Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-06-17


A new and not uninteresting phsse of
the effort being made by Ordway to
purge himself of the charges contained
within an indictment found against him
comes in the form of Il letter from Ord.
way to United States Prosecuting At.
torney Campbell, published in the Sioux
City Journal aud republished in the
Press and Dakotaian. In this letter the
governor asks that General Campbell
Join him in request to the president
that an investigation be made of the acts
OF himself and of the prosecuting attor-
ney and that the one who is clouded by
the result shall resign. To this PROPOSE.
ton General Campbell replies that be
had already made the request for an
investigation into bis official conduct and
that he expects to go out of office if any
OF the charges made by OrdWay aud
Hughes are sustained. The investiga.
tion asked for by himself is now in pro.
gress and is being conducted, at their
apartments at the Merchants hotel, in
this city, by the two gentlemen indicated
in the governors letter. At the time Ord
way penned his etfusion to Campbell
he was fully aware of the progress of
the investigation, as he had been fire..
quently before the committee. If this
committee performs it's full duty, as it
doubtless will, the charges contained
within the late indictment will be taken
up and testimony produced to show
whether or not General Campbell bad
cause to move toward the procurement
OF the indictment complained of.
1t being SO clearly an established fact
that the investigation which this gov.
ernor asks for is in full progress, we can
only look upon the demand contained
within his published letter as part OF
the buncombe policy he has pursued SC
long in the hope that he might thereby
cover up his official defects. The few
newspapers within the territory which
stand ready to do his bidding at all times
will parade the ostentatious demand and
the refusal to accept the challenge, but
will scrupulously conceal the fact that
the investigation suggested had been in
progress month before the tactical let.
ter ofthe great schemer was penned. This
will be Ordway thunder, and it will be
made to rattle and reverberate along the
political armament until the electrical
force which impels it is exhausted and il
is lost in subsiding mutterings of def
ance to the law which permitted and the
man who dared bring the deeds of {
governor before court of justice. Ou
of all this Ordway will gain som,
printed material to send to Washington
Upon this line of reasoning we ca,
uncover motive for the singular epis
tolary production which has just eman
ated from the inner consciousness O
Dakota's governor. In all probabillt,
the governor did not want to be investi
gated, but realizing that the proceedings
he had instituted against the United
States attorney were shaping themselve.
into boomerang, he skillfully and cour
agecusly takes time by the forelock and
propounds demand to be investigated
against the day when it will be knowr
that the investigation OF Campbell is in
effect an investigation Of Ordway's owl
acts. We can only conclude from the oc
currences of the recent past, that be doe
not court ap enquiry into his acts. Th,
opportunity was afforded him and b,
not only declined to avail himself of it
but fought most strenuously against th,
chance for viudication opened ur
through the kindness of the late grapt
Jury. That he was in earnest in his de
termination not to subject himself t,
the full fruition of his ardent desire t,
be investigated is shown by the follow
ing extract from telegram sent to th
st. Paul Pioneer Press by Ordway'
Yankton correspondent:
Ordway's counsel were fully equipped
and had the motion not been granite,
they would have then attacked the max
up of the grand jury. Failing in this
they were prepared to make other mo
tions; and then press the matter for Wig
orous trial. for which preparation ha,
been fully made.
Failing in all their motions to suppress
enquiry, they were prepared to press
vigorous trial. There would have been n
other alternative. But their first motto
carried him out of the jurisdiction of til
court and the proceedings in behalf Q
his vindication fell with the order fo
his discharge from the custody of hi
bonds. There was an opportunity fo
the investigation to have proceeded Will
out danger to himself. in the event of
conviction. He could have moved o
arrest of judgment, falling back upo
his "prerogatives as governor" and til
testimony in the case could then hav
been laid before the court, the jury an
the public aud it wonld have been know
whether or not he was falsely accused
1t is possible he does not ca,
to have this testimony brouel
out, aud that he prefers, if he must b
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