Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1910-10-29

he means business, and that he /
not bluffing. Thomas E. Kepner,
prominent Reno attorney. has in tn,
following signed challenge. signifie,
his Willingness to meet Hon. Denve
S. Dickerson, Mr.. Key ,.Pittman ant
CHARLES S. Sprague, either individ
ually or collectively, for the pur
pose of entering into a joint de
bate concerning the respective plat
forms upon which these gentlemen
have builded their hopes of ultimat,
victory in the coming election.
Mr.. Kepner, though a democrat
evidences decided dissatisfaction re
garding the actions of these mer
prior to the outset of this cam
paign.
The following challenge is self.
explanatory:
Reno, New, Oct. 2S, 1910.
Mr.. Denver S. Dickerson, Mr.. Key
Pittman and Mr.. Charles s
Sprague.
Gentlemen:-I would like to meet
either one of you in public joint
debate in the city of Reno any
evening before November 9Th. 1910.
We could discuss the Eureka
County bank failure; and it, might
appear that more than year be-
fore the bank was closed, Bank Ex-
aminer M. M. Van Fleet reported
the insolvency of the bank and rec
commended immediate action on the
part of the banking board in ac-
cordance with law; that acting Gov
ernor Dickerson and Charles S.
Sprague, dominating the banking
board, insisted that no further
action be taken for year. that at
the expiration of the embargo
placed upon his actions by Dicker-
son and Sprague, Bank Examiner
Van Fleet again visited Eureka and
again examined the Eureka County
bank, finding a condition of affairs
which caused his death almost i'm
mediately; and, incidentally, the
truth or falsity of the rumors,
which we understand to be current
at Eureka, that Mr.. Van, Fleet COM
mitted suicide might appear. 1t
might appear, also, whether the
present bank examiner has per-
formed any official act since his ap-
pointment except to draw his offic-
ial salary and, if SO, what?
We could discuss the state peni-
tentiary graft in it's various phases.
1t might appear that Nevada has a
suitable state penitentiary, commod-
ious in it's accommodations admir-
able in its situation, healthful in it's
surroundings, and having the best
hot and cold water supply of any
like institution in the world; that a
comparatively small sum, probably
not more than $4,000, would suf-
flee for all necessary additions and
improvements. And the process of
reasoning by which the present
prison site and buildings are to be
abandoned and a new site, new wa
ter supply, new buildings and new
equipment are to be acquired may
be justified might also be made to
appear. We might inquire further
whether, If the estimated cost of
this Dickerson penitentiary project
is 100000, we may not reasonably
anticipate that, under Mr.. Dicker-
sons administration, the cost of the
completed project would not exceed
a million dollars. "Spendthrift
states and spendthrift people," says
James J. Hill, always meet the
same fate"
We might discuss the extrayagant
and reckless waste of public funds
under Mr.. Dickerson's administra-
tion as acting governor, and see
whether 1t be true that the sum of
seven hundred thousand dollars was
spent during the past two years in
building up and perfecting a polit-
ical machine; and the justification
for such expenditure might appear.
Incidentally we might inquire
whether the salary OF the governor
of Nevada Is fixed by law at $4,000
per annum. and whether the acting
governor has drawn more than that
amount and IL so how much. and
under what authOritVe