The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1904-09-23
Communities ted.

In the fall Of 1900 there was great
dissatisfaction with the state Of affairs
in Bottineau. Owing to this Mr..
Burr was nominated for states attorney
and elected virtually without opposi-
ton. Since then the railroad has been
extended west Of the river Govern
anent land SO long unoccupied is now
settled upon by Industrious farmers
as class orderly and aw-abiding
citizens. Flourishing towns have
grown up where but yesterday was
bleak prairies. But with railroads
come tramps and rowdies, who
swarm to frontier towns, and if they
are not kept down by faithful officers,
would soon make place unfit for de-
cent people to live in. OF these rouans
Bottineau has got her share. How
has the law been enforced2 Botti-
neau is clean county, the law is en-
forced, and evil doers punihsed and
learning that oul county is not
healthy for them as the records will
show. From the organization of this
county till Mr.. Burr's term OF
Office commenced, there had only been
sixty -one cases docketed in District
court Since Mr.. Burr's term COM
menced in January 1901, 14O cases
have been docketed in the district
court. OF these cases fifty were for
violation of the prohibition law. in
cluding selling of liquor, shipping
liquor into the county, treating min
~ors, seizure of liquors in the depots,
etc. The other sases were for mur-
der, rape. gambling, etc. In addi-
tion thereto 40 cases are now pending
in the district court. Of these cases
IS have been tried, IS have been con-
victed, or plead guilty, Ross was ex-
ecuted, the first execution in Bottin-
eau, and only II acquitted, "a have
been dismissed, including for sell
ling mortgaged property, after the
merchants and other business men
to whom they had given their mort
cages had been fully reimbursed
Thus saving the costs of trial as pro-
vided by law. This is large record
of convictions. How many prosecut-
ing attorneys can show as large a
percentage of convictions. In addi-
ton thereto during the last three and
a half years we have had greater
number Of petty crimes, which are
brought before and determined by the
justices, like petit larceny, assault.
etc which uniformly result in con-
viction, which cases aggregate about
fifty. Our system makes the states
attorney the officer who must endorse
the complaint before warrants are
issued, making a great amount of
work in these petty crimes Mr..
Burr has not sat in his Office leaving
the sheriff to take the risk without
his assistance and a1vice. For in
stance last fall he accompanied deputy
sheriff Parker at nearly midnight into
the notorious den known as Black
Maria at Westhope. Two men alone
making prisoners of gang of drunken
gamblers and toughs and seizing lot
of iQuer Of course this amount OF
work costs the county money but we
.pay our taxes for the protection of ou,
lives and property and we know Mr..
Burr has been a careful guardian OF
the county funds as far as he could
with due enforcement Of the law.
Some states attorneys do little but
draw their salaries and evildoers are
supreme. Look at our sister towns,
~Minot and Mohall Saloons and houses
Of i'll fame run openly till the respect,
able citizens have had to combine to