The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-10-31
Coal Harbor, N. D., Oct. 81, 1891

Gu4tOI AedUoEs Ab JIG t1Iuo 1VE ol0Ct1Ou
draws near, the question of commissioner
for the third district is becoming quite in
teresting. And what makes it still more
so, is the fact that J. E. Britton of the
Mclean County Mail is working "teeth
and toe-nail" for the election of George
Hathaway with the view of having the
Mail chosen as the Official paper of the
county next year. In conversation with
parties at this place short time ago, Mr..
Britton claimed that the Leader was only
charging the county half legal rates for
printing the financial statements and other
matter, but We have taken the pains to
investigate thu businsss, andsAays asoer-
tanned that Britton lied about it. In COM
pairing the Leader with the Mail, We find
the financial statement in the Leader
makes just two single columns, while the
same matter in the Mail makes over FIVE
single columns. Upon examining the
records, we find that the Leader charged
for the first statement it published after
becoming the official paper last February,
the sum of $500, while the Mail published
the same thing and put in bill of $4,000
nearly twice that of the Leader's-which
Commissioners Allen and Bettendorf very
properly and very promptly rejected, while
Com'r Mann voted for the Nails bill, and
against that of the Leader. The publica-
tion of the statement for the succeeding
quarter, in both papers, shows similar
state of affairs. Taking these items as q
basis. or guide, it is evident that the
Mail, during the four years that it had the
run of the county printing, must have
illegally sapped from the taxpayers Of
the county nearly $1,000. This is no small
item to be deliberately stolen, and how
much more he has stolen from the treasury
by illegal charges on other items of public
advertising and by exorbitant charges on
job work, will probably never be known.
And yet, this same man Britton wants the
people of the third district to elect man
to sit on the board, who will join hands
with the only member now on it who is
favorable to him, and give him back the
opportunity of robbing the people in the
future as he has done in the past. John
r. Mann, who was elected last fall in the
I'd district as "reformer," !" is tho only man
now sitting on the board who has forfeited
the respect of his constituency and his
neighbors by perAdiously deserting the
people and favoring continuation of the
high-handed system of robbery which has
been practiced in this county for the past
several years by Mr.. Britton and.his con-
freres; and what little has been saved TO the
people during the past eight months, is
due to the honest efforts of COm'rs Allen
and Bettendorf, aided BY the Leader, who
have fought the ground, inch by inch, In
the administration Of public affairs. So
he is good farmer and good neighbor,
was engineered by Mr.. Britton, and if
elected, that he viii cooperate With Mann
in voting double pay to the Mail ss we'll
6S 70 tnemSelVeos 1901 Ju1saueo - max
ing this statement, by the fact that Mr..
Mann has himself been electioneering in
this district for Mr.. Hathaway, mainly for
the purpose Of securing a partner on the
board who viii help him secure pay for
services he does not actually render.
As I have already said, this matter has
been pretty thoroughly investigated, and
the people are generally satisfied that
Swan Hanson is the proper man TO elect.
He is well known throughout the district
% straightforward man, with good ex-
ecutive ability, and is opposed 70 paying
county commissioners three dollars day
for going 70 and returning from fhe place
Of meeting, whom no other services are
rendered, ]. I,