Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-22
"Let Well Enough Alone"
Says Poplar

facilities. is A progressive and thriving
town and is the headquarters for the
Fort Peck Indian reservation. the
Indian agency being located there. and
because of the latter fact, 1t is the
seat of government for the Indians
who make up a large portion OF the
%county's population. Here the Indians
must come to ranSact their tribal
affairs in the same manne as the
white man journeys to the county seat
for his county affairs.
A large bulk of the farmers resld-
ing in Roosevelt county are located on
the Fort Peck Indian reservation and
by reason of adverse crop conditions
for the last few years have been I'M
able to make final proof upon their
lands, which neceSsitates the ADJUST
ing and taking up of their homestead
matters with the Indian agent at
Poplar. By reason of the county seat
being at Poplar. coupled with the fact
that the Indian agency is also located
there. it has for the last two years
been extremely advantageous to these
homesteaders to be able to transact all
of their business affairs. both county
and homestead, at Poplar. On the
other hand. if the county seat were
removed from Poplar. these home
steaders would nevertheless be com
PEELED to transact all of their home
stead affairs at Poplar and would be
/ forced to conduct their other affairs
at Wolf Point.
The election November Z is without
doubt the final chapter in the location
of a permanent county seat for Roose-
welt county. Poplar is far from being
without the support of the press of the
county and outside of the county. Pop
lar has solidly behind her the press of
all towns in the county, except the
Valley Tribune. published at Bainville
and. as is natural. the Wolf Point Her
aid published at Wolf Point. The
Froid Tribune published at Froid. in
/ the heart of n large and progressive
farming community, has taken the bit
between it's teeth in furthering Pop
lars candidacy by explaining to its
readers the merits of poplar's conten-
tons and the advantages resulting in
the saving Of taxes by centrally locat-,
ing the county seat. The Culbertson
Searchlight published at Culbertson. is
a strong ally of Poplar in recommend
ing IL curtailment of taxes and mental
I equipoise in the %county's governmental
affairs and maintains that one of the
most important cogs in the wheel of
retrenchment is the central location of
the county seat at foplar.
Newspapers Back Poplar
The Roosevelt County Independent
and the Poplar Standard advocate the
same principles. The Producers News,
published at P~lentywood, an outside
newspaper having an extensive c~ircula-
ton over all of northeastern Montana,
and recognized as one of the strongest
champions of the farmers rights and
firmly opposed to anything and every
thing that increases taxation or spon-
sors waste of the taxpayers funds,
takes up the bludgeOn for Poplar in no
uncertain terms and recommends that
the only common sense thing that the
people of Roosevelt county can do is
to locate the county seat at Poplar.
The Glasgow Courier, another outside
and disinterested newspaper. published
at Glasgow, intellectually indorses
Poplar's candidacy and says in effect
that it would be worse than folly to
remove the county seat to Wolf Point
in the county and where it would cost
untold thousands in the future to main
tain the seat of government.
Wolf Point, IN the othsg hand. is
waging a campaign. as uniqze as Pop
lars is clean cut. in that Zone of the
issues or contentious raised by Poplar
are met either directly or indirectly,
Wolf Point basinS her bid. for county
seat upon other matters irrelevant to
any or all of Poplar's basic reasons.
Briefly stated, Wolf Point at the
primaries held last August, strongly
advocated what was called a Clean
House ticket, the idea behind it
being that the present i~ncumbents in
office had not been economical in the
management of the county affairs and
should not therefore be returned to
office.
A so-called Clean House ticket
was put into the field, backed by, Wolf
Point, containing candidates sup
posedly pledged to the idea of strict
economy. The result of the election
during the primaries was the COM
plete defeat of practically every
| present officer holder and the nemi-
nation of candidates appearing on the
Clean House" ticket. In that cam
paign Wolf Point argued for re-
trenchment in the expenditure OF the
county monies and bitterly assaulted
virtually every office holder for not