The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-09-25
Communication,
Editor of PIONEER ExpREss

Editor OF PIONEER EXPRESS.
1 notice in your issue of the 18th inst.
that Commissioner Wallace "offers a
word in reply" to my communication
published the week previous, relating
to the appointment made to fill the va.
cancy on the board of County Commits
sioners, caused by the resignation of Mr..
Myrick, and he picks up the gauntlet be-
cause lie believes it to have been flung
at him. Now his first point of defense is
the broad statement that petitions are
not generally worth the paper they are
written on" To say the least of it, this
is one of the fimsiest excuses, yet COOL
est insult that tongue could utter or pen
could write. Flimsy as an excuse because
this same Mr.. Wallace expressed desire
sRa x5ljaF ~ ths ia albtflct BY petition and
to be influenced by their wishes, which
by the by, was highly proper. But this
expression by Mr.. Wallace was made at
time when a petition was before the
appointing board in favor of w. S.
Thomson. But when petition comes
before the board, signed by a majority of
the voters of the district, asking LAS they
had right to do) the appointment of a
citizen than whom no man stands higher
in the estimation Of the public for intelli
gence and integrity, the august board
coolly and insultingly not only disregard
ed that petition but entirely ignored il
and the men who signed it, among them
such men as L. E. Booker. II. R. Vaughn,
j. X. Musselman, q. w. Ryan, JOSEPH,
Chapman, L. Geroux, Chas. Cavileer and
many others of Pembina VIM. McKib-
bin, Joseph Muir, Ried Waldo. VIM. L.
Robertson, Robert Irwin, Z. Sparkling,
McCaulley, ]. q. Lockwood, B. Lock-
wood, VIM. Montgomery, John Garrett,
F. Taschereau, and in fact nearly all the
voters of Toilette; and also large petit
tons from Carlisle and .Pembina River,
in fact the leading men of the entire dis
trict.
Such being the case we ask again. was
there any evidence of either fairness or
manliness in the action of the board? or
is there any evidence of common decency
on the part of an officer who thus ignores
the express will or wish of the people and
then coolly and unblrshingly insults
them because. forsooth, they have had
the assurance to appeal to their servants
by humble petition, as has been the Gus
tom from time immemorial. by saying
your humble prayer is not worth the
paper it is written on" Shame! Shame
on the man who so far forgets his posi-
ton and his duties.
And Mr.. Wallace seeks another con-
temptible subterfuee by stating that
signed in favor of one man and talked
in favor of another" when he well knows
and if he were honest, would state that
after had signed Mr.. Thomson's petit
ton and subsequently signed a petition
in favor of Mr.. Webb, openly and in
public sess ion of the board expressed my
reason for so doing. l can only say in
answer to that part of his communication
that it savors of the same insincerity and
as many of.llis other sayings.
In conclusion he ays that "Air. Ewing
seems to be one of those men WHO must
have grievance on his hands, with or
without reason" Have no grievance
OH my hands have the voters of this
district no grievance OH their hands
when they are denied the privilege of
choosing from their number man to re.
present them upon the board of county
simply because Mr.. Wal.
ace who represents another district, and |
'tler members of that board would rather |
lave some one who will act "harmoni-
'usly with them" Aye! right well do
We know what harmony" in such cases
means. The fact is it's harmony" and
90 much "harmony" that ails U.S. Let
IS call Mr.. Wallace's attention to single
ct Of harmony on the part Of the board
lst as an example. In other words let
s see how unanimously, or in other
'ords, how tremendously MIR. Wal
zee and others slipped their harmonious
ands into the county pocket and llar-
Withdrew therefro,n sixty-five