Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-05-21

4
ical vandalism and the most brazen
attempt to prostitute the great Nor
wegian holiday, May 18th, for polit
zeal ends was the one sprung on the
unsuspecting Scandinavian popula-
tion of Lynn, Independence, and
adjoining townships by practically
the whole insuIgent force of Day
county last Sunday. The young
| people of Lynn and Independence
4 got together to celebrate the great
Norwegian Independence day in "a
manner befitting the occasion and
invited everybody to come and take
part in the festivities. We have
always considered this day, like the
Fourth of July, as not only non-sec-
tartan but strictly political, but
to our great surprise we come to the
conclusion that that precious bunch
Of politicians known as the insurgents
seemed TO think that the celebration
was arranged for their own special
benefit and the way they made use
of it was a caution. Almost the
whole of the insurgent ticket was
ont there and each considered that
Notwithstanding that it was Sunday,
as well as a great holiday, that it
was day TO be given mp to a frantic
appeal to the Norwegians to support
iottering cause. Charley Rieger
was especially active, and the greatest
offender in spreading the gospel of
insurgency, and seemed to consider
that the prayer offered by the
preacher at the beginning and the
benediction at the close was for the
especial benefit of the insurgent
cause. He was ably seconded by
Frank Anderson who wore off the
grass in escorting unsuspecting Nor
wegians into some convenient shelter
safe from observation; by G. E.
Blegen, the strongest Norwegian in
the county, who wore out many
buttonholes in his frantic endeav or
to impress his old neighbors with
the wickedness of the stalwarts whom
he betrayed less then two years ago;
and by those great Norwegians,
Wayland and Duggan, who contin-
ued their operations within 20 feet
of the speakers stand, as well as by
almost the whole insurgent ticket
There were Crawford blttons enough
distributed to keep the factory going
a whole week and cards enough to
give employment to the World force
for several days to replace. Most of
these however found their way into
the neighboring thickets and can
there be seen fast bleaching in the
warm summer winds. Bert Johnson
the great taxpayer and Lindquist,the
perennial Office seeker, were also
spreading insurgent microbes, as was
the great and only VIM Ebert, who
claims the doubtful distinction of
being the cause of all this dirty and
mudslinging campaign. H. g. Raj
felson also was present and was the
quietest of the bunch; and lastly we
must not forget to mention Peder
M. Peterson, who holds the record
for quick conversion from populism
to republicanism, being converted
between two days. Had it not been
for the enormity of the offense and
the manifest lack of sense of com.
mon decency on the part of these
precious aspirants, it would have
been highly amusing, out that it
was offensive can be best realized
from these facts: Rev. Aasgaard, of
DeForest, Wis. made the remark that
he thought it was shame that peo-
pie did not know any better and
that such work should be stopped,
but Rev. Ellie, when his attention
was called to the matter, made it
plain to the offenders that unless
they quit they would be persona non
grata at the great festival. While
we have by experience learned to
expect almost anything from these
people, we were really surprised at
this and consider that the only thing
lacking to have made il a grand
insurgent success would have been
the familiar form Of G. E. Hyde TAX
ing subscriptions for that great
moral educator and family paper
which he delights to circulate.
LII things get worse we should