The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-02-16

County Road Supervisor" and ap-
pointed Robert FIemming to that i'm
pOrtant post at a per diem salary of
81. Commissioner Wallace Monk dis
sented to the action, but the old plan
of gag rule was maintained and the
deal was put over.
The action of the board was under
a pretense of economy" but the gen
eral opinion prevails that it was an
act of petty revenge and a wilful dis
regard of the wishes of the people of
Flathead county as expressed at the
polls in November, and an outrage on
common decency. The people are up
In the air and the action of the COM
missiOners is universally condemned.
In the campaign just passed, the
people of Flathead county set the seal
of condemnation on the ex-county sur
veyOr, Mr.. Scott, and the board of
commissioners, by their vote declaring
the conduct of road and bridge affairs
under that administration unsatisfac-
tory, and elected George Fessenden to
the Office Of county surveyor because
they believed him competent and in
every way capable of performing the
duties of that most important Office.
The old board of commissioners were
"suspiciOusly active" in the primary.
and entered into the campaign to de-
feat Fessenden, and failing in their
political plans, have adopted another
way to accomplish their object, and
keep the road and bridge matters IN
der cover for another term. That is
the consensus of opinion expressed
BY the people, and the undetermined
methods adopted by the commissioners
gives color to the suspicion.
That the board is within their tech
meal legal rights in ignoring the new
~ elected county surveyor is not ques-
toned by legal authorities. Had thew
acted the part of real men and put
the matter up to Mr.. Fessenden that
they believed the interests of the
county would be better served by a
new plan Of conducting road and
bridge matters, the outrage would
have been less glazing and might not
have met with the criticism that has
been called out by the affair.
The former county surveyor, Mr..
Scott, failed to meet the requirements
OF law and common decency by turn
ing over his Office and records in the
customary manner. Mr.. Fessenden
was forced to chase down his prede-
cessOr to secure the keys on Monday
morning and when he entered the sur
'veyors Office he found the place had
been secretly looted of its equipment,
together with the chief records of the
office. This it has been learned has
been removed at the instigation of the
the old board of commissioners.
The claim of the commissioners that
their action was in the interest of the
general public welfare is pure fabri-
cation. After repeated efforts Mr..
Fessenden finally secured an "audi-
ence" with Kaiser Hutch and AMe-too"
Weythman, and the developments
clearly indicate that the old members
propose to punish the people of the
county for not bowling to the will of
the dictators and electing their Man
Friday to life term in the county
surveyors Office. Mr.. Fessenden was
charged with the crime of having TAX
en- part in criticism of the board and
the former surveyor, on their conduct
of road and bridge matter the past
four years. For this offense against
royalty, Mr.. Fessenden is to be disci-
plined, and discredited lame duck
placed in the position to which the
people elected Fessenden.
Me-too' seemed to be particularly
aggrieved at some articles which ap-
peared in the Flathead Monitor during
the campaign, and for some reason he
charges Fessenden with the response
bility. Just when Mr.. Fessenden be-
came responsible for the editorial ut
terances, Mr.. Weythman failed to
state. The facts are the old board
have long been of the opinion that
suppression Of honest criticism would
to their advantage. In fact
they have been rather opposed to
publicity" ever since the state exam
liner forced them to disgorge the il
legal mileage during their first two
months in office, and the matter was
made public through the columns of
the Monitor.
A number of semi-public meetings
have been held and the matter is be-
ing discussed from all angles. Many
have expressed themselves as favoring
buster proceedings against the two old
of the board, and the opin-
on is freely expressed that there are