Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1909-10-21

me CudESSS against YOU are tuok w
have continually and persistently
violated the law by letting big con-
tracts without asking competitive
bids for doing the work system
that allows Of graft at every turn.
And you are further charged with
paying the Hennepin Company in
August thousand and fifty-eight
dollars more for a piece of work
than they had contracted to do
practically the same work for in the
previous May. You are not charged
with having received a whack-up
out of the big financial water
melon. for the reason that no.
body knows whether it was present
out of the kindness of your heart or
whether you got back chunk Of
the Doodle for yourselves. If you
really wish. Mr.. Sherwood. to have
the Records charges Investigated
freely and openly, there is one way
to reach the desired end. Let you
and your co-workers in the county's
financial vineyard bring a suit for
libel against the Record for making
your law-breaking methods public.
A newspaper publisher, in suit for
damages for the alleged libel of any,
body. is required to prove the truth
OF his charges. He has a right to
do that hereby again publicly
assert that yourself and your col
leagues whose names were before
the grand jury were law breakers in
the letting Of bridge contracts;
that you practically presented to the
Hennepin Company Sl,05S.00. that
being the amount paid in excess of
the sum the company had offered to
do the work for at a previous meeting
held in May; that you published an
advertisement asking bids for build
ing two bridges, when the fact was
that one Of the bridges was already
built; that you accepted the second
bid for the bridge, already built, on
the day set for opening bids, and at
once paid for the same, which act
was entirely unlawful; and that,
finally, you have violated the oath
you took when you entered one of
the most important Offices of the
county an Office in which dis
honest man or men can raise the
very mischief with the county's
finances. IF THIS is NOT TRUTH
IL is LIBEL. YOU KNOW YOUR
REMEDY, MR.. SHERWOOD.
| AS to the slurs you cast upon
Colonel futile and your remarks as
to the special election, permit me to
say that when you intimate that he
was not last year, and is not now, a
resident of this state, you assert an
unqualified untruth. He is not only
a resident of the state and district
we do not elect members of the legis-
lature by counties in this state but
he is devoted North Dakotan who
has owned property in this state
more than twenty years. He was
fairly and legally elected at special
election provided for by law in case
of a tie, and which election neither
you. | nor anybody else had author
ity to prevent. although your
chronic violatioR>of bridge-building
laws seems to have impressed you
with the belief that any law that
does not happen to meet with your
views should be violated. His GER
tificate of election was duly signed
by the governor and other members
OF the state election board land then,
after a farcical investigation"
which was denounced by Judges
Lauder and Engerud as the rankest
proceeding in their experience as
lawyers. deprived of his legally-won
seat in the legislature-a proceed
ing carried out without any attempt
on the part of the majority to ques-
ton his legal right to the position
done entirely in the interest of 1.-The
star-eyed goddess of REFORM" And
l can assure you. MIR. Sherwood,
that many of those who voted with
the bandwagon in doing the unfair
and unjust act said before the ses-
sion ended that it was mistake,
and that no man who has been fairly
and legally chosen at an election
provided by law should be un-
seated by an adverse majority Of a
body which is itself the successor of
a kindred body which made the law
under which he was elected. The
special election was as much a part
of the legitimate election machinery
of this state as the regular election
no more, no less. And only a man
who but few years ago was heard
down in Glanavon to declare himself
an anarchist can consistently object
to any expense legitimately made in
carrying out the provisions of law.