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0£ yy a VOL. VI -NO. 11 THE WEEKLY ALERT. O. WARNQCK, EDITOR. IN his letter of acceptance Cleveland ventures one expression of bis judgment outside of tbe pis* form, and that is that the constitution should be so amended as to make tbe president ineligible to re electiou. That is not a new question nor is it in any sense an issue between the parties It simply amounts to the absurd preposition in tbe American theory of government that the people may some limes bo incapable of choosing a proper executive of the nation. The man is sup posed to be chosen to this office for his eminent fitness, the exercise of which wisdom and integrity (bis proposition practically assumes renders him unfit, for there would be no occasion to make a man constitutionally ineligible who had proven himself unfit. Tbe only effect or such a constitutional amendment would be to disqualify those who have demon strated themselves eminently qualified, as they are the enly ones likely to lte affect ed by it. Such a proposition cannot be maintained without to some extent ques tioning the fight and capacity of the peo ple to govern themselves by their own chosen rulers. The people can always be trusted and if the president is so satisfac tofy that they want to continue him in office a second, third or any number of terms why should tbey he prohibited from doing so and be forced to lake the chan ces of a change IT will soon require a good accountant to take the census of candidates tor dele gates to congress. Every day brings three or four new nes before the people and there is danger of some of the older ones being lost sight of before the Pierre convention meets. Dr. Bentley, of Bis marck, and Gen. Allen, of Fargo, are the latest additions to tbe number, and still there are numerous localities where statesmen spring up spontaneously to hear from. There is at least no danger of the office becoming vacant for want of a candidate. There is more danger of a vacancy from incompetent occupancy. It would be a good thing if tbe people would drop local interests and support the best man for the whole territory, but that is too good a thing to expect. We have no right to expect legislation from congress in favor of local Interests in the territory, and the leas effort we make for itch leg islation the more of general interest we may expect. We should make it the main pint to secure a delegate with mind enough to grasp the interests of tha whole territory, with courage enough to maintain them, and then keep our war ring factions away from Washington. The custom has been to elect a represen tative to congress and then send down to Wssbington delegations to show that our elected delegate does not represent the people. These factions cathaul each oth er so that congress concludes that we do net know what we want ourselves and therefore gives us nothing. This was a hindrance which Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Raymond have both had to contend with and it is a hindrance that will mitigate tne influence and success of any man whom we may send to Washington as delegate in the future. FROM out tbe Adirondack mountains comes tbe letter of Qrover Cleveland ac cepting the democratic nomination for the presidency. It reminds one of tbe fable by yEsop of tbe mountain being in labor aud bringing forth & mouse. There was no doubt that be would accept the nomination and there was no necessity «f the letter on that account. It offers nothing new upon or in support of any issue of the campaign and is therefore of no importance in that regard. It is like tbe essay of a school boy, written from book learning without any idea of a prac tical application of his book knowledge to the subject in hand, and with tbe sin gle view of escapiug reprimand from hi9 teacher for failure to comply with the rules of the school. Over a month ago he was formally notified of his nomina tion and his formal letter of acceptance has been awaited with many forebodings by the democrats and much hope by tbe republicans, both of which be has disap pointed by saying nothing for the demo crats to explain away nor anything for the republicans to catch QO onto, it is a machine document written under duress of a political custom and formality .which is all tbe stronger for never haying bad any reason for its existence, as the candi date does not dare to go outside of the platform adopted at the time of the nom ination nor advocate any measure not al ready promulgated by the party mana gers. Under these circumstances it is no wonder Cleveland sought the seclusion and cool temperature of the Adirondacks to make the sacrificial offering to party idolatry, and he no doubt set out upon the journey with very much the same heaviness of heart as did the ancient Abraham journey to Mount Moriab to offer up his son Isaac. Cleveland would doubt rather have offered up as a sac rifice the fatherless son of Mrs. Halpin than have written that letter. He was in position where he dare not say anything If ,' aa%jj^ ::ML ,r v^rti* nor keep silent He knew the republican papers and speakers were laying for him and would pounce upon any idea he might express, and on tbe other hand the democratic press and speakers were en the point of calling him a blockhead for saying nothing. Under" these circum stances and in this frame of mind people should not be hard on Cleveland for for getting to say anything about the tariff or anything else of national issue or 1m importance. The only prominent feature about 'l'hos. A. Hendricks' letter of acceptance of the democratic nomination for the vice presi dency is tbe "don't-care-a-damn" style of its expression. Hendricks is tbe sour est politician in tbe democratic party. He believes he was cheated out of the vice presidency eight years ago and has thought he was entitled as a martyr to tbe nomination for the presidency ever since. Tbe bitterness of spirit with which he accepted the position of vice presiden tial tail to Cleveland's presidential fcity cannot be approximated In imagination, and if there are ever any circumstance* that will justify profane thoughts the cir cumstances under which Hendricks wrote his letter of acceptance may be offered in justification.- It is a humiliation that none but the democratic party would put upon any oue. THE contest over the nomination of a delegate to congress this year in the ter ritorial republican convention will be tbe most spirited if not the bitterest ever known in the history of Dakota, as well as the most uncertain in result. Two years ago it was a three cornered fight between tbe Ordway any Pettigrew fac tions and the solid North Dakota. North Dakota triumphed then because Petti grew preferred to dee North Dakota sue cessful than the South liakota Ordway faction in tbe nomination of Geo. H. Hand. This year there is relatively the aame factional contest in South Dakota, Pettigrew representing his own faction and the Yankton crowd representing the former Ordway faction. In additiou this year ire will have the Black Hills and Bismarck factions, the latter having come into the factional arena by the capital re moval since the last convention. Each of the four factions named will move heaven and earth at the Pierre convention the 17th of next month to carry its point. Tbe neutral ground in the political con test, that which has no friends to reward nor enemies to punish, is northeastern and eastern central 'Dakota. Tbey have no axes to grind nor any particular can didate to urge. They have no special in terests to push through congress and con sequently have no object in putting forth a narrow gauge candidate for a sectioi^l and local purpose. They want a represen tative in congress who will devote his time to measures that will enure to the good of the whole territory and have nothing to do with faction interests. They want a delegate .vho is not under obliga tion to sneeze when either Yankton, Bis marck or Pettigrew takes snuff. They want a delegate who will labor for di vision of the territory on tbe 46th parallel, for tbe opening to settlement of tbe Sioux Reservation, and the speedy survey of the uosurveyed portions of the territory, and one who will keep his hands off the location of tbe capital, leaving that ques tiou with tbe people of the territory to determine for themselves without con gressional interference two thousand miles away. With such qualifications it mattei9 little to them wbelher ihe candi date hails from North Dakota. South Da kota or the Black Hills, and in the "wreck of matter and crash of worlds," politically speaking, that is inevitable at the Pierre convention, we believe such a candidate will be nominated even though he should have to be called to tbe front from tbe ranks of unnamed and unseek iag itriots. There uever was a mere auspicious tune in the history of Dakota for the office of delegate to seek tbe man than this year OCCASIOXALI.Y instances come to light in our christian and highly civilized coun tiy which would put in shame the heath en of benighted lands where neither the bible or tiod are known. A few days ago in Pennsylvania a man was discovered chained to a post in a miserable hut where he had been kept for thirty years by an inhuman and unnatural brother, and now comes the report of a woman in Michigan who cruelly put to death by beating and plunging into a tub of cold water a little girl child only two years old because It would not or could not pro ncunce words which she was trying to teach it. These are but two instances among the many, thousands we may say, that are being developed every year, and it is a question of civilization itself what is the cause of these things and wbat the remedy, a question much easier asked than answered. The penalty of the law may restrain these acts but it cannot erad icate the propensity to them. The latter can only be accomplished through the instrumentality of tbe church, not one sect but all. the church societies having in view the moral elevation of the race, which is the very rock and foundation upon which civilization rests. In this the Catholic and protestant churches can and do work hand in hand together and this is far more important to the race and to civilization than the distinguishing doctrinal points that exist between them. Everybody who desires to maintain and improve our civilization has an interest in tbe support and advancement of every church organization that tends to tbe moral elevation ot its members and through them the masses of the people for that is the foundation ot civilization. The churches have come to recognize? the fact that their mission is more to teach people how to liye than how to die. We have more life and less death in our ser mon* now than a quarter of a century, ago less postmortem brimstone and more ante-mortem rectitude-of every day life lass praying to be saved from the consequences of sin in the future lite and more doing to be delivered from sin itself in this world, and the church is every day becoming a greater power for good as it becomes more practical. EIGHT years ago the democrats claimed thatUrant used the federal patronage to carry tbe election for Hayes, and that feat tha democrats came nearer succeed* ng than at any election aince 1856. Four years ago Hayes was so snubbed and ig nored by the party that he did hot turn a hand in the use of federal patronage in aid of the election of Garfield and yet the democrats were worse beaten than in tbe previous campaign. This year Arthur is somewhat soured over his defeat for re nommation and the federal patronage will not be used to aid the election of Blaine. Both parties are on their merits before the people of the United States and the de cision will be the deliberate judgment of the masses as between those two parties. The cry of fraud will no doubt be rais ed, and tbe loudest cry by tbe party most guilty, but the frauds will so nearly bal ance ether that tbe general result will be practically that of an honest vote. THE opposition to the prohibition law in Iowa is led by blind guides. In resist ing the law and doing violence to the offi cers of the law whose duty it is to prosed cute violations they are every day adding strength to the prohibitionists by arous ing public sympathy in their favor. The prohibitionists have labored long in that state and peaceably submitted to defeat on technical grounds time and again and now when they have at last an ifon clad law incorporating their idea they arere-' sisted by mob violence. There can bcjno question but the prohibitionists are in j.be majority in that state and it is udiculeus to even propose to discuss the r:gkf,of the majority to enact and enforce laws that bear equally and aliko upon all, not inconsistent with the federal constitu tion. If tbe prohibition party ever be comes the dominant party of the nation it will date its vitality and march to suc cess from the present mob violence and resistance in Iowa. THIS is Sunday, a fact which may be overlooked by those who are more inter ested in the territorial election than in the doctrine of election and reprobation as taught by some pulpit expounders of the gospel. What doth it profit a man if he gains a postoffice and loses his own soul Tbe local politician goeth about like a rearing lion seeking whom he may down at the causus. He lieth in wait at the street corner for the sucker and en ticeth him into tbe back alley to put him onto a scheme. He soweth political in iquity among the grangers as the bonan za farmer scattereth No. 1 hard upon his broad acres in the spring time. He smil eth on you like a crocodile and clingeth to you like a lobster. He sayeth unto you this candidate saveth the country and we are his handmaids. He putteth his trust in gall and playeth you for a suck er. He tarryeth long at the boo/.e and mviteth you to take something. At three in the morning the booze merchant readeth the half past eleven ordinance and proceedeth to close up before the mybt police waketh' and gettetli onto him. The local politician then goeth out upon the street, shaketli hands with tbe lamp posts and unlocketh the door of his domicile with a cigar snipe. He tum bleth into bed with his boots on and ris eth not up again until bis beloved wife tnrneth the ice pitcher upon hint after breakfii8t. He rouseth up with a head ache and seeth the enemy like spiders and serpents walking on nothing round about him. His hair standeth out like the bristles of the swine that arguetli with a dog and he complaineth of a bad taste in his mouth. He groaneth in spirit and is all broke up. He tnrnetli over in bis couch and entreateth his wife to "lemoie lone." And as slumber returnetb again to his heavy eyelids in muttering accents he sayeth to himself, "We'll get there, Eli." GEN. LooAS'a reception on his return to Chicago last Saturday night was one of which any American citizen might justly feel proud. Logan is eminently a man of the people, and while he may be opposed by tbe aristocracy and some pol iticians who want a man whom they can use for any political or personal purpose the great masses upon whom Logan has never turned his back cannot be preju diced against him for flimzy causes or through sinister design*. It is true that the place for which he is nominated is, fern'" ifi" 1 1 1 t?Mf ^Vf* -1'-, ,Mjs tbe caucus in Fargo last spring to appoint delegates to the Huron conven tion to select two delegates to the repub lican national convention Maj. Edwards, of the Argus, offered a resolution endors ing the course of delegate Raymond in congress and the resolution was emphat ically voted down. At the caucus last Saturday night to appoint delegates to the county convention to'.select delegates to the Pierre convention practically tbe sime resolution was offered by Col. Tyner and it was enthusiastically carried, it vfould seem that tbe people of Fargo am unstable and vacillating In their litical sentiments or there has feeeb'j nsiderable "fixing" dene siacfc tbe-' ing caucus. Whether the FafgnanS ill holdout in their last expression if litical sentiment with. reference HVt. ymond until tbe Pierre convention may a question of doubt and a subject of Inxiety even.with Mr. Raymond himself. SOUR weeks ago the Alert took occasion to notice with a little surprise the partic ipation of one W. W. Brookings in the Minnehaha county republican convention held at Sioux Falls assuming that it W4* "the only" Judge Brooking*, the demo cratic candidate for delegate to cosgreas two years age, and In tbe somewhat ran dom shot it seems we hit tbe judge below the belt, smoked him out of hi* bole, as it were. The Sioux Fall* Leader, which seems to speak from the book, if not by inspiration "f Judge Brookings himself, Vise* mfona and .explain to the Alert that tbe W. W. Brooklugs referted is none other than tbe veritable Judge Brookings, and that "the democrats nev voted for him as a democrat." The Lead er says "He was a republican when Da kota was democratic in 1861-2-3, and stuck to his colors in 1866, when all tbe federal office holders Johnsonized and went over to the democrats and took the republican central committee with them, and it was then that this same W. W Brookings organized the present republi' can party of Dakota, over which the ed itor of the Alert is so solicitous for fear some black sheep might enter the fold." So it seems that Judge Brookings is not only of the original republicans of the territory but the founder of the republi can party of the present That may all be true, and we doubt not it is, and in accordance with the doctrine of the "final perseverance of the saints" he may be back into the party again, but not having had any notice or intimation of tbe prod igal's return to the fold since be went astray as the democratic candinate against the regular republican nsminee two years ago we not unreasonably supposed that he was still feeding on the democratic husks, therefore our surprise at his ap pearance as a member of a republican convention. It has only been two years since he wss up in Ncrth Dakota going about with a lantern in broad daylight searching for democratic voters to elect him to congress over Mr. Raymond the republican candidate. We had the pleas ure of meeting the Judge at that time aud from his conversation we took him to be a rock-rooted, mountain-buttressed, Silu rian mossback bourbon from way back. But tbe Leader tells us new that W. W. Brookings was a republican long before we scented the ezone of Dakota, and fur ther that he "is a republican on princi ple." The idea seems to be that he is a republican on principle and occasionally a democrat for office. NEVER befor perhaps in the history of this territory was there such an uncer tainty about tbe nomination of delegate to congress as there is this year, and probably never before so much interest taken in the subject. This increased in terest and diversity of opinion may be ac counted for by the increased populution and importance of the country. The ter ritory is so large that several localities have formed communities of interests which tbey desire to have represented in congress by one who has the sympathy of personal interest with them and each presents a candidate, the consequence of which is a number of candidates each of whom has his own immediate locality to push his claims for the nomination' It will be readily seen that under these cir cnmstances a nomination can only be 1 4" JAMESTOWN. D. T.. FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1884. $1.00 PER YEAR. except in the improbable contingency of his succession to tbe presidency by virtue of the position, a comparatively nominal one, the enthusiasm of tbe people will not be smothered by bis four years exile in the mum position of presiding officer of the innate. Login deserved better of his party and his country than such a nomination and it required heroic self sacrifice on his part to accept it, but he has never allowed his personal feelings or interests to stand against tbe call and wishes of bis countrymen. While many of his colleagues in the fiouse and senate have enriched themselves at the cost of their country Logan is still a poor man and no consideration far "influence" has ever been traced to his pocket or bank accqnnt. nor in all the vindictive warfare wagfed upOn him ha* any charge of cor ru(Sj3nn been made against him. But Lynn's sun will not set in the senate chpjjber. Four years hence he witl'loom up Stronger than ever as a presidential *^'vr WEEKLY ALERT. made by compromise, it is hardly pos sible, at least not probable, that any one of the several candidates can secure the appointment of a majority of the dele gates to the Pierre convention. Mr. Ray mond will no doubt have a larger number than any other but not a majority of the whole, it so often turns out that those having the larger number of votes are de feated in the final compromise aud nom ination that as a rule tbey may be regard ed the most doubtful of success. Tbe reason for this is founde in human na ture and it crops out in all contests of this kind. One who has strong support usu ally has correspondingly strong opposi tion. if the opposition yields to the ^rong candidate it concedes everything and the other siJe nothing. It is not in human nature to do this consequently the compromise is made upon some one whose nomination is an equal concession on the part of both sides of the contest. In view of the present and prospective situation at Pierre we think it safe to assume that the candidate nominated there will be the result of a compromise and that compro mise is more likely to be upon a man not yet named or of but i'ttle prominence asj a candidate now thaii upon any one those who go into tbe convention with strong support. THE sinking of the navy ship Talla poosa the other day by a schooner sug gests the propriety of keeping our grand Jiaval fleet close In seeure harbors Wt'do not Know what day our govern ment may be oalled upon to meet Eng land on the high seas and it is criminal recklessness to allow our ship* to go out of the barber in time of peace to be run down and sunk by the wild fishing smacks aod yawls that are cruising around. The secretary of tbe navy ougbt to iseue an W* clad order prohibiting skiff* from us| inine harbor for there is no telling when some careleas oarsman may ran into and sink a navy ship that coat the government millions of dollars perhaps. The Ameri can people can no longer look in silence upon such disregard of the safety of our Tn discoveries made and theories founded by Llent. Greely in his Arctic expedition are perbape sufficient to in duce others to chance tbe peril* of the icebergs and take -the risk of having to mnbo*teak of each otbea. JUatheory la that' there 1* an open sea" «t tbe north pole, baaing hia theory upon the fact of ttfe floating from and bird* flying I* that direction. But anppoae there Is such an ope* ean how to any advantage of profit or pleasure ifii not probable there is a continent or any fertile islands in that latitude, ner that it would ever become popular as a fashion able watering place. There might be in stances where husbands would prefer to send their wives there than to Saratoga but it would only be a devise and substi tute for divorce, and a woman would see through the scheme at once. Even bro ken down politicians would kick against being sent there unless the government would attach some official title to their names and salary emolument to their missioa. The uselessness of tbe discov ery and the foolhardiness of the exploring adventure, however, will not be likely to put a stop to such expeditions and it will not probably be long until another crew will be enlisted for tnat purpose by some wild dreamer with more money than brains and more ambition for fame than reason. We would suggest that the next crew enlisted be composed only of large, fleshy men so that when worst comes to worst tbey may serve a more extensive purpose in replenishing the commissary stores. We would also suggest that dogs be left at home for according to report the Greeley party had to abandon their dogs at one place and left with those dogs several barrels of pork for them to sub sist upon while the men sailed away among the breakers to eat each other in the course of time and necessity. It was unfortunate that it did not occur to tliem that they could kill the dogs and save the pork for themselves, and thereby possibly avoided the necessity of shooting the young man Heniy who could not resist the cravings of hunger and took more than his rations. BISMARCK bids fair to surpass Fargo in the bitterness of its political strifes. The Journal party and the Tribune party are painting the capital city red in the con test for and against a Raymond delega tion to the Pierre convention, the Journal favoring and the Tribune opposing, and it would seem by a letter from Arthur Linn to the Fargo Argus that the serene and conservative Williams, speaker of the house in tbe last legislature, is being drawn into the contest and is thereby arousing opposition to his renomination The Journal threw a slug into tbe hor net's nest a couple of weeks ago by in sisting upon a Raymond delegation from Burleigh county which the Tribune re sists equally strenuously, and the fight goes bravely on. The Journal took the ground that Raymond had done more* for the territory than any delegate ever be fore and could and would do more for Bismarck the next term than any other man- To this latter proposition the Tri bune demurs and declares that Raymond ^al,W-i'ilwU... ji!i«iB*ibJI rV __j .Ml j, $* r"a is not only not a friend to Biamarck bnt^| has already bargained away her intereet*^. to the ankton gang, citing as an evi dence of thi* fact the rapport of tbe Ptmarfim arid Dakotaian, the most vindictive ene-'r'-v my of Bismarck the territory, if thia be true it is a question of little concern to'' the balance of the territory except as a political spectacle upon which dulnter- I ested people may look with curiosity, and with interest only so far as the conten tion between Yankton and Bismarck may probably affect the result of tbe Pierre convention. Yankton and Biamarck have each other by the eara and let e'm fight it out. The balance of the territory may offer a candidate that will be mere satis factory to them both thfcn either one could choose. THE mistaken custom of nwrnlag prop erty at one-third or one-half or aaf for iwn less than its real ami full Vatae is one that the Alert has frequently sllmtrt to and shown to be bad policy without a single redeeming feature. It cannot help but result in a gross inequality of assess ment for one to assess at a third inntbir at a half and so on all tbe vay frem a mere nominal to tbe full value. Te show how this plan works we will cite a few samples from tbe assessment returns of the several counties. Down in Mianeba ha county tbe average asse—ed value of horses is #22.65, and la Bea^oa couty it in Beneoa county should be worth fear ia Minnebab* oennty The camat amr ket prion does not make sock a dtfar eace. In Beadle couaty tbe average ae •eased value of mules is $30, while ia Pembina county tbe average ia $140. Is there any reason why a mule in Pembina county ia worth nearly five mules in Bea dle county 1 In McPherson county tbe assessed value of a hog is 90 cents while in McLean tbe hog ia aaaamed at $8. The same ridiculous difference is shown in the assessment of cattle and sheep. The disparity in the assessment of laad is not so great but it is had enough there to be ridiculous upon the face. It is tow the board of equalization reducee aad afld* to uatil they reatore tbe equality so far as they can by guessing, but not to lacreaae or diminish the aggregate aasooat, aad then it goes on the record and into the statistics as the wealth of the territory and we are not permitted to discredit our own witnesses but must let it so stand without dispute. The statistics of 1IM will show the wealth of Dakota to bo about eighty milhOM when any one who takes into consideration the manner of nesta* ptopsrty ksows^t ahARfejl he at least two hundred millions. Tbe territo ry is thereby made te show at a disadvan tage in financial standing before tbe world. But this is not the worst feature. It makes our taxes appear high. We wonld not be required to pay a cent more tax with a valuation of two hundred mil lions than with an assessment of eighty millions. Suppose, for example, that tbe territory required an aggregate tax of $2,400,000. That would be just three per cent upon our assessed valuation. The investor would cry "your taxes are too high, there is three per cent off the profits oc an investment in taxes." Now sup pose the property Had been assessed at its real value, two hundred millions, the sg gregate tax required would still he the same, $2,400,000, but the rate would only be one and two-tenths per cent. It is a mistaken idea some people have that by assessing property low tbey will have less taxes to pay. The next legislature ought to take this matter in hand and nip this thing in the bud. There is just as much and good reason for assessing property at double its value as half, and either or any rate other than the real value is a decep tion an 1 a fraud upon tbe statistics of the country, it gives the lie to the otherwise well established claims of tbe press and board of trade circulars sent out showing the wealth and development of our terri tory. Unpopular '^Special Agents." Among the most unpopular people in Dakota are the special agents who try to earn their pay in hunting up crookednees in land claims. The Centerville Index says of tbe operations of one of these: "A special agent of the government named Jaycox, has been endeavoring for past to collect evidence showing the fraud ulent character of final proofs of certain land claims in the Aberdeen, Dakota land district. Two of the casee came up for a hearing last Thursday. Tbe agent took the stand, as no other witness appeared. He said that his witnesses had been in timidated by threats. The defense put but one questions to him, viz: if he could swear that the house which he found ea the claim recently was the house which was on on the claim two years ago, at tbe time of making final proof which quae tion he answered in the negative. The register and receiver found for tbe claim ant. This agent seems to be trying to make capital for himself out of these ca ses. They were proved up on aad the register and receiver bad accepted the proof. If the agent is trying to ferret out fraud, the time for bun to to get hie work is before final proof haa boon made. If there ia any caae, ho can got witnesses at that time." .» W