The Red Cloud chief., 1903-11-20
Indictment Of Senator.

masters AZ hastings ABOUT the time
of the last senatorial election, has been
n loud one and has finally culminat'd
in the indictment of II United States
senator, by the federal grand jury at
Omah,. Within u week after his cleo
ton, it has been persisently charged,
Mr. Dietrich went to Washington and
induced the postofiice department to
rent "A buildingi in Hastings belonging
to him for a postofIice, and the order
for the removal of the office from the
previously rented building, belonging
to the q. A.. II. was issued. At the
request of the senator, Fisher, the
newly appointed postmaster, bought
the fixtures of the ~postofiice from the
Grand Army boys for $500 and took
them over To the new building. Ii is
charged that the contract with the
government required the owner of the
newly rented p~ostoffice to furnish these
fixtures himself and that the senator
saved the $500 by the generosity of the
Y DoStHluOttI, iSbtI. ~ 10 SuIu
that evidence was presented to the
grand jury showing that in addition
to the purchase Of the fixtures and
furniture by Fisher, he made a further
contribution to the senator in money.
These charges have been in the air for
the past twenty months and it is pre-
sumed that United States Attorney
Summers after an investigation
brought sufficient evidence to the
grand jury to establish a prima facie
case.
1t has been pretty generally under
stood v Q since the sudden fix-up that
resulted in Dietrich's election to the
senate, that he had a contract with
the leading senatorial candidate before
the legislature who withdrew in his
favor, whereby the retiring candidate
was to fully control all the patronage
that Dietrich fell heir to upon super
seding Senator Allen, who was ap-
pointed by Governor Poynt0r, upon
the death of Senator Haywood. 1t
was "a pretty fat heritage, as many
changes were possible upon the re-
TRACY Of Allen, who had no pull with
the administration, being a fusionist.
Everything came his way, apparently,
but nobody seemed to owe anything to
the senator but thanked the other
faIlnU nhn rnrEnl Tho lnxnr r,an, LII.
office in Lincoln. Even when Mr..
Thompson was himself taken care of
by an appointment as minister to
Brazil, his cup of gratitude did not
run over, As he had merely inisted on
the execution of the bond. All the
federal appointments from the south
Platte country made since the election
OF Dietrich have been duly credited up
to Thompson, and the statesman from
Hastings has had little satisfaction or
glory except from the enjoyment Of a
seat in the senate and his pay and
mileage. And now these are put in
jeopardy by the action Of the the
Omaha grand jury, melted, it is alleged,
by the only remaining federal officer
whom the Thompson influence has
not be Q. able to Dust. The situation is
a humiliation to the republicans of
Nebraska but is the natural outcome
OF the Unnatural tie-up between Thomp-
son and Rosewater which succeeded in
reducing the legislature of 'Ol to u
condition of abject serfdom, unparal-
leled in the history of the state, up to
that time.
The explanation of the transactions
between Dietrich and Fisher made in
MIR. Rosewater's paper, yesterday
morning, are to the effect that the pay
ments made by Fisher in the matter
OF the fixtures and furniture and in
cash. were merely to repay the loss
that the senator had to submit to in
the reduction of the rent of the build
ing, upon representations from other
people who had offices to rent i'm Hast
ings. But of course nobody not pretty
well demoralized by to much practical
familiarity with graft, can see any
defense in that line of argument. Let
us hope that the Bee speaks from its
own moral standpoint and does mo-
officially represent Mr.. Dietrich, il
this version of the alleged none.
transactions between the senator an,