Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1913-07-18
TRAPPING SKUNK.


We do not believe in dealing in per
sonalities with any individual, but
when man becomes public official
his official acts are subject to the
scrutiny and criticism of his constit-
uents and as newspaper is the main
channel through which the people are
are apprised of the acts and doings of
OUT public officials, we believe that It
is not only the privilege but the duty
Of newspaper. to criticise the official
acts of any man or set of men. And
while we believe that in all cases we
should be as .considerate and CHART
able as circumstances permit, we feel
that the action of County Commission
er Thelin and his " explanation which
appears of record in the commissioners
proceedings, on voting on the allow
ance Of certain bill demands some
comment. In voting on the allowance
Of the bills for the Churchs Ferry Sun
and the World, for the publishing of
commissioners proceedings, Mr.. The
IN not only voetd "No," but ex-
planned his vote by saying that, "The
proceeding of the board of county com
missioners is pooled by gang of pol
iticians and most decidedly to the de-
triment Of the taxpaying public The
bMl as presented was for the regular
rate as has been paid for like work,
and the rate as established by law,
and he does not attempt to say that
Is an overcharge or exorbitant, but he
evidently bent on casting elur at
romeone-presumably at his fellow
members on the board. Now, the tax
payers of this county are mostly all
acquainted with our board of county
commissioners, and know each and
every member personally, and we are
willing to leave it to them as to
whether or not they will believe that
such men as G. o. johnson, Ole Hoy
stad, Thos. Maloney and DR.. Mcnaugh-
ten are gang of politicians, who are
trying to bleed the taxpayers, or
whether Mr.. Thelin has crouch
of which he is trying to rid himself.
If we were to die tomorrow we would
be willing that either one of the four
men named above should take charge
Of our estate, and would pass away
satisfied that our heirs would be hon
estly dealt with. Is there taxpayer
in the county who does not
feel the same wayf And YET after
reading Thelin's explanation, one who
did not know would believe that a
majority of our boa1 of commission.
CTS were in . pool to defraud the tax.
payers Of. the county.
It reminds us Of the time when We
were boy back in the east. We used
to do some trapping and often caught
skunks, and in the mornings in going
Down the line of traps We could gen.
orally tell before we got near a trap
whe1ther we had a skunk or not, BY
the odor. It looks to us as though
Mr.. Thelin had set d trap, and that
when 1t was sprung the Wong skunk
was caught, and consequently there
- considerable Of q "stink'' from
The pinching.
In the first place lie is 700 vague in
his assertions, and in making such
explanations Of record to go out to be
read by the taxpayers Of the county
he should be more explicit. And it
might not be impairment to ask, who
this gang Of politicians afe'
+, While it seems unnecessary at this
time we might cite some cases where
his official acts have not always
seemed so much in the interest Of the
"dem public.'' If he is always in
the hopeless minority en- the board,
simply because he wants to be the die
tator, then he should take his med.
9s1ne, and not go so far beyond rea-
don as to have such rot spread upon
Me records as the above explanation