Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1886-02-03

CONDEMNS the county Board Tor some
action taken UNANIMOUSLY by its mem
bers. More particularly must we cengrat
ulate him because one of the crushed"
county fathers is Mr.. Rufus w. Childs, u
gentleman whom we are sure that Mr..
to be honest and sans reproche.
AS to the criticism on the action of the
Board, we suppose it will result in the
members thereof Immediately resigning
and turning over their offices TO the trip
lets, to be disposed of as they may see fit.
Possibly it has occurred to most of our
readers that the RECORD, in the interest
of peace. has thus far failed to denounce
the motives and methods employed by
Messrs. Maxwell, Potter, and Parker, the
gentlemen originating the organization
whose ire this paper has provoked by
keeping quiet.
The writer was present when the COM
mlttee of two appeared before the Com
missioners. For three days he listened to
the pontless and verbose rigmarolc and
tiresomc repetitons of Mr.. John Parker,
for the accomplishment of ends which
might have been reached IN five hours.
He saw him ego up like a rocket and
come down like stick" He saw contin-
ual outcroppings of the malice borne
toward county officerwho had provoked
the thrusts of jealousy and hatred.
We'll, the scribe thought it all over, and
he reasoned in this wise: OF course Mr..
Douglas will indorse the action of the
committee; that's settled. Not that he
believes for an instant these men are gov
erned by a desire to advance the best in
terests of the county not that he doubts
the allapparent fact that their every
movement is prompted by malice but
because he will see that anything which
tends to disturb the friendly relations eX.
isting between residents of the north half
Of the county and the Winchester people
will certainly not be to the disadvantage
of his section when the next legislature
meets.
So we were not astonished when the
Times came out-not with Il strong in.
dorsement of the alliance" but with a
gentle patting on the back. And no
doubt to-day, when he thinks of it, our
young friend smiles and says to himself !:
Flight dog Fight bear Whichever
licks, it helps our chances for division"
But to the writer it appeared in diff
ferent light He communcd with him
self further and he thought: verify,
is well known all over the county that
Maxwell and Potter arc bitter personal
enemies of Bumstead, and that Parker is
seeking notoriety and office. The origi-
nators Of all this disturbance have been
at Winona, at Williamsport-every where
seeking to STIR up the people by the
Outrage cry. But they have met with
little success. To small taxpayers they
nave recited the public wrong" com.
mitted by the assessor; but they have
failed to tell their victims that two dollars
and half of the wrong" was for road
and school poll tax, which is put upon
every citizen (betWeen certain ages) alike.
There have been some innocent violations
of the letter of the law, no doubt; but
none of its spirit. 1t is true that the Jail
was not built according to Hoyle and the
Immortal Julat but 1T is built. Every
body wanted it; Winona and the Third
District Commissioner agreed that it was
d necessity; nobody protested ; and the
sum expended was not exorbitant. The
assessor may have unintentionally vio-
lated the letter of the law in Insignificant
instances but has any harm been done,
and can any one man assess u county 4S
by nearly 36 miles in area and comply
with the letter of the law in every par
licular. True, also, that some men have
probably been assessed at too high a fly
urc but is this not the case in every
county. Does the law itself expect per.
lection in an assessor? Has it not pro-
viued that any man believing himself
Wrongfully assessed may appear before
the Board and have the wrong.rig GIFTED
A weekly perusal of two-score Dakota
newspapers fails to show that in single
county has there not been appeal from the
assessors figures? Beside, many of the
heaviest taxpayers have openly stated
th.,;, h,,1iaf 1.,
orally satisfactory. 1 hear that these
gentlemen from Winchester have prated
of rings. have vllified county officials
have denounced residents of the county
who would not join with them that they
have stirred many men to complain who
had no previous thought of complaining,
and this, too, with no one near to rcfute
their assertions ana that they have for
gotten the fact that ex-parte pleading is
OF character most unfair and mislead
ing. Again, these gentlemen have been,
as they assert, too heavily taxed they
have appeared here for themselves and
iOr others. In every instance where they
thought it right and proper the Commis-
sloncrs have readjustcd the assessment
complained of. Is not this enough? Why
go back to Winchester dissatisfied :? Why
assert there that certain resident of
Williamsport had at first insulted ii mem
Der Of the committee, and then, subse
mltteeman's greatness, had abjectly apol-
ogized? Why seek to make it appear to
the dwellers on Beavers banks that the
people of Willamsport are rourlny lions
thirsting for the blood of the innocent
and good? Why do they not return
home and, instead of raising merry sheol,
pitch in and assist in building up
their section? Everything points to the
fact that hundreds Of people in the East
are looking TO Emmons County as a
place for their future settlement Why
continue to advertise through the county
papers that turmoil prevails within our
borders? Not that citizens should be cx-
pected to submit to gross outrage, under
any circumstances but really, outside OF
two or three men, are there any among
those that have heard both sides of the
question, or neither that are particularly
excited7 OF course the Hollapdcrs were
stirred up. A colony of people not un-
derstanding our language always consti-
tutrs a fertile field for the work of dema
gogues. Besides, these people seem to
be quite calm and serene when, as they
assert, the belief exists among them that
they are to have schoolhouse built for
when there is q tax levy. They speak En-
glish when county assets are in question;
they niX-forstay when the liabilities are
mentioned. But the excitement" is not
general throughout the county, and what
there is of it has been carefully worked
up" Then, what is the use of organic
ing a taxpayers or any other alliance
which will tend to create jll-feeling and
drive away intending settlers? Above all