The Alaska daily empire., 1920-09-25
RUSTGARD DODGES
 QUESTIONS WHICH
 .INVOLVE HIMSELF

JUNEAU, Sept 24.-To the Editor. Last Sundays issue of the Daily Capital contained an editorial sup posed to have been written by Judge Wickersham in which he says the Democratic machine is digging up a number of trivial affairs against John Rustgard and presenting them in an unfavorable light so as to keep tke light of public attention directed On the candidate and away from themselves" This editorial, no doubt refers to certain charges against Rustgard which have been circulated throughout the Territory. and in one of which he is said to have taken fee of $1,000 from a helpless injured employee of the Treadwell Company, and in the other of which he is ac- cused of having tempered with a questionnaire in an attempt to assist a stacker to evade the draft laws. A few days before this editorial ap- peared a paid advertisement was in serted by MT. Rustgard in the Cap ital, in which he said the charges were untrue and said that he had at one time explained the matter to Senator Roman. who was satisfied with his conduct.
 James Wickershams editorial states that these charges have been made because of Mr. Rustgard's op- position to the Territorial Shipping Board. the Jones Bill. and various other things, to oppose which. we are told. requires courage. He does not touch the matter in issue which has been raised by these charges al all. and that is Mr Rustgard's fitness 70 hold public office.
 Rustgard is charged with having taken advantage of poor cripple and taken from him an exorbitant | fee; and we are told in answer that the Territorial Shipping Board failed to establish q steamship line He s accused of having assisted a stacker l in attempt to evade the draft law; and the defense is that the Alaska clause in the Jones Bill is unconsti- l tutional He is accused of tampcr- | ing with a questionnaire which had already been sworn to before a No tary Public; and we are informed that he is man of courage lt Is upon such considerations as these that he is seeking public office; and he seems to think that they are sui ficient to excuse him from answering the specific charges which have been made against him. and that his oppo- sition to the Shipping Board and the Jones Bill render it unnecessary for him to show the public or offer to show his office records pertaining to | these charges.
 It seems to me that these so-callcd ! trivial affairs" which Judge Wicker sham says have been presented m ] an "unfavorable light" should, if not satisfactorily explained by Rustgard, be sufficient to bar him from holding a public office of trust. Surely he is the one who is attempting to | keep the public attention away from himself" by lodging the issue. Just now the subject of interest in the | matter of Mr Rustgard's candidacy is whether or not he is fit and | proper man to hold the office he seeks. Ii he is not, it matters not what the Shipping Board did, what the Jones Bill contains, nor how much courage he possesses. If the charges against him are true, he ought not 10 be aected. If they are false. he should produce the proof; | and he should be willing to give it to the public and not content him self with saying that he atone time discussed the matter with John Ro- nan and that MT Roman was satls- fled.
 A Republican Subscriber.