talk.
The ''Lumbcr BnrOns."
Now, I propose to show that there is
really nothing to Mr.. Johnson's preten-
tious claims. If he tells the truth, the
State of Minnesota has been defrauded
out Of hundreds Of thousands and millions
of dollars by thieving lumber barons.
Right here let me remark that Mr.. John
son is unkind and uncomplimentary, to
say the least, for most of these lumber
barons were his ardent supporters two
years ago and, I presume, are to-day.
l propose to show you by the records
that Mr.. johnson, to put it mildly has
been guilty of gross exaggeration.
The state has not beop robbed Of its
pine either under my administration or
under that of the present state auditor
Inc state may recover on some of the
trespass suits instituted by the attorney
general, but I have no hesitation in say
ing that in the bulk of the trespass cases
referred to by the governor in his key
note speech the equities are on the side
of the lumbermen.
| charge ard propose to prove TO VOL
that the state bt ard of ecu ,,i7ation, an
pointed by GOV. johnson, has been guilty
OF some crude Work-has done gross in
justice to many small taxpayers on the
ranges in st. Louis county, has shown ia
vorltism to the jobbers Of MINNEAPOLIS at
the expense Of the retailers and at the
same time has acted without authority Of
law. And ! will prove to you that Gov.
johnson has, contrary to law, approved Of
the sale of vast amount of thrifty green
p'i'S IiIIiDCi a. oil li1ffHeHSS loss TO tfo
state In other words, that Gov johnson
has violated the law he pirates so glibIy of
enforcing AMI VIOLATED it to accommodate
those rascaIly Iumbcrmen! | will not
make any unsupported assertions. | will
give names, dates, figures and will quote
from the statutes to sustain my conten-
tons.
Timber Trespnss.
In the minds of many people of our
state deep-seated prejudice exists
against lumbermen, and demagogues are
not slow to take advantage Of this prej-
udice. In his speech at Red Wing, Gov.
Johnson made some ridiculous assertions
in connection with timber trespass on
state lands. He reasoned, I presume,
that no matter how absurd his allega-
tons or how pretentious his claims, ow-
ing to the feeling referred to, his every
utterance on the subject would be ac-
cepted as gospel truth I am not here to
defend or apologize for any lumbermen
In a speech delivered in the Fifth ward
In Minneapolis in 1904 I said: II have
been accused of having the support Of
the lumber barons of your city. I have
their support in the ratio of 16 to lie
against to for. The men in your midst
who have laid the foundations of their
colossal fortunes on the proceeds of pine
pilfered from government and state lands
are TO a man arrayed on the side of my
opponent" I spoke the truth.
Comparatively few lumbermen favored
my candidacy two years ago. They had
not forgotten the part I played in the
pine investigation in the legislature of
1898. One Minneapolis lumberman openly
boasts that he\spent 100000 to defeat me
that is, five times more than the entire
amount the Republican state committee
had at it's disposal in the campaign of
1904.
Let the Records Speak,
Gov. Johnson asserted at Red Wing
that he had caused thousands Of dollars
to be paid into the state treasury for
trespass on state lands committed under
the former state auditor. At Long Prairie
he was more specific and fixed the
amount covered into the treasury by par
ties who had settled with the former
state auditor at $4,000. But the gov
ernoc fails to state by whom these