The Nome nugget., 1902-03-12
IN ANSWER TO A SCURRIl OUS ARTICLE.

Recently the NUGGET induged in fair criticism that paper made upon the circuit court of appeals for the Ninth circuit because of the courts procedure in the trial of tho Nome contempt cases" The NUGGET commended the action of the court and the Searlessness, independence and honesty exhibited in making attempt at least to get at the facts which led up to gross conspiracy and which, happily, xulted in the punishment of number of wrongdoers among them ex-Judge Moves.
 The NuGGET's contemporary characterized the circuit court of appeals species of Spanish Inqu sition, and Mir. Pillsbury, the friend of the court, who conducted the contempt proceedings in San Francisco, as a second Torquemada. The NUGGET raid that the court acted fearessy, honestly and in dependently and because it did it became the object of attack and vtuperation Cn the part of a little pettoggng attorney, who, while supposed to be guarding prisoners in the Nome federal jail and drawing the wages of guard from the United States government finds time to lampoon high court of the United States, at the bidding of another petty official of the United States government, little higher in rank-the clerk of the district for the Second judicial division of Alaska This is the spec tacle presented by the News
 We would not have been thus pointed in our re- marks had not the News, in abortve attempt to reply to the NucGErs fair criticism, felt itself called upon to make vicious personal attack upon the editor of the NUGGET in palpable but very weak deavor to divert attention from it's iatuous
 In order to make it plain, we wish to state that the manager of the News is H. G. Steel, the present clerk of the district court. He is the who came to Nome last spring. after spending the previous win ter in Washington City and the East, trying to do his little best, along with Archie Wheeler of malodor ous memory help his friends and patrons, Judge Moves then judge of the district court for this judi
 eial division, and Alexander Mckenzie once a claim receiver to escape the just consequences of their mis- dsmeanors. The plum promised for these alleged services the clerkship of the district court For a.paltry pittance men will lend themselves to almost anything In the summer of 1900 Steel had been the manager of the Nome News, and was in close touch with Moves, Mckenzie ct a and it is small wonder, therefore, when he left Nome at the beginning of November the same year. that he was willing to tender his little services to these men, He returned to Nome last spring. as of the ministers of the "kchen cabinet" to which reference has ben heretofore made in these columns, and began his machinations, aided by his friend Wheeler and few others who be named to secure the downfall of tGeoTge V. Borchsenius then the efficient clerk of the court, but who not being tool of the looers it was deemed advisable to get rid of. Efficiency counted for nothing with this gang of hghbinders. Borch- senius was not their tool, and they had use for him; they needed a weakng whom they could con- 'trol. Representing to Judge Moves that he con stroed the News, through his brother, H. c. Steel had the nsufferable mpudence to intimate in plain terms to Moves that he could also control the NUGGET which had drecenty become the property of it's present proprietor. Steel got the appointment, as is we'll known, and he knows how he got it; 60 do others. He got it az part and parcel of deal made IN THE STATES and ratified by Moves in Nome with the torious pack of freebooters which the News that he represents manager de facto, tries to defend, not openly, for that would necessitate display of moral courage, but in covert way denouncing a court whose judges were broad-minded enough inde- pendent enough aud HONEST enough with themselves and the whole nation to leave nothing undone that
 anisstly gross violators of the fundamental prnci-