The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-10-20
Taken to Task for Maligning the Boar,
An Exchange Of Compliments
All Around.

by telling Mr.. Rolfe that his papers
conduct was, to say the least, discour.
teous and could not be overlooked by
the members of the board. Mr.. Rolfe
was a member of the board and while in
attendance on its meetings had always
been accorded Il respectful hearing. vet
his paper the next day invariably roasted
the board. If he had anything against
the board he should express the same at
its meetings and not play the coward by
attacking it in his paper. The meetings
were open to Mr.. Rolfe to say whatever
he saw tit pro or con any subject up for
discussion. 1t was no star chamber c.
fair, as he claimed in the Leader, and
the members refused to longer sit pas
sively by and not object. The Leaders
persistent opposition to everything the
board proposed for tho welfare of the
city was working untold injury upon
Great Falls and it WAS time it be
stopped. lie Qtaban) did not propose to
take any more of ltolfe's newspaper
abuse in the future, and he gave the lat
ter fair warning to that effect.
ltolfe denied that his paper had op-
posed the advancement of the town and
whoever said so was a liar. He did OBJ
.iect to the board being used as a means
for gratifying private spite. If il had
charges to make against anybody the
same should be made before the proper
tribunal. The board was trying to
crush a certain man in the town, and he,
for one, would defend that man though
the whole town were against him (Rolfel.
lie believed the man innocent and he
would stand by him to the last.
He claimed the board had always ia
vored the TRIBUNE in the matter of Civ
ing or paying for printing and even now
the Leader had a bill against the board
which could not be collected. Since the
first house had been built in this city he
had stuck up for the town against the
opposition Of every city in Montana, and
he proposed to do SO in the future ex-
cept when he considered that the board
was dealing in matters which were out
Of its jurisdiction and purely the prCmt-
ings Of spite.
y. J. Shores said he had been unusual
ly Favored with putis in Rolte's alleged
paper. He had been signa.ed out for
numerous attacks. lie had borne the
same patiently but whether he would do
SO in the future was IA matter which did
not concern the board of trade. 1t how
ever was IA matter which the board could
not overlook that it had been outrage
ously abused by the Leader. That paper
had opposed investigation luto city and
county affairs from the inception of the
business. It squalled every time the
board proposed TO look into public bust
ness and the only natural inference that
could be derived from its attitude was
that it was mixed up in some of the ques-
tiOnable transactions that were being
unearthed. SO far as the speaker was
aware the IOwnsite company had never
attempted to control the board in any
shape or manner AS charged IN ~ttolfe's
paper. Any statrmcut to the contrary
vas 4 mlllclOus lie. The TOwDsite COM
panV was the heaviest taxpayer mere and
h" C1horcsD being 10 Ms employ proposed
whenever he attended a board VI trade
meeting to AID all measures which had a
tendency to cut down public expenses
and Ilgutcn the taxes. The board was
created To- advance the interests uf the
whole town aud SO far as hc knew poll
tlcts or private spite had never crrpr into
It's meetings except possibly when II. p.
ltolfc introduced them.
Paris Gibson denied emphatically that
politics or spite work had over dictated
the actions of the board Of trade. lie
hoped they never would. As a citizen
of Great Falls anxious for the towns
welfare. he wanted to see the board
carry this investigation business to the
end. He didn't care where it struck or
whom IT hit. If there be rascality in the
city or county affairs now is the time to
expose it. lie had no anImosity against
Hanks or any other man, but he was in
favor of looking into public affairs. The
Leader had no right to call the board of
trade Il Townsite body. AS only three
persons belonging TO the Townslte com
pany were members of the board. Rolfe's
constant attacks upon the board were
highly detrimental to the town. and in
the name Of common decency ought to
be stopped. He cited cases where in
Minnesota in young city's the citizens
had formed committees to investigate
public matters the same as had this
board. The results had been very bene-
fetal to the towns, purging them of
crookedness and rascality in the trans
action Of public business. The commit
'oos nav maui IL gnu pcSihHiuB HeTe
and should be encouraged to keep up
the good work. He was in favor of
maintaining the committees and of re-
questing future reports from them.
Chairman Myers spoke IN a similar
vein. lie was tired OF these attacks on
the board. They gave the town a black
eye in the outside world. So far az lis
experience went the Townsite company
had no control Of the board in n shape
manner. lie was under no obliga-
tons to the Townsite company. All his
dealings with that concern had been
satisfactorily and in d bust
nesslike manner. and he had no reason
to consider himself, as I;olfe represented,
at the beck and call Of the TownsitG
company.
Matt Dunn did not mince words. lie