The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-11-06

Nnere wealth. acCum ulates ana men decay.
One of the most abject examples o!
political subservience ever witnessed in
the county came to hight Tuesday
morning, when copies of the following
letter.. issued from the Office of the
Roche Harbor Lime Company but
bearing the signature of one of the
candidates for county commissioner
were, conspicuously posted at various
polling places, addressed to different
lieutenant in each:
Roche Harbor, Wash, Nov. 1, 1902
James Frankland, Esq,
Friday Harbor, Wash.
Dear Sir:-A story is being circu lated
in the county that am in favor of spend
ing So, 900 or 81 900 on the present court
house and when elected commissioner
will follow that plan. Please say to all
the voters you can see that this is ABso-
LUTELY BALsE. 1t is gotten up by those
who wish to plunge this county head
over heels in DEBT by big issue OF
BONDS.
l am in favor of the strictest economy
not only in court house matters, but in
EVERYTHING ELSE. / will do my best
to keep the taxes as Low AS POSSIBLE
and 20 get out of debt as QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE.
William p. Graham's splendid record
as county commissioner is sufficient
guarantee that he will favor the same
policy.
Furthermore, no one is advocating any
such expense on the oldsbuilding and
am satisfied no one desires it. Don't be
deceived by these campaign lies.
1 am opposed to INCREASING our DEBT
or our TAXEs. Therefore / will vote
AGAINST the BONDS and hope everyone
else will do the same. FA;l
/ am against EXTRAvABANcE Of EVERY
KIND. i;
Please post this letter up where all
voters may see it, and oblige
Yours very truly,
ISAAC SANDWITH.
Mr.. Sandwith has, or at least had,
many friends here who are most sim
cerely sorry, that he allowed himself to
be prevailed upon. to attach his sigma
ture to such document, cunningly
designed to play upon the prejudices of
voters and withheld from public notice
until too late to admit of the exposure
of its source and its weakness before
the election. 1t HAD NOT BEEN
CHARGED here that he was in favor of
depending $1,000 or $4,000 on the
present court house." In fact he had
expressed himself to gentlemen who
were delegates from this precinct to
the county convention as being opposed
TO making any expenditure upon the
old building, and he had stated to the
editor Of the ISLANDER quite recently
that he was i'm favor of erecting sub
stantial "BRICK BUfLDING,nt rather
than one of wood, If the proposition
of the commissioners carried, even
if it would add considerably to the coat
above the amount for which it was
proposed to issue bonds. Mr.. Sand
with had not been, misrepresented in
the least degree. Having no opposi-
ton >his election was assured and the
peoplercertainly had right to expect
that as respects the court house ques-
ton he would, as commissioner, carry
out their will as expressed at the polls;
without attempting to unduly infiu-
ence itbeforehand. 4
Since his nomination Mr.. Sandwith
has sold practically all of. his property
i'm this county and he accordingly has
little personal reason to indulge In any
great spasm of concern about the ini
terests of taxpayers. He certainly has
no JUSTIFICATION, though he dou0r.
less has some excuse, for becoming the
mouthpiece for the charge that the
present commissioners and all support
'e,rs of the court house propositions
"wish to plunge this county head over
heels In debt by big issue of bonds.p
The matter was fairly and squarely
before the people. Every phase of il
had teeh honestly presented for the