The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1910-09-08

EDITORIAL 60 MMENT
The independents Reliability
In Russia, if a newspaper happens to publish
opinion which the or his officials, the
publication of that newspaper is Immediately susr
pended and the editor either executed or eiled for
80 years. But, in Ward county, it is different If
a paper happens to have opinion of its own, and
speaks it, and it does not coincide perfectly with
the views of the most honorable board Of county
commissioners the county pap ia taken away from
the publisher, not only to as a punishment to
the offender but as notice to all other official pub
nshers that in order to retain the patronage OF
those commissioners they must never, no never wan
der from the straight and narrow path, and publish
farts about those commissioners which the public
should not know.
The independent, It seems, has MORALLY offended
the members of this august body, by publishing =
few facts not contained in the Official proceedings
We were sent warning that this must be stopped'
or the county board would take the onc1al pruning
from US. We did like the idea OF having our
press muzzed and instead Of desistfng, we spent
some time making an investigation Of number OF
Affairs concerning our board and Published tho
facts as we learned them. The commissioners
claim that the facts were distorted, that some OF
our charges were wholly false, and they saw TT to
refer to the Independent publication thorough
ly unreliable. If the Independent had closed It's
eyes, and allowed itself be lulled to sleep by the
Jingle of the daddy dollars that might have poured
into our Golfers by the county printing, we
stin might be Haunting at the masthead OF this pa
per the banner: official County Paper Of Ward
County" and all would have been serene. The
voters in the main would have been none the wiser,
and Arne Jens etal might possibly have fooled the
voters into believing that they were KIN to the wise
men Of DID, instead OF being known the county over
as the most inefficient board that Ward county has
ever known. Now, we don't want our readers
to think for moment that we have one sc1ntilla OF
animosity towards these commissioners We are
not at all surprised at their action In taking the
official printing from rs. We were threatened and
we would not heed. Of course, this takes away
couple of hundred dollars worth OF business but we
would rather be unhampered and free to give our
honest opinions than to receive what little extra
business this would have afforded U.S. We have
never yet been controlled by any board Of county
commissioners and rather than to be placed where
we will either have to color reports or suppress
them altogether, would much rather pass up
the business altogether. The Independent does
not have to depend upon the patronage OF a few
incompetent county commissioners for IT'S existence
II conditions should ever arise when we will have
to remain under the thumbs Of such men as Arne,
Jens etal, we'll close down the newspaper plant,
and apply to Jim Hill for Job on the section, IT
nothing better is in sight.
We don't mind telling readers another rea-
son why this county printing was taken from us.
The commissioners really do not want their acts
given much publicity hence have ordered their
proceedings in the paper with the least circulation
We don't blame them bit.
BY reading the resolution published in another
column of this issue, you viii readily see that the
beard did not take the official printing from the In
dependent, because of the unreabiltty OF the 1nde
pendent, but because they we're angry bcatse we
had the to publish the truth. The county
auditor has been authorized to furnishing
copy of the official proceedings and the official bus
mess to the Independent Think OF It, voters! Five
Of your servants say that the readers OF the indie
pendent shall not be given the privilege Of reading
the proceedings Of the most honorable board OF
county commissioners, even tho the Independent Is
willing to publish them free Of charge. Was there
ever such fragrant insult perpetrated upon the pub
iic? Well promise readers that the proceedings
of the board will be published The commissioners
can pass resolutions from until dooms day, but
they can't suppress the news Well get those
proceedings if we have to employ reporter a COM
petent man versed in the several languages, to at
tend the various meetings.
As to the reliability OF the charges made, all
We care to say is that II we did tell the truth,
no attempt has ever yet been made to deny any one
OF them We have not told half concerning the poor
farm that we might have told and which we Will
tell at an early date We have not begun to unearth
the truths concerning the electric lighting plant
which the commissioners Installed at the court
house. and which is costing the taxpayers a great
deal more than the Minot Light & Telephone Co.
ever charged everything considered We have not
even taken the public into our confidence and told
th.rr tho methods that the commissioners employ