Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-09-20
WASHINGTON, D. c. Sept. 4, 1895.

WASHINGTON, D.. G. Sept. 4, 1895.
Hon. W. N. ROACH, Larimore, N. D.
DEAR SIR: Your letter of July 18th,
informing me that your democratic
friends were1 dissatisfied with my being
retained in Office and that you felt COM
PEELED to recommend another party for
my place, is before me and I shall answer
it as in my opinion it deserves.
Your refusal to extend the tin Q until
congress meets, when I may be able to
get something to do in the house of rep
resentatives, I consider under the cir
cumstances, not only unjust but ex.
tremely cruel.
When the democrats organized the
senate they conceded to the republicans
seven messengers. I stood as good a
chance to get one of those appointments
as any republican messenger Of the
senate. When you first appeared in the
chamber, before you were sworn in, I
asked you if you intended to retain me.
You said you saw no reason why you
should not. I then asked if I could rely
upon that. Your reply was that I
could. When you told me that I ceased
all efforts trying to get on the minority
roll. If you had not told me that I
honestly believe I would be on the mes.
senger roll of t ,e senate today.
On the 18th of last December l was
arbitrarily and without any justification
whatever taken off the messenger roll,
where l was getting s1,440 per annum,
and placed in the folding room at 81, 600
per annum, and a man put in my place
who was then getting $1,20G a year.
You disclaimed any responsibility in the
matter, and said il was done without
your sanction or approval. Under the
present organization each democratic
senator is allowed three thousand dol
lars in patronage. This patronage is as
absolutely under his control as that of
his private secretary. No man can be
discharged without his consent unless
charges are preferred and sustained. In
my case there were no charges and all
you had to do was to lay the matter be-
fore the committee on rules. This, from
cause or other, you did not see fit to do.
Duplicity and deception has character.
ICED your whole course in relation to the
matter. For instance, three days after
my reduction you said to me, Ward,
that thing is going to be all right in a
day or two. as soon as the old man gets
over his fit" referring to the sergeant.
alarms. You have told me repeatedly
that [ would be put back on the mes.
senger roll, when you could not help
knowing that a senator is not allowed
but n messenger. Three days before
your return to North Dakota you told
my son Walter to tell me that you had
seen the sergeant-at-arms in regard to
me, and that he had promised you faith
fully to put me back on the messenger
roll. l have every reason to believe that
at that very time you had made arrange.
ments for my discharge and the demo.
Gratis of North Dakata had nothing to
do with it. l don't believe there are a
dozen democrats IN the state who are
familiar with the circumstances but what
would have been willing for me to have
kept the place. Your treatment to me
calls to mind your treatment of another
party. This gentleman who is as good
a man and as good a democrat as there
is in North Dakota, was a candidate for
an important federal position in the
state. You had him getting indorse'
ments and filing papers after you had
sent the nam of another party to the
president for the appointment.
1 served three years and three months
in the 10Th I'll. infantry during tile war.
I have a wife and eleven children. I
lived nine years in North Dakota and
had five children born upon it's soil.
You were elected by republican votes.
After your election you made a speech
to the Legislature in which you are re.
ported as saying you would treat the re.