The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-03-09
A CHuICE MuRSEL
FOR The KNOCKERS
DISPUTE BETWEEN G. o. P. COM
MITTEE AND STATE AUDI
TOR JAKE" PREUS
HE REFUSES TO Be The GOAT
CHARGES ALLEGING VIOLATION
OF CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

st. Paul, March TT is nice ket-
tie of fish that is being cooked IN the
marble pile on Capitol Hill. l refer
to the demand on State Auditor Preus
by the Republican state central COM
mite for an alleged unpaid cam
paign contribution of $500, which Mr.
Preus denies, threat on the part OF
certain members of the committee to
sue, and comeback by Mr.. Preus in
the shape of a felony charge. 1t is
the choicest tidbit the knockers have
got hold of in years, and "Jake" con-
trary to all precedents, glories rather
than shows embarrassment in offering
additional fuel to aid the cooking proc
ess. Perhaps little explanation might
help. Mr.. Preus, an Eberhart product,
suddenly broke into the officeseeking
game a year ago when he uneXpect-
eddy offered himself for the Repub-
lican nomination for state auditor. He
had Henry Rines of Mora as his rival,
and inasmuch as the Mora man had
the inside call for the place many re-
won, but by so narrow a margin thaS
for a while it looked like defeat in
stead. In the campaign for election
which followed he was backed, like
the others on the Republican ticket
by the state central committee. 1t
was of knowledge that he had not con-
tributed anything to the committee,
as is customary, but this did not ex-
cite comment as it was known that
his campaign was costly one and
that like others hard pushed he would
come across later. That the commit
tee reckoned wrong, however, be-
came evident last week when, upon
demand being made for the expected
$500, Mr.. Preus emphatically denied
ever having promised the committee
money in any amount and that if he
did or even desired to do sohe was
prevented by the corrupt practices
act, which confined him to $500, an
amount already expended by him.
The explanation and refusal to pay
over the money might have ended the
whole thing if member of the COM
mittee had not intimated "piker" and
INDUCED in a few other choice re-
marks. This angered Mr.. Preus and
he got busy, with the result that the
committee faces a charge of spending
more than $4,000, the maximum
amount for campaign expenses, and
a penalty in the shape of prison
sentence. And the end is not yet.
To be frank about it, Mr.. Preus,
while possibly justified in his own
mind in the matter of the stand taken
by him and his determination to let
the public in on the expenditures OF
the committee if it insists on going
to the mat with it's claim, is without
sympathizers at the state capitol, OF
in political circles generally for that
matter. However, the voters opinions
may be to his credit. Like all con-
troversies of it's kind considerab lie
dirty linen is being washed. Jake,
notice, drags into the talk the name
of Gunnar Bjornson of Minneota, who,
he says, was the only beneficiary OF
his pocket. To the Minneota man he
gave 500, which was part OF fund
raised to reimburse Gunnar for eX
penses incurred as chairman OF the
state central committee. Inasmuch as
the Minneota man was strong Lee
supporter, besides being generally re-
garded as favoring the candidacy OF
Henry Rines, the contribution is ex-
citing little comment. "Jake" fileo
information with Attorney General
Smith concerning alleged violations
of the corrupt practices act, but tn.
general refuses to be made the goat
He passed the buck back and says if
Mr.. Preus has any charges to make
that the county attorney is the proper
official. Jake, however, won't have
to pay the $500. The committee has
decided to drop the suit.
In the minds of the kingmakers Gov
ernor Burnquist is due to have walk
away at the June primaries as the
next Republican standard bearer. They
cannot see anything but victory fol-
Alll, oil VI WllCli, LVWCNCA, 10 AoG jus
titled by some of the stories reaching
the state capitol these days. Word
comes that former State Auditor liver
son, who has filed for the Republican
gubernatorial nomination, is working
like Trojan and has already COW
cred half of the counties in the state
And Sam is some little campaigne,
DOM forget that. He is regarded as
the best "gumshoe" in the business.
Nor is this all. Though announced by
Governor Burnquist that his one recog-
r'7cd rival. Congressman Lindbergh
of the Sixth district, would pull out
OF the gubernatorial contest no such
withdrawal has been made. The
Sixth district mans name is still on
the lists at the secretary of states of
fee and in the opinion of some it will
stay there. And then there is Secre-
tary of State Schmahl. Report is that
l..lsr hCc 1 =