Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1889-08-01

dead harO men to deal with. 1t is
therefore pardonable if North Dakota
members indulge in little self-congrau-
lation. The feeling Of the South Da-
kota members may tie guessed at from
little conversation held today. They
were discussing the question Of the arms
and accoutrements OF the militia
of the territory when ore of the
gentlemen from below the Seventh
Standard suggested that he and his six
fellow members each get long range
rifle to take home with them. ..
A funny incident occurred over the
disposition of the territorial library.
Neither North nor South Dakota wanted
it or attached any particular value to it,
but the former offered to give it to the
latter at valuation of $4,000. It con-
sists mainly of law reports. Most Of the
sets are broken and one of the North Da.
kota men says that half Of the original
library can be found in the offices of
Yankton attorneys. The members from the
north were strongly of the opinion that
the library should go to South Dakota
SO as To keep 1t all in one state. So when
it was agreed that each committee should
submit a sealed bid for the others .inter-
est and that the highest bidder should
take it, the North Dakota boys put their
heads together and. after impressing on
each other the Importance OF putting the
bid low enough marked $3.50 on a piece
OF paper and sealed it up. South Dako-
ia bid $4,000 and got the whole institu-
ton. When they heard the other bid, it
is said that they took a tumble. The re-
suit is that South Dakota gets a lot Of
broken law reports and North Dakota
gets $4,000 as starter for new H.
brary.
Maj killain and Mr.. Camp have been
at work all day preparing the full text of
the agreement to be signed by the com
mission, SO that no session Of the COM
mission has been held. Everything will
probably be closed up tomorrow.
MR.. JoHNsoN's SIDE.
Hon. M. N. johnson Of Nelson county,
IN letter to The Alert, referring to a re-
printed newspaper criticism published IN
the Nelson County News, says:
II first read of the 106 suits
in Bierly's Northwest News. Personally
Bierly and T are friends, but politically
we have always been hostile, he being a
bourbon democrat and a staIwarJ re-
publican. He has printed hundreds Of
uncomplimentary things of me, both
true and false. The result has been in
the aggregate reaction in my favor. l
have never complained and never felt
any i'll will. This lie about the lO6 suits
was mild by comparison with others he
has published OF me.
"The faci is, there was one suit. On
July the attorney Of the railroad com
pany served notice On me at Bismarck
that on July u he would argue motion
to dismiss at Grand Forks. I could not
be away from my duties here on that
day, and he got a favorable decision on
his notion. The costs are less than $40
which will certainly shave the nanli-
ness to pay" One part of the item was
truth and los parts falsehood
'The next place read of the LOG cases
was in Mapes' paper, the Nelson County
News. Mapes knew it was false, and has
not the excuse of politics. He did it
from personal spite and malice. Mapes
is smart but shortsighted and unprinci-
pied. He has lost his grip entirely on
local politics since the Observer started.
Last January I asked him to endorse me
for the land office at Grand Forks. He
offered to do so if I, as district attorney,
would withdraw my opposition to one of
his pet schemes to saddle fraudulent
and illegal debt of $4,000 or $4,000 on
the county. I declined to get support
that way He said one has got to do
such things in politics. l told him l
never yet acted on such principles and
had succeeded very we'll in politics. l
might not get his friendship or the land
Office, but if retained my own self re-
spect, could get on very nicely without
these other matters.
s'rhen he tried his best to defeat me
| for this con. con. and the people showed
him and his scheme under.
.Then he tried by false and fraudulent
means to get appointed postmaster. l
took trip to BroOkings and TOLD the
whole truth to Mathews, and just as
soon as the mail could go from there to
| Washington and back to Lakota, a COM
mission came for E. Kent, Esq, a true
blue republican and an honest man.
Since then Mapes has been sulking and
spending much money for printers ink
with which to abuse me.
"You are off on the Mcclure resolu-
| ton too, and in saying that l am
"super sensitive IN regard to what the
newspapers say" In moving the resolu-
ton / went so far as to say that L con-
| cede the right of newspaper men to sit
here and take notes and send home and
| print in their papers, and circulate among
| the people and even to send to us in the
mail anything they choose, be it ever SO
false, malicious or insulting But I con-
sidered it discourteous to come on the
floor of the convention and lay such false
and insulting matter on the desk of each
| member. That was all complained Of
| If I invite you to my parlor, l expect you
| to refrain from saying false and insulting
things of me to the children and servants
while inside. The moment you step out
side of the house you are free to say
what YOU like While in the parlor you
m ay be permitted to write false and IN
sultipg notes and send out to people, but
YOU would hardly think it good manners
to lay copy of such notes in the lap O
each occupant of my parlor.
mo man ever heard me complain o.
! newspaper criticism. l have protiteo
much from it, Much of it is Just anc
points out failngs and weaknesses thai
one can remedy. fiattery is much more
THAT ,,ayar lnaS one any