Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-10-01


You say that you are not at libert,
to use the names of the persons tc
whom | have made such statements
Mr.. Editor, you cannot give tn,
names of persons, or any person, tc
whom ! made any such statements
challenge you to name man t.
whom l made any such statements
l never made any such statement
and never entertained any such
thought. The action has beer
brought because the evidence con.
vinces me that the defendant il
guilty and should be punished. II
has been my constant desire to put
out OF sight all factions or all par.
ties in the conduct OF the affairs oil
my office and l am not aware of any
action on my part that has been
influenced in the slightest degree by
political considerations.
| do not know whether you are
supporting the nominees of the
republican state ticket or not. Since
you claim to be running a republi.
can paper | suppose that you are
making pretense at least of sup
porting these nominees. Speaking
for myself alone, as one of the can
didates, / do not desire your sup
port nor that of your paper il you
believe one syllable Of the charges
you have made against me. Prove
your charges and | will withdraw
my candidacy for reelection. If
you can prove them and still believe
them, be honest with your readers
and fair with me and favor me with
your open opposition.
You have no moral right to sup.
port any candidate for Office who
would use that office for political
effect and | do not want the sup
port OF any man or paper who enter.
tains any such thought towards me.
trust you will be fair enough to
publish this letter, giving it the
same currency and publicity that
you gave TO your attack on me. If
you do not see fit to do this. / will
be forced to request the other
papers OF your county to publish the
same. The people Of Day county,
your readers, have right to know
the facts when a man has been
attacked as have been by you.
Yours very truly,
S. w. Clark.
Attorney General.
The foregoing is letter from the
attorney general, in reply to our
editorial OF last week. The attorney
general practically admits to be true
all the facts which we stated in our
editorial, but he denies that those
facts point to the conclusion that he
brought the case against the Will
liams Bros. Lumber company for
political effect. OF course every
one, knowing the facts, has right
to form his own opinion. We are
free to say that SO far as we are con
cerned, from our knowledge OF the
facts we are and have been Of the
opinion that the attorney generals
motive in bringing this suit was not
a just one.
He admits that he did not notice
the case for trial at the July term;
he admits that he was not present at
the July term of court to try this
case; he admits that he wrote the
attorneys of the lumber company,
asking the case to be continued over
The July term or until a later date in
the summer. He does not deny that
he applied for continuance Of the
case to the January term, 1909. He
admits that the attorneys for the
lumber company strenuously
all his efferts to continue
The case; he admits that at the
request Of the attorneys for the |
lumber company the court set Sep
Iember 21st specially as the date
Ior the trial of the case. So much
Tor his admissions.
Further extenuation of his failure
o push the case for trial, his letter
contains statements which are abso-
utely without any foundation. He
'ays in bis letter that ''the attorneys
or the defendant made application
or continuance and that Judge
Mccoy had minated that he would |
yrant the same, having been con-
inued a our request before" |
Now Mr.. Attorney General, we do
lot charge that you have consciously |
made statements which are untrue, |
mt We do say that there is abso-
utsly no foundation in fact what
ver for these statements. Al no
ime have The attorneys for the
lumber company ever
sked q continuance Of this csse, and