Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1898-08-19
IN REGARD TO GEN. SHEAFE.
Not the Most FIattsring Report Of
His Recent sCapsrs.

People Of South Dakota will regret to
learn that Brigadier General Mark
sheafe has already earned unpleasant
notoriety for the state and disgrace for
himself.
While colonel Of the South Dakota
militia, his condnct failed to earn for
him the confidence and respect of his
subordinates and when this state was
called upon to furnish regiment Of
soldiers for the war. Governor Lee re-
ceived round robin from the officers
Of the regiment protesting against be-
ing called upon to serve under Col.
Sheafe.
While the governor did not remove
Col. Sheafe from command Of the South
Dakota n ilitia, he did refuse to appoint
him colonel of the volunteers. For thus
complying with the requests of the Off
GERS Of the militia about to volunteer,
Governor Lee was abused in the round
est terms and accused Of being insti-
gated by partisanism and prejudice
against Col. Sheafe because he was q
friend to Senator Kyle.
The next heard of Col. Sheafe was his
appointment to the responsible position
OF brigadier general Of volunteers. That
was accomplished through the strenu-
ous efforts of Senator Kyle who bar
tered his vote, at least such was the
charge on the floor of the senate, to se-
cure the commission.
The Argus-L Leader, the Aberdeen
News and other of Kyle organs, herald
ed the appointment as tremendous
victory for Kyle and crushing defeat
for Governor Lee. An effort was made
to have Gen. Sheafe placed in charge of
the brigade to which belonged the First
South Dakota regiment. That design
was defeated by Senator Pettigrew,
who had also been roundly abused for
sustaining Governor Lee in his refusal
to make Sheafe colonel.
As in nearly every other instance,
time has justified Governor Lees course,
if it needed any justification. The cam
paign threatened against Lee by Judge
Healy and Senator Kyle, because of his
action toward Sheafe, will never be
made. Instead, these men will hang
their heads in shame whenever the name
of Sheafe is mentioned, unless they have
lost all sense of shame. Even the Ar
gus-L Leader and Aberdeen News, old
sinners that they are, should blush for
the fame of South Dakota and should
humbly apologize to Governor Lee.
Doubtless they will do so, hard as it
may be to swallow the bitter pill.
Here is the story:
The Chicago Tribune, the leading Re-
publican newspaper of the west, con-
tanned the following startling headline
over special from Niagara Falls:
..MEN ABUSED TO WIN WINE"
Under that was a quarter of column
scare head telling how brigade was
made to endure a forced march to win
a bet. And under the headlines was the
following dispatch:
Niagara Falls, N. Y, Aug. 7.-(Spe-
cial. eSome few days ago it became
known hereabouts that Frederick NJ.
Ackerson, a prominent young attorney
of this city, had addressed letter to
Secretary of War Alger in which he
made complaint of the manner in which
q brigade had been used at Camp Alger
in being forced to undergo a long march
in the sweltering sun in order, 80 it was
said, that prominent officer might win
a bet.
''This intimation that the men from
western New York and other sections
Of the country, who had gone forth Of
forin~ fho;r 1;vna for khaSp cnnnkPv'a