Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-07-31
Peter Freeberq'S Statement.

AS there has been a great deal
said through the columns of the
Gazette and Spencer's Internal"
in reference to myself and the fact
that l was called as witness in the
famous malt case, I think that
owe it to my constituency, the pub
lie and myself to give a few facts
as to my position in the matter.
To begin with, l do not wish to be
understood as trying to defend the
illegal sale of any intoxicating bev-
erage or liquor, as the Gazette is
trying to make out, but l do be-
lieve that the truth should be told
on the witness stand, no matter if
the charge is the sale of intoxicat-
ing liquor or murder in the first
degree. The "Svenska maltdric-
ka" was sold to me as temper
ance drink and drank it as such,
and as it had no Intoxicating effect
on me, l believe that | had been
told the truth, which | am sorry to
say that l cannot always accuse the
Gazette and Spencer's "Infernal'
of. If from what I drank of this
malt, l felt no Intoxicating effect
then l could not say it was intoxica-
ing, and if it was not intoxicating
then it must have been nonintoxi-
eating. When the case of the State
VS.. N. Schagel was up for trial |
was called as a witness and swore
to tell the truth and nothing but
the truth, and that l did to the best
of my knowledge, and what is
more, l am not ashamed of it nor
is there any reason why should be,
because there was nothing crook
ed about it; if there had been, |
should have been ashamed.
l believe it is the duty of every
man to tell the truth, either in
court or out of it, duty that we
owe to the state and our fellow citi-
zens, no matter what ticket the &C
cused citizen has voted or what his
or her politics may be.
If there is anything wrong about
this reasoning then my conceptions
Of my duties as a citizen in this re-
spect are wrong. l do no think
the fact that l am an alderman
from the Fourth ward should make
any difference one way or the other.
If the Gazette and Spencer's en-
fernal' think that it is necessary
qualification for an alderman of
this city to be able to go on the
witness stand and tell a falsehood
in order to help any political get
even scheme against someone be-
cause he was disloyal to the one
man license ticket, there is no Won
der that those two great .moulders
of public opinion have been indulg-
ing in mud flinging and one of
them, the great know-it-all fellow,
even going so far as to offer advice
to the people of the Fourth ward to
demand my resignation. l have,
however, not been called on so far
with any long -oats', such as is
ordinarily fed to mules, but some
times to certain editors, nor have
l been introduced to any ancient
eggs that would not stand the pure
food law inspection, as sometimes
has happened to certain reporters
that never can report things true,
but report and write to please them
selves.
In conclusion, I will simply say
this, that if the Gazette thinks that
they can scare me out by misrepre-
senting everything do and deliber-
ateyl lying about me, then l will
say that the Gazette is making a
mistake. You can't do it. ex-
pect to be criticised because l ex-
pect to make mistakes; but l dom
think it is right for the Gazette to
print things about me or any one
else that its own representative ad-
mitted before witnesses was lie .
Peter Freeberg.
Insurance of all kinds written
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