Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1878-11-29
Letter from Columbia County.


ED. TELLER:-Your outspoken SEN
timents relating to what you designate
the rights of the people, irrespective of
what the mere politicians or the monop.
olists Of the country may say or do, are
but the echo of the feelings and wishes
OF the great mass Of the people. A
fearless press which first consuts the
best interests of the masses is almost an
oasis in this country. A great majority
OF the newspapers read on this coast
are servile to some political scheme OF
some project of monopolists who seek to
further aggrandize themselves by taking
money from the pockets Of the masses
of the people, or, still worse, they have
not boldness sufficient to stem the op-
position an independent aud manly de,
Tense of the rights of the people would
arouse from politicians and monopolists.
l. have been an attentive reader Of
the IELLER during the last eighteen
months, and while at times I have
been fearful you might succumb to the
influences bought to bear against an
independent course, yet must confess
you have maintained your avowed pur-
pose to publish an independent paper.
Give to the people an independent and
fearless press as an exponent of their
rights and there is not much danger
that their conduct at the polls on all
elections will not demonstrate that the
people themselves mean to do as near
right as their information qualities them
to do. Your course on the question of.
the union of the three northern coun.
ties of IDAHO with our own territory
and your bold and fearless course on
the question of state government,
while other journals have been tame
and insipid, has been the subject Of
much comment among the people Of
many localities, even in this county. |
am glad to see that your efforts arc so
generally appreciated in your own coun-
ties, and had we been as well informed
in this county by the reading of your
paper generally among the people, |
am quite sure that neither the threat of
Mr.. Ladd nor the false construction
which Wingard placed upon our con-
sti'u'ion would have produced vote in
this county so adverse to the peoples
own interest | am told that since the
vote of Walla Wala aud this county
was so strong against the constitution it
has revived the hopes of few that
the people Of these counties will yet &C
cede to the proposition tor annexing
these counties to Oregon; but never you
mind, no men were ever more deluded
in their hopes. Our people will never
give their consent to go to Oregon
The constitution is adopted in this ter
ritory by fair majority, aud, if the
thing could BE- done, many of our
county people who voted against the
constitution would to-day change that
vote aud vote fer it with a will. Some
have acknowledged to me that they had
been deceived into belief that il was
only a scheme Of arlful politicians and
connected to aggraudizc them TO the
detriment OF the people; but now tn ey
are satisfied that they have been fooled
into opposition to their own interes Is
and fooled into the belief that i, never
would be adopted while the vote throuh-
out othY portions Of the territory
shows that the people think well Of the
state movement aud OF the constitution
SUES CRlBER.