The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1908-09-11
J.J.oPSAHL, WHO SAYS HE'S
FOR CLEAN POLITICS. mad

ton for representative to the legls-
lature from this district. -
Some ten days ago Mr.. Opsahl
sent to the Pioneer manuscript in a
registered letter which would have
filled nearly six columns of space IN
the Pioneer, and although he says IN
the above letter that his epistles are
business letters" no check accom-
panied the article which Opsahl
desired us to devote six columns of
our space to print.
A simple answer of YES" or
No." would have suficed to Mr..
Funkley's challenge, which was a
personal matter of the latter gentle
man over his own signature and was
no challenge from the Pioneer, or
any employe thereof.
Two years ago the Pioneer gave
MI. Opsahl many columns of matter
in support of his candidacy for
the legislature, and he was never
charged one cent therefor. His in
gratitude for the services rendered
him by the Pioneer at that time
can be easily seen by the pursual
of the vitrolic epistle printed at the
beginning of this article, by an
individual who is going before the
people on a printed platform, one
plank of which he asserts is clean
politics.
Having found out, to our sorrow,
that Mr.. Opsahl falls far short of
our original opinion (having had
many evidences of his ingratitude
for numerous favors done him by
the Pioneer) we resolved, some
time ago, to print no more of his
communication without being recon-
pensed therefor. In which conclu
sion we believe we were right and
eminently fair, although the OPP
sahlized Sentinel accuses us of being
unfair. We leave it to the people tt
judge.
In the above letter Opsah
accuses US of advertising our can
didate for the legislature at the
expense of the good name of thu
county and it's citlzens.''
In the name of heaven, can any
body figure out just what this para
graph means? That is just what VIZ
are not doing. The Pioneer want!
representative in the Legislature
who will at all times work fo1
Bemidji and her interests and those
of Beltrami county.
The day that J. J. Opsahl lief
Bemidji, two years ago, to assume
his seat as representative from thi!
district in the legislature he promised
c. J. Pryor of the Pioneer thai
within day or two he would take
up the matter of the location of the
sixth normal school for Minnesota
and would work INCREASINGLY fo1
Bemidji as the place for establish
ing the school.
That was the last heard of Mr.
Opsahl, the bill or his "hustling" fol
Bemidji for the location for some
time. Word was sent to him tt
get move on: as Cass Lake wa:
using every possible means to gel
the school and through it's repre-
sentative in the legislature, hac
secured (veritably, right under Mr.
Opsahl's nose) promises from nearly
every member of the Legislature t.
support Cass Lake in the fight fol-
the location of the school.
Opsahl's "do-nothing" attitude ir
this matter was so apparent that Z
committee of Bemidji citizens went
to St. Paul for the purpose O.
melting him into action. In thi:
they were fairly successful, after Z
plain talk" with the Hon. J. J., ir
which he was forcibly reminded by
Mr.. Pryor of his prediction
promise, which was renewed the day
he left for St. Paul.
The committee which visited St
Paul found that men who were
sitting side by side with Mr.. Opsah
hardly had speaking acquaintance
with him, let alone having been in
formed that Bemidji would take q
normal school provided it were
thrust upon the city. -:
It took several other delegation:
from Bemidji to give the local repre-
sentative in the legislature sufficient