Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-16
COMMUNICATION

To Whom 1t May Concern:-
l call the attention of the people inter-
ested in temperance and law enforce
ment. to an injustice O. the cause of
ii man who has done perhaps more than
any other in the last five years to lift
in the west end, a lawlessness not only
as to saloons (for such they were five
years ago in the slope country and blind
pigs but a disregard for law in general,
liquor gangs that have dominated many
towns and cities of the state.
l refer to the indisposition to. compen-
safe Mr.. II. G. Heffron, assistant attor-
ney general, for the work he has done.
Mr.. H>Tron was appointed in March,
1909, by Andrew Miller, attorney gener-
al, under Section 1872, Code 1905, as
special assistant attorney general. Mr..
Helfron did not seek the appointment and
has neglected his own business to perform
the worl.. l have been with him through
all the fight and know that in a manly
straightforward way, night and day, he
has been on the job. He has had 81
contempt and 60 nuisance actions in
court beside numerous criminal actions
and preliminary hearings often requir-
ing three or more efforts before the vio-
lators could be bound over. He has
made IS trips to places along the North
ern Pacific railroad from Bismarck to
state line and to Marmarth, resulting in
transforming an utterly lawless territory
so far as he liquor is concerned into law
abiding conditions over most of the
slope country. He has given the larger
part of his time for almost four years
without compensation in criminal cases.
Had the state endeavored to hire and
pay for the work lone it could not have
done so for $4,000. .
1t is not a fault of Mr.. Hebron, or
the people who want the law enforced,
nor of the attorney general that the
regularly elected officials west Of the
river would not do their duty and Sec
ton 9372 "a put in the code for. such
an emergency. When a man is appointed
to an office it becomes his duty to faith
ANAAS, INK MIX CSCA lllOuSu fll
be a. sacrifice. Mr.. Hebron has done
When the officials west of the river;
rould not do their duty it became the
duty Of the attorney general to act un-
der this special provision of the state
and appoint an officer who would.
Mr.. KcffrOn now asks for reasonable
pay for the work he has done. The bill
asks for $1,000 for the four years work,
tut what Mr.. Heffron ought to have is
a reasonable compensation whether more
or less than this amount. There is OPP
position to this bill, of course, mainly
from the territory closed up and by the
piggers and their sympathizers and some
of the attorneys and officers of the law
whom Mr.. Heffron brushed out of the
as the work was done. They are
sore, of course. One of them was heard
to say with an oath he killed the bill
two years ago.
l now ask every man in the state who
believes in law enforcement and fair play
and, who appreciates the lifting Of the
stigma of laWlessness from the state to
your desire to your representa-
tivesl and senator at Bismarck by letter
or telegram asking that Mr.. Hebron be
allowed by action OF the legislature a fair
and reasonable pay for his services.
IA Yours respectfully.
F. L. WATKINS,
superintendent, Enforcement League.