Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-10-18
The Charres araInst Gov. Church.

The charges against Gov. Church ofDakota
has been received at Washington formally
addressed to Senator Eugene Hale, the chair
man of the special committee on the civil ser.
vice, with a request that his committee shall
make inquiries into them. They charge him
with specific violations Of public duty as fol-
lows:
Ffrst-He aagrantly violted the presidents
civil service order of July II. 1886, address
ed to the ofioeholders, wherein they were for
hidden to take an active and offensive part
in political conventions. In order TO obtain
a personal endorsement of himself he and
all his appointees engaged in 6isreputable
work to control caueuses and conven-
tions. and this to the serious neglect of public
business. For proof of this charge the aft
davit Of p. T. Mcnamara and the governors
letter herewith, This is but one of many in
stances capable of proof.
Second-As governor he used his veto pow
er "a deter the peoples representatives from
performing their sworn duty, threatening to
kill the needed legislation IL his wishes we're
not carried out. He treated the peoples
representatives with contempt, and com
PEELED legislation to his personal advantage,
and against the right of the public.
Third-He openly and knowingly defed the
organic law, our constitution, and also the
laws Of this territory, aud this is a matter of
record not requiring proof. Specification i;
He appointed Alexander Griggs railroad
commissioner under a territorial law which
provides thatno person shall be appointed to
such office 'who is in the employment of or
who is in any manner pecuniarily interested
In any railroad corporation" At the time
said Griggs was Interested in n line Of steam
ers, feeders of aud owned by the st. Paul,
Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad company,
a corporation doing business ntlIe territory,
and be has since remained the virtual direc-
tor of said branch b. of the said corporation
and is today its trusted servant. Speci-
~fcation ?: He appointed as territorial
veterinarian q Canadian horse jockey, c.
John Alloway, who attempted Aug. %,
1856, to vote his crowd Of Canadian cattle
herders at a republican caueus IN Grand
Forks. Oak, and being challenged himself,
as well as his retainers, they were obliged TO
go to the clerk OF the court and file their
declarations of intention to become citizens
before they could vote at said Republican
caucus. Alloway was appointed within six
months of that time. Specification 3: The
territorial law providing for a veterinary
surgeon also provides q tax levy on stock
for indemnity to owners whose diseased stock
are killed in order to prevent spread OF con-
tageous disease. The governor has publicly
refused to allow indemnity to owners of
stock which was summarily killed by such
veterinarian without complying with the
law, and has exhausted the proceeds of the
tax and more too, while owners Of stock
are now left without either indemnity or
protection. The record shows receipts
from stock tax, 5000; disbursements,
So, $50. Specification 4: The territorial
law says there shall be an annual encamp-
ment and muster of all organizations of
the national guard for mt least six consecu-
tive days. To provide the same, armory
rent and clothing of the two small regiments
OF the Dakota guards, the legislature APP
propriated $4,000 perannum Thegover-
nor has refused to obeyithislaw battle-ground
that there is no money. The truth is, the
major part Of two years appropriation was
spent by the governor and his staff in a
rout at Camp Church, Huron, in 1887, and
now the amount disbursed is 10000 This
il n fair illustration of his financial manage
ment. Specification 5: The legisla-
ture of 1887, with the governors
approval and to give the HeIu b
lican ex-auditor a fat place, passed a bill tor
the compilation of the law OF Dakota abso-
lutely and without examination and ~ratifiea-
tion by the sole law-making power, the legis-
lative assembly. The complies were "A fair
lawyer and "A Republican editor not a lawyer.
The law provided that the cost of the com
~pilation should notexceed 81. 900, "incIuding
salaries and expenses of compiler" IL also
provided TINT the work should be examined
and accepted by proclamation of the COVER
nor. This has never been done, yet the terri
tory has paid out SIS, 900 on account of this
unprofessional, unconstitutional and uureli-
able piece of work, and the governor is en-
gagged in the business of peddling out the
books at $40 per volume under the govern
ment frank. Several other specification of
minor alleged offences follow this, but enough
has been given TO show the character of the
document