The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-11-04
The BILLINGS E
MR.. BURLA JUGGLING WITH THE FACTS.

> When Mr.. Burla, the present demo
cratlc county treasurer and candldat
: lof reelection to that office, heralde,
lar and vide that he proposed to placi
t hlmself Alright before the voters Of tn,
county through his IocaI party organ
! the taxpayers had every reason to ex
pect that Candidate Burla woult
: nave something to say in defense o
: county treasurer Burla. Outside O
, a lew OF Mr.. Burla's hired men. AM
possibly a few who are under persona
ODllgatlOnS to him for mas
Iavors, no STOCK is taken in the publ
cation OF the two-column laborec
newspaper article setting up a defense
tor Candidate Burla.
When The Gazette called public at
tention to certain matters touchine
the administration of the present
county treasurer it did so in order
that Mr.. Burla would have ample time
to look up the law governing the du-
ties OF the county treasurer before
the vote was cast next Tuesday. He
had every opportunity to write a de.
Tense and instead of quoting authori.
ties he simply contents himself mainly
AA ~oO54AS A1o 1OpuO1lCdu OUDOnonL
and The Gazette.
This newspaper never intended to
bring Mr.. Burla's name into the ques-
ton at issue and the reader will OBJ.
serve that the article treating on the
subject OF county finances last Tues
day in The Gazette simply called
public attention to the pledges made
by the republican party and Mr..
White, the candidate Tor county treas
urer, and the constitution governing
the duties of officers handling public
funds in the state. Fol that little act
OF Kindness toward the taxpayers OF
Yellowstone county The Gazette has
gained the displeasure of the demo-
cratic candidate for county treasurer.
Mr.. Burla does not approve OF the
following plank in the republican
platform, which was adopted by the
republicans assembled in convention
in this city at the solicitation of Henry
White, who was named as the party's |
candidate for treasurer. That conven-
ton was held a month before the dem
Ocratlc county convention was held, !
and while Mr.. Burla knew to an abb
sOlute certainty that he would be the
unanimous choice of his party in CON
vention to succeed himself for treas
urer, the plank of the republicans
was ignored by the democrats and
Mr.. Burla on the question of the use
OF public funds. 1t must now be taken
as a fact that Mr.. Burla intended to
trick h voters when he accepted a
denomination, and as every taxpayer
knows, Mr.. Burla had hoped to go
through the campaign without pubic
attention being called to the question
of interest on monthly balances in
the treasurer's office. Here is the re-
candidate for treasurer heartily
subscribes:
w are opposed to the use Of pub
lie money for private gain, and we be-
|!eve in the use of the funds of the
county and state in such ann that
the interest thereon shall be for the
oenetit OF the taxpayers, and not for
the private gain Of the officer in con.
Another little matter which is caus-
ng Mr.. Burla to have sleepless nights
n the closing days Of the campaign
S the clause which has been dug out Is
II the constitution of the state. Mr.. t
3urla does not like that constitutional t
provision a little bit. He and his /
friends in the campaign have SPENT y
many hours burning the midnight oil j
n the hope of finding some provision {
II law which would nu1lify the consti- q
ution of Montana. That Mr.. Burla G
md his lawyers were not successful
n their researches is plainly evident,
IS the party organ in the article pub c
ished in Mr.. Burla's defense quotes a
70 authority for a public officer to use c
'ublic funds for private gain. u
Here is the constitution: t
Kill, Sec. IA, Constitution Of a
Montana. d
"The making Of profit out Of public '
nonevs. or usinu the same for any :,
not authorized by law, by y
ny public officer, shall be deemed a '
ebony, and shall be punished as pro- i
ided by law, but part of such pun. :
shall be disqualification to =
old Office" u
Every officer should have a high re- y
ard for the oath of Office. Most Off =
ers in Yellowstone county do and II
he Gazette wants to ask Mr.. Burla
he subE,ribed to the following oath e.
office, and if he did, what does he -
mink of it: ~
tate Of Montana, County Of Yellow. b
stone-ss. o
! do soiemnIy swear that will sup. a
ort, protect and defend the constitu. 7
on of the United States and the Con. d
ards the republican party. Nv his r.