The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1919-10-17
BROTHER GEE Fin.
ALLY WAKES Up

BIZ X &43. tI66J vUUuOkO VI
Brother Gee OF the Powers Lake
Echo finally woke up last week and
gave the Farmers Club of his city
more publicity than he ever gave
it before in a single issue, and for
this we join the farmers in thanking
him. Then he takes up some more
of his space in explaining his 10y
atty to the farmers. The farmers
in the Powers Lake country who
have had occasion to see few cop
les Of The Echo know Just how 10y
al he has been to their organizations
during the past few years, and
, there is no need for us to discuss
Ithat. -.
Then to show his readers how
disloyal The Tribune always has
been to the farmers he calls the at
tention of his readers to the fact
that this paper never said a word
about 1900 which came near be-
ing grabbed off by INSCRIPTIONS
contractors in connection with the
construction of the new Des Lacs
bridge which was recently construct
ed, and that the Powers Lake paper
did say something about this alleg-
ed attempted steal. Those who are
informed about this Attempted
steal" cannot help but agree with us
that the contractors had absolutely
nothing to do with the measuring
up Of the grade in question. The
county board sent the county sur.
veyor out to do this and they paid
the contractors on the figures
brought in by such surveyor. The
fact that the surveyor, who was
acting for both 'arties. made an
error of some $4,000 does not
prove that the contractors are
thieves, criminals, and things like
that AS soon as a competent sur
veyor was secured, and he had mea-
sured up the grade carefully, and
!. found that an error had been made
in the first figures, the contractors
paid back such money as they had
furement If the contractors in
this instance were thieves and crim-
inals, according to Brother Gees
idea. and should have been adver--.
tised as such, then we plead guilty
to being in the wrong. But in our
opinion a man should not be classed
as a criminal until he has been
proven to be one, and for that rea-
son we did not jump up. and call
the contractors bunch of crooks
like Mr.. Gee did. He probably did
not understand the situation and
for that reason made accusations
which shouldn't have been made.
To further prove The Tribune's
disloyalty to the farmers Brother
Gee gives his readers some inside
information about how the publish
er of The Tribune went into part
nership with one of the departments
of the Nonpartisan. league for the
purpose of trimming up the farm
ers OF Burke county out of $15,O0
He says he was told by one of the
League orgaizers that The Tribune
plant was valued at $1O,OOOS and
was to be sold to the farmers Tor
$25,0OO, and the profit of such sale
was to be divided equally between
the promoters of the sale and the
publisher Of The Tribune. This
proposition sounds so ridiculous
that the average person AFTER reac.
inK it will wonder if Brother Gee
wasn't suffering from some disease
of the brain. He must take the
farmers for bunch of fools, ready
to part with their money whenever
.,asked to do so. In past years the
farmers did let go Of their hard
earned money at almost every turn
Of the road in order to keep q priv
ileged class in luxury. but they
have shown their intelligence oy
organizing for the purpose OF elm
mating these idlers from the state,
and as time goes on the farmer IN
North Dakota continues to get more
Z for his hard labor. You have got
to show him full value before ne
parts with his dollar, and this or
aEanization OF the farmers is no
4 doubt worrying Brother Gee consid-
! cradle II the writings in his Echo
are any criterion. But to get Dacx
to that newspaper proposition we
will say that the only truth there
u is III all Of Brother Gees statements
In its regard is that the farmers In
Z corporated for the purpose Of buy
ing newspaper, and have placed
their capital at $4,000. This does
not mean that they are compelled
to nay 5000 or any other amount
for any newspaper, to, sell that much
stock. or to do anything else about
The Tribune plant was not
valued at $4,000. and the farmers
4 are not under any obligation to buy
9 this plant il they do not see At to
do SO. Before any stock at all
was sold, and even before the soils