Coeur d'Alene evening press., 1910-07-28
BARKER and LAND
OFFICE PATRONAGE
Register Batting Stands on His Action and
Has Nothing Further to Say

SBANS eAN puoiiCilg given 10 the teuu
between George X. Barker, editor OF
the Pend oreille Review OF this city,
and w. IL. Batting. register OF the
land office in coeur d'Alene. the lat
ter holds to his former position and
refuses to give the Review any OF the
government printing.
Golfers Weekly made a leading
article OF this attempt of Mt. Batting
to discipline the recalcitrant editor
for publishing insurgent sentiments.
and the two factions OF the repubIi-
can party in Bonner county proceed
ed TO make out OF the matter a typi-
cal political row.
Byron S. Deftenbach, chairman OF
the republican county committee;
took the Miatter up with Senator w.
B. Hepburn. who refused to inter
fere. He also appealed to MIR. Bat
ting personally. who oRered TO take
the ban on Parker's paper provided
the editor would "retract or make
some explanation OF hls letter. a
communication that Batting called
"a personally insulting letter"
Barker refused to retraet or apollo
glze and the ban held.
Meanwhile Barker had taken II
over the head OF Batting to Commis-
sioner bennett, who held that, while
the register was given a considerable
discretion, the discretion thus con-
ferred is official and semi judicial in
character, and not purely personal.
It can not be lawfully axsrcised in an
arbitrary and willful manner"
Armed with this. Barker is still
camping on Batting's trail, but the
latter ignores him and addresses his
latest communication formidable.
four-column affair--to Barker's rival,
the Northern Idaho News.
Batting practically admits that the
withdrawal OF patronage from the
Pend oreille Review was the result
of an editorial in which Senator Hey
burn. Secretary Ballinger and Bat
ting himself were criticized. From
this and other criticisms OF Senator
Hepburn. Batting says. he decided
that the Review was not in harmony
with the republican party and took
the advertising, which, he asserts,
was well within his right to do.
One sentence, however. gives a
probable keynote to the animus OF
the registers action. He says:
Il have no personal feeling In the
yet ! could not consistently
recognize newspaper whose editor
persisted in indulging in personal
abuse and | have at no time allowed
myself to reply to MIR. Barker In the
same tone which he chose to follow" /"
Batting Stands on His Record.
Asked regarding the above state
ment, Registrar Batting said: II
have stated my position in regard to
the matter and had my answer pub
lished in one of the Standpoint papers
and further than that ] do not care
TO make any statement. decided
when that answer was published that
Il was sufficient and I therefore do
not care to reopen the question.
Harrison IL Mum.
Nelson Harrison, field representa-
tive OF the general land department.
was in the city yesterday in confer
enee with Register Batting regard
Ing the controversy between himself
and Barker. but nothing is given out
for publication regarding the inter
view. Aside from the above state
ment Register Batting refuses TO
talk and all efforts to obtain any
from Harrison we're OF
no avail. II Is thought that Batting
will be permitted 10 dispense the ad-
vertising patronage as his best iudg-
ment dictates and that the matter
will be dropped so far as the de-
partment Is concerned.