Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-02-02

Huron Times.
George w. Sterling is the gentleman
who was chosen by a majority vote of
the citizens of the eighth legislative dis
trict to represent them in the territorial
legislature. Huron is his home. HIS
property interests are here. His bust
ness is here. His sympathies probably
are with us. If they are not they ought
to be.
For what is man chosen from among
because the people desire to show him
special honor? No; the pay of hero
worship has long gone by. Is it to repre-.
sent the dignity Of his constituents? ?
Perhaps 80 in old and wealthy COM
muities but not in the west where Dig
nifty seldom comes into calculation. Is
it merely to fill chair in the assembly
room? No.
The body politics has an eye to its in.
terests as we'll as the individual. What
it does is done for purpose. It sends
man to the legislature not as an orua-
ment but as useful article. He is ex-
pected to be on the alert always. He is
expected to have an eye single to the in
terests of his constituents. He ls ex.
pected to fight finch by inch for the
welfare of the people of the district
which has honored him in the mere
choosing.
Has Mr.. Sterling done all this? This
is subject where there is no room for
sentiment. Sentiment may creep into
the business of individuals but it is q
stranger to the business of the state. We
are compelled to say that evidence jus.
titles negative answer to the query
above made. We can truthfully say that
Mr.. Sterling's treatment of his constitu-
ents has not been courteous. Some peo-
pie of positive character might even
say that it has not been decent. It is
doing simple justice to the community
to suppose that Mr.. Sterling would let
his strong workers in the campaign into
a knowledge Of the business of the state.
secrets. And when bill is introduced
into the legislature, so that it even be.
comes newspaper property, it is safe to
presume that it Is no longer q state
secret and is ready to be promulgated to
his constituents.
What is the testimony A bill has been
introduced into the legislature which is
of the gravest and greatest Importance
to Huron and central Dakota. It affects
not only the people of our town but the
| people for miles about. Have we got
formal knowledge of it from our repre-.
sentative? Not a word. Have We got il
indirectly from our representative by
private sources? Not word. If it had
not been for the Times, so far as repre-.
sentative Sterling is concerned, We
should be even now in blissful Ignorance
of the measure. The blockade has cut
off means of communication and there
fore to the Times and this paper alone il
due the credit for the news. And Huron's
hopes, it's desires might have melted
away into nothing without our dreaming
of the fate.
So then, the people have the newspa.
per to thank when it should be the rep.
resentative. In our hour of trial he has
not given us one word of information
He may plead that the mails are cut off
A poor excuse that would be, for in i'm.
portant matters the telegraph is the me
dium. And the telegraph service has
not been impaired. It is not unreason.
able to suppose that Mr.. Sterling consid.
ers himself an ornament.
The people of this district will hold
their representative to strict accounta
bility in this matter. He must recollect
that he stands in an extremely delicate
and critical position. The public is moi
charitable toward its public men, and
his silence may by vicious people be i'm
puted to totally wrong motives
We understand how Mr.. Sterling il
situated in regard to this capita
project. But no reason can be advanced
for the uncivil treatment which he hal
shown to the people who put him wher,
he is. There was no understanding tina
he should not inform us when measures
, Of importance we're introduced in the leg
islature. Perhaps the honorable gentle
man felt sure that the people would &c
the news from the Times. Well an,
a good. It was in that way they got il
| But is there another public man in tn
country who would leave it to the news
paper to take his official burden
9 from his own shoulders? Is th
t public man who would do thi
worthy of the public respec
. and confidence? Paper or NO papel
. it was the duty of Mr.. Sterling to 9
/ once give the people formal notice Of th
8 important bill which was introduced b
Mr.. Walsh. I! 3
We do not wish to be unjust to on
i representative. He may have his reason
y for his course. But they must be stron
[, ones to satisfy the public. He hs