The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1902-09-26
COLD BLOODED FACTS
A Peculiar Transaction i'm the
COmmOner Office.
If w. v. Ewing Had Attended tn
HIS Own Business He Would
Have Saved Money.

The clOven foot of democracy Waa
shown last week when its official organ
gave publication to an article over the
signature of w. V. Ewing, a farmer liv-
ing about midway between CoIfax and
Paiouse. MIR. Ewing says that he do
slres 'tO be held personally responsihIe
| Tor every word" of his communication
| The COmmOner was very willing and
eager TO hold Mr.. Ewing Responsible
which Is good piece of trickery. com
| ing on as it does at this stage of the
game. The proposition that appeals
most to the average mind il this: II
Mr. Ewing Is responsible" where does
the editor OF the Commoner get off?
In the first place, Mr.. Ewing, in all
probability, never wrote the com
munlcatiOn; in the second place, il he is
! the author OF it, he has taken an awk
ward way OF telling how it happened and
has shown the grOssest ignorance of
even the most ordinary business tran
sactlons. However this nav be. he has
been made a tool for the political use of
the CommOner, for the sole purpose of
placing Mr.. Allen, the present deputy i'm
the treasurer's Office, and republican
candidate for county treasurer, in a
seemingly bad light. This much was
admitted in the communication where il
reads: whether it be the chief incum
bent, or one of his deputies, care not
charge that | have been held up for a
good sum OF money" and also in the
COmmoner preface to the communica-
tlOn where the editor says: "Whie it
does not concern Mr.. Allen, the republi
can candidate, directly, it will affect his
campaign, for the reason that it il gen
orally understood that he will, if elected,
make Mr.. Bellinger his deputy"
Upon the face OF the communication it
would at first glance appear that Mr..
Ewing had a "kick coming" but there
are always two sides TO a question. The
Gazette will not for one moment cham
pion malfeasance in office, or wink at
dirty work" perpetrated by anyone
holding public office; but it does believe
in that law of civil and social Justice
which grants to every person a chance
to be heard upon point at issue. In
this instance the treesurer's office was
attacked 10 designing way and an at
tempt made to make campaign thunder
out OF proposition, wherein the com
planning witness testifies that he has
been "held up" and that E. +. BeIlinger,
clerk in the treasurer's office, is the
man behind the gun.
If Mr.. Ewing and the editor of the
democratic organ will put their heads
together and do a little figuring for
about two minutes they will see that
Mr.. Ewing has not been "heid up." but.
on tie contrary, that he has been treated
very considerably. Mr.. Ewing failed to
pay his taxes; the county treasurer
notified him of his delinquency, as did
also the Second National Bank, which
held bis land contract; the land was ad-
vertised according to law and sold under
the county hammer; DR.. j. n POcock
bought it, paying therefor the back
taxes, penalty, interest and costs and
received a treasurer's deed This made
the land, as far as the county was con-
cerned, the property of DR.. Pocock. The
state held school contract against the
land IN q lestiOn, upon which only two
payments had been made, although Mr..
Ewing has had the land in his possession
since 1892. The amount due on this
contract was S2005. DR.. POcOck wished
to clear that also and secured the assist
ance OF his sOn-in-aw, Mr.. Bellnger, who
helped him raise the money. Mr. Ewing
saw how he had lost his land and made
tender for the taxes after the sale was
made. Had no bidder bought this land
it would have reverted to the county. A
sale of the land would then have to be
made by the county, according to law,
the land going to the highest bidder,
which could not within reason be less
than $50 per acre, or $450O for the
quarter section. Mr.. Ewing in order to
have secured his land back would have
had to have bid at least $450O. AS it is
he compromised with Dr. Pocock and
secured it for 1882 9S, of which amount
1882 SO was taxes, penalty, interest and
costs and $40O was the real purchase
price of the land. Take from the $500
the $2O05 due on contract to the state
and the $7S3 9S paid to DR.. POcock and
the sum is $1711.02. This makes Mr..
Ewing, through the condescension of DR..
POcock, $l711.O2 better off than he
would have been had it been necessary
for him to have repurchased the land
from the county. Ii any mathematician
can show the Gazette wherein this is a
case of "hold up" the columns are open.
Nine men out OF ten would have made
MIR. Ewing pay dearly for the land Mr..
Ewing was lucky in having DR.. Pocock
for the purchaser.
The fact that Mr.. Ewing and the Com
mOner attempted to make political
straits a democratic sheet will go in
search of something with which to try
to condemn a republican candidate for
Office. Mr.. Bellinger furnishes the Ga
zette written statement over his sigma
| ture which shows his connection with the
matter. W. J. Windus, the county
treasurer, has furnished the Commoner
a statement of the facts in the matter
a copy of which has also been furnished
The Gazette, which is published in this
issue. Will the COmmOner place itself
right before it's readers and apologize to
| the treasurer's Office, and more especial
| ly to Mr.. Allen, or does it intend to
carry on a campaign by filing it's
| columns with such rot and nonsense? If
that is its policy, and it considers that
Mr.. Allen should be condemned before
the public eye because his associate, MIR.
| Bellinger, was connected with a transac-
tion which it endeavors to make appear
was not exactly right, how will MIR.
Wheeler, the democratic nominee tor
auditor, fare, when it is considered that
be was the chief deputy under Chas. Il.
Raby, now under sentence to the peni-
tentiary for eight years for embezzle-
ment?
Continued on Page Three