Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-10-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
John Smith on Deck-Some Things
he has Told You.

Special Correspondence Of the INrER.OcEAN.l
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-THE melan-
choly days have come to us. We have
no Indian summer here. Your cores
pondent spent a few pleasant days in st.
Paul recently, and came back here envy
ing every man so blessed of Providence
as to be able to live in the northwest.
Here we are having muggy, murky, dis
agreeable, gale-producing weather tits
regular Washington weather, knee deep. |
Thank the Lord, the politicians have
been so busy this summer looking up |
their fences and mending them that they |
have given Washington a wide berth.
But they are tlocking back here from
every direction.
terror departments are getting very II X
ious to haye official vacancies filled in Da-
kota. 1t seems hat there is no less than
800 federal offices which are now vacant
either by death or resignation. After
the campaign is over, it is expected
that recommendations will be made and
the offices filled. In this connection let
me say II told you So 1t has been
nearly a year and a half since 1 com
menced to tell the people of Dakota that
the representative man ofthe Democracy
was NJ. H. Day. I persisted in telling
and retelling this fact, in spite of the de-
malls of others, until l became a target
for tho abuse of all the enemies of Day.
They caused me trouble and financial
loss. But 1 stuck to my text rs a news
getter and a slater of facts. Does any
one doubt today that Mr.. Day is the DEM
ocratic leader and the representative man
of his party in Dakota? After all the
troubles and disappointments Of the past
year, I am fully compensated by the sat
isfaction of being able to say: ~ told
you So"
Congressman Hill has been here again
and he never fails to reiterate his desire
and intention to serve the Dakota people.
the territory. In fact, it may rs we'll be
set down as a matter of fact that the Hill
bill Will pass congress at the coming ses-
sion. Pu that down as II of the proph-
ecies OF your correspondent. Itis II of
the kind which he will stick to until he
is able to again say, 81 told you So.
Col. Lounsberry, of Duluth, told your
correspondent a few days ago that with
all of the troubles and disappointments
of his life in Bismarck, he is still in love
with the territory and its citizens and it
is not unlikely that he may live there
again.
The attitude Of our neighborS ut Rich
m6nd i'll their treatment Of Il colored
night Of labor, revives the war feeling in
many Of our people. It's certainly time
that the people of Richmond and all over
the south should know that the negro is
a man and a brother. If you We're to
live here and see the thousands of worth
less negroes i'll Washington you would
regret that the negro has citizenship.
But he has it according to law and he
should have 1t in fact. People of the
north and northwest have been taught
tina only the Democrats are down OH the
"nigger" in the south. But they are
wrong. No matter what may be the pol
lticS Of a man who comes into contact
with these dangerous and insolent ami
mails he 500 learns to either hate or fear
them. They do not make good citizens
and cannot be expected to for many
years to come. The rights which they
have were conferred too soon. They
are not worthy. But they have rights
all the same.
Hon. J.. J. Kleincr, of Indiana. was
here on a flying trip not long ago. lie
is Of the best friends Dakota has in
the house of representatives. He be-
lieves i'll the division Of the territory,
and has also been q great worker for the
opening OF the Sioux reservation. Ht
regards the action of the majority of the
house as objectionable in the matter o
the reservation, and will do what he car
to secure action during the coming SEES
sion.
My friend Parker, of the Bangor Rus
tier, has some vigorous ideas anent thu
opening of reservations. He says: "a
great many of our people are suffering
from total failure of the crops, anC
some Of them will have to go elsewhere
Aol tHS III Wv INsS vs.
across the river, there are thousands o
square miles upon which the govern
ment supports Il ring Of corrupt official
and filthy Indians, while our citizen
are suffering for the use of that kind o
land" Last winter several Democratic
congressman talked to your correspon
dent about that matter. and seemed t.
think that the openinyo Of the reservation
would help the Republican party. There
fore they were opposed to it. That show
you the size of the average congressional
mind. Those small drained statesmen
wonld rather see thousands of peopl
suffering and several large towns go int
decay than to open a reservation whic
would benefit hundreds of thousands 9
people and develop a great country; be
cause they fear that a political part
would be benefited. 1t makes one tiret
to think that these are representatives o
the American people. l do not hesitat
to say, as I have said before, that Their
lisa certain Southern congressman VIII
is responsible for the failure of the Siou,
bill last year becadSe he was not bride
to do his duty. He regarded the open
ing of the reservation as a great scheme
and thought that he ought to get ten O
more thousands of dollars for allowin:
it to be 81. AS long as that man stand
in the way, and has M idea beyond hi
W pecuniary advancement or gain, s.