The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-10-26

Albert L. Cole the republican can
didate for governor, was born on a
farm near Canton, St Lawrence coun-
ty, Y. Y. fifty nine years ago. He at
tended the district school until he was
fifteen years of age, when he became
a student at st. Lawrence university,
attending classes during the fall terms,
teaching district schools in the winter
and working on the farm in the sum-
mer. After a few years spent in this
manner he was appointed principal of
graded school, position which he
occupied until he was twenty eight
years of age. Mr.. Cole proved sue
cessful and popular teacher. His school
attained so wide a reputation that the
last year he taught the tuition more
than paid his salary, the pupils flock
ing in from all the surrounding coun-
try to an extent heretofore unknown
in the district. In 1875, Mr.. Cole was
appointed school commissioner a posi-
der his supervision. He held this posi-
ton until 1881, when, at the expiration
of his term, he moved with his family
to Minnesota and settled at Fergus
Falls.
The first two years Mr.. Cole was in
the west he engaged in different lines
of business. His good nature prompted
him to lend his name to others in
Strengthened circumstances and the la
bility was allowed to fall upon him.
1t was at a time when he could not
bear up under the financial burden, and
he failed in business. He compromised
with its creditors and started again in
business and prospered, and has since
paid a large amount to reimburse the
men who had released him from all le-
gal obligation.
Mr.. Coles public career may be said
to have begun with his election to the
state house of representatives in 1902.
He had not been long a member of the
1903 legislature before he acquired the
/ reputation of being one of the hardest
workers and most efficient members IN
it, or before his colleagues began to
appreciate the powers of his construct
| i've mind and the benefit his services
| were to the state by reason of his ca
pacity, his ripe Judgment and his un-
firing industry in transacting the bust
ness of the session. What gave him
the greatest prominence in that legis-
lature. however. was bill introduced
by him providing for the taxation OF
logs in the counties where they were
cut. In seeking evidence in support OF
his contention that the bill should be-
come law he discovered that under
the then existing statutes. it was diff
cult. if not impossible, to locate the
ownership of half the logs in such a
way that they could be placed upon the
tax roll and that in the city OF Mime
apolis it had long been the custom to
tax only one-half the logs that the as
SCISSOR found were owned there. The
bill passed the house after one of the
hardest fought battles of the session
and. although defeated in the senate.
the exposures made by Mr. Cole have
resulted in the most glaring of the
abuses being corrected. The lumber
men, however. took notice of his Ier-
nicious activity and resolved to punish
him for it.
In December, 1904. after he had been
elected the second time, Mr. Cole wrote
an open letter to the press, which was
published in the twin city papers, in
which he said:
He advised that the appraisal be
made in part by cruisers appointed by
the state auditor. whose tenure of Of
flee depends upon accuracy and eff
cheney Conforming to this suggestion
a law was enacted at the last session
of the legislature providing that one CT
the appraisers should be selected from
the states best cruisers. This law
guarantees to the people of the state
that each piece or parcel of land has
been thoroughly examined by the APP
praisers, as the law all along has con-