The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1904-06-29
Communication From j s Murphy
Minot, N. d., June %, 1904.

/ MlnOC, N. H., u unC ~, lJO4.
To the Optic:
In this evenings issue of the Optic
you say editorially that the result of the
election yesterday twas help in the di
rection of taking school matters out Of
politics and again "the school board
now has an opportunity of keeping out
of City and County politics, and that is
what a large majority of the people de-
mand."
have been president of the school
board for nearly three years, and I defy
you or anyone else to point to one single,
specific act of the board in that time
that could be called political in the re-
hottest degree. If there has been any
politics on the part of the Board either
in the employment of teachers or any
other employees, purchase of supplies,
the issuance Of bonds or the letting of
contracts, / would be pleased to have
you specify.
You cannot do it, however. Therefore
your editorial is all the more unfair. I'M
manly and untrue.
When the present management bot
the Optic, the only thing we asked of
you and when say "we, Il mean those
who owned and controlled the Optic
was that you be fair. You asked my adj
vice as to the policy you should pursue,
and | told you that this was not a law
less community that majority of the
people were for law and order and pri-
vate decency, and that you should es-
pecially take a stand for the enforce
ment of the prohibition law, as l be-
lieved a majority of the people of this
community was in favor of that: besides
it was right, and was bound to win in
the end in this community, as surely as
it had anywhere else.
You did act fair up to the City cleo
ton, when for some reason a change
came over the esprit of your dreams"
since which time you have been no
toriously unfair If you were only to
come out fatty and admit being the
organ of the Insurgents, it would be all
right; but you want to pose as an organ
of the people independent in thought
but you are not.
Just as an instance of your lack of in
dependence, of your fairness: At the
City election in the spring the most
fragrant violations of law took place. If
you knew anything about the condi-
tons, you knew that l25 illegal votes
were east for Mayor Roach Whiskey
was openly dispensed by the Roach sup
porters. You knew it, but did you refer
to it in the Optic? No. On the other
hand, at the Republican caucus to elect
delegates to the County Convention,
where the ticket headed by Mayor
Roach was defeated by majority of
over ffty, you expressed yourselves as
follows: mo blind pig establishments in
the State could vie with the liquor dis
pensary at Martin Jacobsons hardware
store, next door to the caucus. 1t was
caucus of which every true Republi
can should be ashamed. It didn't rep
resent Republicanism. No honorable
citizen would sanction such political
methods. The predominating factor was
whlskey which was employed to effect
the result. The citizens of Minot and
Ward county cannot afford to counter
ance such procedure for which the Re
publican County Central Committee
and especially the Chairman. J. S. Muir
ply, is responsible"
Now, If you knew anything, you knew
that this was untrue-not only untrue.
but highly libelous, and Senator Jacob
son would probably have you arrested
for criminal libel only for his disinclina-
ton to dignity the Optic or give it ad-
vertising. Personally, have never in
my life campaigned with whisky, and do
not believe in it, and have always dis
countenanced it, and urged those with
whom | worked politically to strictly
taboo it, and under no circumstance
electioneer with whiskey. This has al
ways been my plan. Whiskey may have
been drunk on caucus day, but if any of
my workers used it, it was against my
wishes, and my advice. Whiskey may
have been drunk in Martin Jacobson's
store which opened into the caucus
room, but am led to believe that if So
much of it came from Roachs Bank and
c. A. Johnson's office.
Yesterday capped the climax, when
the insurgents brought load after load
OF prostitutes from the cooley and voted
them This act of the insurgents was
an insult to every decent man and every
decent woman in the city of Minot. 1t
is something that am convinced never
occurred before in the history of the
state of North Dakota.
| challenged the votes of
these lewd women and N. Davis and
/ c. A. johnson told them that thev had a