The Benton weekly record., 1880-09-17

| 70 the. Editor Of the Benton Record, sz.
sIR:-The second resolution of those
passed ut the Republican Convention Of
Choteau county, the 7th inst, should not
be allowed to 60 without comment into the
annals Of this county. The resolution is:
ReaoIred, That the extravaganza of GER
tain county officers ii increasing tIle conn-
ty debt III one year sixteen thousand dol
lars (s1e, e,O0O), making ii at the present
time equal TO nearly. forty thousand dol
lars $40, ,000), meets lhe condemnation of
every citizen, and III order TO prevent the
removal Of capital to more favorable local
ities, and the saddling Of al enormous
debt on our shoulders, we demand the
strictest economy in county expenses.
While to some men of both Democratic
and Republican parties, perhaps, the in-
crease III our county debt during the past
year, has seemed ill-advised and mistaken,
yet, the language in which the latter part
of the above resolution is coucIled, betrays
an anin1us, that evidently proceeds from
no conscientious disapproval Of errors in
Judgment on the part OF certain county Of
flccrs in their outlay Of public funds.
Personal animosity and underhand mall
ice Of piece with that which manifested
itself before our last Grand Jury, without
doubt, lie at the bottom of it. Of course,
their cowardly slur upon the probity of our
public officers can do them no harm and
the threatened ssclosest scrutiny Of official
fees, " would vindicate them IS completely
as did the careful, full investigation of the
Grand Jury. But all our respectable,
thinking citizens, whatever their politics,
should cry out against this misuse Of q
public resolution to crafty individual
spite, somewhat in the same manner as
did one Of the Grand Jurors already refer
red to, when that body was Wearied out
with charges Of official corruption, prefer
rcd by mischievous talebearers who could
offer nothing but idle runors and hearsay
to substantiate them. Can't something be
done BY us to make these fellows RESPONSE
BILE? Isn't there some law to getat them? /?
Let such justly indignant question be
asked and the law to get at them is at
hand; namely, q general, fearless denunei-:
alton OF such responsibility shirking, con-
temptible methods Of venting private pre-
judice and il1-Wili.
The majority Of the people who are set
Ting up our county have knocked about
the world, have seen many men and cities,
and surely they must deprecate this dis
position on the part OF the narrow. pro-
vineially ignorant, hide-bound minds to
invest our growing toWn.and enterprising
communities with the scanda1-laden, back
biting and petty gossip-eharged atmos-@
phere of q New England village, or small
interior town of Iowa Or Missouri. No
wonder some Of our. old-timers are occa-
sionally heard to protest against the whites
getting too thick in the country, when
such q tendency is observable coming to
supplant What are commonly called the
rough virtues Of pioneers, but what i'll re-
atty often are rules Of conduct resulting
from eontaeJof man with man ii the more
trying and age-demanding ordeaIs Of
life. We do not want such All atmosp phere,
social or political, fol. the first involves the
second. II
Not todigress further, however, the sore-I
headed, aisapp pointed for office, enyious oil
better men, fault-andel who measures er--1
erything to matters of national conse-l
not even from q party, but from
. jaundieed individual stand point, should
nor be allowed By duty, and yet,
perfectly transparent cunning, to nse
j public conventions S resolution as q vel
hicle for 4 private gruag which the better
ind larger portion Of the party which the
pretends % represent, does net
,hare; nay, nnhesitatingly repudiates.
TO conclude, then, let the people Of FortI
Benton and Ghoteas. county, one and all
De warned against such men and their
Ways, and let each man have courage
snollgh teezpress the ma ualif1eil eonteinptE /
he should feel.
III