The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-07-05
THE T RACKET.
Judge Tattan Denies that there is Such an
Institution in Choteau County.

uCIlkOcIdtlc SIdUc lOT cdIluIudtcS III
county offices, the RIVER PRESS says,
eff the people get to understand that it
is a ring ticket we wouldn't give much
for the chances Of any Of them" | do
not know in what sense the RIVER
PRESS used the word ring in con-
nection with candidates for Office
among whom / nave been numbered
so for the present will pass by that
feature. but as far as the officials of
Choteau county are concerned Ipropose,
with your permission, to settle right now
This question of a ring" which is being
i~nsinuated into the minds of the people
of this county by false inuendo.
Ring is synonymous with disreput-
able actions and transactions; generally
speaking, it is a combination Of persons,
official or other, for the purpose OF en-
riching themselves out of the public
purse by any and every practice, be it
honorable or ~dishonorabIe, honest OF dis
honest. #assA
Has there ever been a "ring' in this
county? / have devoted considerable
time, perhaps more than any other per-
son. during the past ten years in gather
ing and collating the statistics of this
county, and I have failed to discover
the semblance of Il dishonest transaction
on the part of the county officials during
tho above period. My experience in the
above connection / may furnish fully
aud =, Iafoif fnr tho hanafif IF tho NAVY
corners here at some future time.
Is there a "ring'' in Choteau county?
If the words Of the RIVER PRESS, pre-
viously quoted, are to be literally inter
preted they V the %insinuation that
there is a ''ring," but [ do not think you
are willing to admit, u~nreservedly, that
you entertain the opinion that the purse
Of Choteau county is at the mercy Of a
vampire-a ring. If you do, it is UNI
questionably your duty, as journalists,
not only to so declare, but to give dates,
acts and transactions together with the
names of the persons who compose it
regardless of consequence. There could
not be a "ring" amongst the officials Of
this county without my Knowledge, con-
n%ivance and collision; in fact [ should
be n "ringstcrn else the combination
would fail, and I challenge any nal to
point out a single official act or trans
action of mine that could be traced or is
traceable to association with any other
official, and | dare any man to point to
any official action of mine that an honest
and intelligent person can conscien- 7
tiously term dishonorable or dishonest.
/ am not a ~"slate'' candidate for office
| do not believe there is q political
machine in this co%unty-and whether
or not I will be a candidate is a question
that rests entirely and exclusively on the
action of the democratic convention.
There is III this, as well as in almost
every community ,%a.class ofpersons whose
honesty is worn upon their sleeves and
whose tongues trippingly roll out the
word ring IS 1uently as if they knew
exactly what it meant and all about it,
but who are too coWardlytoassert openly
an Overt act or the napl of the persons
whom they desire to smirch when they
CRY 'TlS. IleSC persons SOIllctlIilcS
insinuate their poisonous vaporings into
the columns OF the newspapers by some
prctense, and thus obtain a hearing
which they are too craven to openly and
publicly challenge. The public actions
Of officials are fit and proper subjects Of
criticism, and every official should in
vitethejust comments ofhis constituents,
but the practice of imposing upon the
press of the country, III vogue amongst
irresponsible yet would-bc authority, and
thus sowing broadcast, by inuendo or
otherwise, the germs OF suspicion among
the people, the responsibility for which
the authors are afraid to assume, should |
be stopped, and / for one propose to
challenge the propriety of this practice
and will unnantle any such statements
when they affect me, be the guise under
which they appear what it may. There
is no ring in Choteau county, and
whoever contradicts Ii statement must
furnish the particulars or hide his head.
/ am sorry to have troubled you SO
much, but I deem it proper to interfere
before this thing goes any further, that
the public may know that if in future
should be silent, it wilInot be through
fear of exposure Of any action Of mine
during my term Of office.
Very respectfully.