Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-07-31
WEDNESDAY, JULY 81, 19(
plsREPuTABLE TACTICS.

DIsREPUTABLE TACTICS.
The boss-ridden Gazette last week
called in it's political editor and
brought forth the following screed,
which reminds one of the rotten politi-
cal comment published by that sheet
last fall. The TRIBUNE recently stated
that the failure of populist COM
missioner to sustain his party pledge
in regard to the payment Of the dump
orders was blow to the people, party
of Kandiyohi county. This paper re-
serves the right to criticise the action
of any member of it's party, and that
right has been accorded it by all fair
minded men in the party in the past.
We do not expect the editor of the
Gazette to comprehend how a paper
can consistently criticise a member OF
it's own party for his public acts, but
we do expect such editor to have some
regard for the truth. We reproduce
the article for the benefit of our readers
as follows:
1.-The Willmar Tribune declares that
the Peoples Party in Kandiyohi
county has been dealt an awful blow
the heaviest it ever sustained, not
even excepting the terrific jab of last
November. And Commissioner Smith
son is charged with having given the
party this terrible Knockout. The
Tribune has demonstrated many times
that unless it can use party associate
to further it's own ideas and interests,
it has no further use for him. Were
it necessary, names could be cited OF
men prominent in the councils of the
Peoples party, leaders in fact, who
were practically driven out of the party
because they had too much manhood
to submit to the dictation of Boss
Lawson. Mr.. Smithson is one Of the
few prominent men of the county left
in the patry who commands the general
respect of his )nstituents, without re-
gard to party affiliations; but he has
refused to bend his neck to the yoke
the Tribune would place on him, hence
the attack upon him by that sheet, and
it's apparent intent to drive him from
the party. It is we'll known that in
order to carry out it's work of spite,
the Tribune brought to bear every
pressure it could devise by hook or
crook to induce Mr.. SmithsOn to &C.
cede to it's demands, but to no pur-
pose. He made up his mind what was
the right, honest and honorable thing
to do, and no threat or persuasion
could change him. Mr.. Smithson is
to be commended for this action. It
is creditable to his manhood and
honesty that he could not be swerved
from what he considered the right by
the dictates of self-constituted bosses
who have left no stone unturned to
further their own etty spite.''
The above is pitiful attempt to
create disruption and personal feeling
among the members of the peoples
party in order if possible to to aid the
republican bosses that control the
Gazette to maintain indefinitely their
grip upon the people of the county.
The Gazette's article is based upon
falsehood. The TRIBUNE has read no.
one out of the peoples party, and we
defy the Gazette to name one single
instance. We have criticised men in
side the party, but there are no better
friends of the TRIBUNE nor stauncher
supporters of the populist faith than
these men to-day, because they under
stood our motives and respected us
for the action we took. When the
Gazette editor says that the TRIBUNE
has dictated to Mr.. Smithson what he
should do, he does not tell the truth,
because no one connected with the
TRIBUNE has to our knowledge said a
word to MIR. Smithson in regard to
what he should do. We have pub
lished our side of the case and called
attention to the action of our partysin
our columns, but we have never ap-
preached Mr.. .Smithson directly or
Indirectly upon the subject. If the
would-be republican boss who no
doubt inspired the Gazette article,
really feels under obligations to Mr..
Smithson for the moral support he
gave him, he should have spared him
at least some of the fulsome dattery
that is dished out.