Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, September 16, 1899, Page 1

| | bdeded Seeceses: 3& 3: Wednesday Afternoon, Sept. 20, ee ee id id a ad ae +444 Lede a Ee a a A ee tH+ttdetetett +44 = 33 * EEE a ache ea aa * Grand Napids. Vo. VIII.—No. 7. PE re Granp Rapips, Itasca County, MINN., Saturpay, SEPTEMBER 16, 1899. F Elobs We will take pleasure in showing the ladies of Grand Rapids our new goods which are now ready for inspection. New Iceas in Dress Goods and Patterns, New Designs in Silks and Silk Waist Patterns, the Latest Styles in Golf Capes. Ladies,’ Children’s and Misses Coats, Children’s Tams and Caps, Misses’ Hats. ITASCA MERCANTILE CO. Seassesesee Hebb iet ebb tebhe tbe bp dep bie biebh er * em ae ‘ r+ : id ei a 74 73 i eer ee ee neers reemeercncnerroweeromenesnine FL ddph hdddeb dh ddddbdeedededokdedehdeded cen seesceeecouacs i EE A eae ea eee ea ea GRAND Shed ad sal ed ad SR AEA He ae AE el He ae HE a aN ae He ae vs ae ape ae ae aE a ANE a SE ae ae EAH EEE AE ARES Ene ae ae ate ah a ea at ae ae a ae ae ae ae ae ate ae ae ate ae ate ate at ae a ae ae ate ae ate at i pape ander Se kd Ee kkk dk dada Mikcohiced i: 08 He He He ae ae a ae aE HE: PRE Ae A Ae ae ae ae a a a ae aE ate ae ae ae eae a BE BIE eo aR a a ae aE a EE Hardwi e, B Price “cheap truck and we satis ou “Best Goods ” - We don’t our It will take lots of, blowing For competitors to convince ube people of Grand Rapids that Power’s store is not the must economical place to buy sles, Farm Im- plementy, Paints, Glass, ete. Our reputation is founded and Fair run to > because cheap truck don’t give satisfaction, customers or give their mouey back. You can’t make when you trade here. a mistake ) W. J. & H. D.. POWERS and they know it. Opposite Hotel Pokegama, Speaking of Groceries Prompts us to remark that if you want the VERY BEST you will have to go to thestore of J.D. Powers for it. Others may insist that their stock is larger— and perhaps it is—but itis not. as good, In staple groceries he can meet all requirements, while his Teas, Coffees, Butter, Cheese, Pickles, Canned Goods and spices are absolutely the best that can be procurred in town. Powers’ coffees are particularly famous, he having a larger trade in this com- modity than any other grocer in the village. His stock of cigars, tobaccos and smokers’ articies is an-excellent one and he invites you to try them. A Full Line of Gent’s Furnishing Goods. J. D. POWERS. Sao GRAND RAPIDS. SORES RE SRR S ae KERRY ‘UP TO THE GOVERNOR Depositions in the Alleged Bribery Case Now Being Taken. THE QUESTION IS WHO'S WHO? Commissioner Falier, the Complain- ing Witness, Gives Testimony That Injares His Own Official Standing, Special Commissioners L. S. Bayrell of Argyle, and Miss Mary D. McFad- den of St. Paul, appointed by Gov- ernor Lind to take testimony in the case against County Commissioner Charles E. Leeman, charged with at- tempting to exact a bribe, arrived here on Wednesday. At 10:00 o’clock Thursday morning the commission- ers were ready for business in the district court room. The proceed- ings during the past two days had a very small attendance of spectators, there being present at no time more than twenty persons. W. V. Fuller, who was the complaining witness, evidently did not feel that the prdse- cution wouid be entirely safe in County Attorney Donohue’s hands, and so, at hisown expense, he secured the services of Attorney C. L. Pratt to assist the state, to which Mr. Donohue willingly agreed. Attorney F. F. Price appeared for the defend- ant. The first witnesses called were the clerk of court and county auditor who verified the records showing that Mr. Leeman had been duly elected, and that he qualitied and served as commissioner for district No. 5. Had the case been befure a court it pfob- ably would have been dismissed in- stanter as in. the complaint it was ‘| alleged that the defendant represent- ed district No.4-—-Mr.Fuller’s own dis- trict. Inasmuch, however, as the commisssoners were only empowered tc take depositions objections of this vature could not be considered... But it soon became apparent that Attor- ney. Price, was determined to fight for every pvict of advantage to his ch- ent, and he allowed no opportunity to escape. ‘I'he records will show an ably conducted case for the defend- ant througout. The same is true of the prosecution, An adjournment was taken yesterday afternoon at2 o’clock until 3:45 to allow the attorneys time to appear before Justice Buell of Laprairie and consent to a change of venue in the Holman-'Tyndall mix- up. At that hour only four witnesses had been examined—F. A. King, E. J. Farrell and W. A. Everton. Mr. King was the first witness called by the state. His testimony related to a conversation had with Mr. Leeman in which the latter ask dif witness was on friendly terms with Fuller. ‘The defendant stated to witness that if Fuller wanted to get that two thousand dollar appropriation passed he had better see him (Leeman) and agree togrant him a favor that be wanted. Leeman asked King to talk to Fuller. Cross examination made no change. ‘The complaining witness, Mr. Fuller, was next called to the stand. His direct testimony related the story of- how Leeman solicited a bribe of one hundred dollars frow him in return for which the defend- ant was to withdraw his opposition to a certain resolution before the board of county commissioners,appro- priating $2,000 of county funds of which W. V. Fuller & Co. were to be the beneficiaries... He told the sub- stance of a converaation which took place in the corridor of the court house and in the vault of the audit- or’s office between himself and Lee- man. Mr. Fuller said that Leeman asked him pointedly for $100, and threatened that unless that sum was forthcoming the two voousand dellar deal could not go through. While the two were in the vault Commis- sioner Everton came in and Fuller made known to him the oppusition that his resolution had met with. Auditor Farrell stepped into the vault and he, too, Wis made acquaint- ed wite the situation. On cross-ex- amination by Mr. Price the witness was putin a rather uncomfortable position as to his own official future ‘The defense started in with the now notorious two thousand dollar job, and firmly established the fact with Fuller’s own evidence that the ap- propriation of $2,000 of county funds was calculated to be given directly to W. V. Fuller & Co. as a bonus toes- tablish a hub and spoke factory in the village of Grand Rapids; that the preamble to said resolution was only a subterfuge to evade the law, and to Two Do.uars a YEAR» throw dust in the eyes of the uniniti- ated “in ways that are dark and tricks that are vain.” The witness Swore positively that be did not say to Leeman that before he could prom- ise the hundred dollars he would have to consult his parter. Commissioner Everton and Auditor Farrell swore Positively that Faller did make such statement. Mr. Farrell testified to having entered the vault and be- ing told by Fuller that Leeman was Opposed to the resglution and wanted oue hundred dollars for his favorable vote. Farrell thereupou said: “ You’r getting pretty strong with the graft, arn’t you, Charley ?” to which Lee- man made no reply. Wituess also heard Fuller say that he would have to see his partner, etc. Everton testified substantially the “same but added that Leeman had evidently been drinking and he regarded the whole matter as a joke and attached ho: importance to it whateyer, Oo Cross-examination by defendanv’s at- torney, Mr. Everton was shown the the two resolutions— original and amended—relating to the proposed appropriation. In one the preamble related that $2,000 was to be used for the purpose of “‘advertising the won- derful resourcess of Itasca county,” and the other contained in addition to advertising the words ‘and the establishment of mauufacturing en- terprises therein.” ‘Lhe witness swore that he voted for the first, which is valid—the last being illegal. He insisted that the change did not appear in the resolution which he presented. As we go to press the defense has yet to call its most important wit- nesses. Up to adjournment last evening four citizens had been called to testify as to the good character of defendant, viz: H. E. Graffam, W. B. Holman, A. E. Wilder aud A. B. Clair, who also testified as to a conversation held with Fuller on July 27th, relating to a bill that Mr. Clair had before the commissioners. In the course of this conversation Mr. Fuller stated, according to the witness, that he had heretofore voted against said bill because Clair had been obnoxiously active in opposing Fuller’s wishes in the matter of the edunty ‘printing last January, but now he he would vote for its allow- ance, etc. Mr. Clair said he felt at the time and stil! believed that Ful- ler was only trying to fix all possible opposition to his own resolution— (witness referred to it as a steal.) "Today the defense will close the depositions with some pretty strong evidence in Leeman’s behalf that perhaps may surprise the prosecution. The end is not yet. LOOKING VERY BRIGHT. We are Liable to Have Manufactories, Mills and More Stores Soon. That something has of late hap- pened to the people of this town that has set. them to thinking and conse- quently to acting, is very evident. That the attention of people in other parts of the country has been called to the excellent opportunities offered here is also certain. Grand Rapids is going to see some decided changes before this time next year. In. the first place, that hub and spoke fac- tory is now almost an assured fact. The promotors of this . enterprise, Messrs. Fuller & Decker, expect to have all the preliminary arrange- ments made next week and a com- pany incorporated with a capital of $30,000. The plant will not be con- fined to the manufacture of hubs aod spokes alone but wil! gradually broaden out until an entire wooden- ware factory is running here full blast. This means much to the peo- ple of the county and village and everyone hopes that the venture will prove a success. This is not all, however. Post- master Stilson has received letters from a party at Hutchinson, Minn., who wants to come here and put in a fiour mill. Of course, whether or not this is done will depend very greatly upon what becomes.of that dam pro- ject. It is oped and believed thav the dam will be built, and if this is done we would haye no trouble in securing any kind of a plant that could find raw material in the neigh- borhood. Mr. Stilson also has a letter from a man at Sharpsburg, Ill., inquiring as to the inducements for locating a large general store here. Although there would seem to be enough of these at, the present moment to sup- ply all wants, more. would naturally come in as the town developed. These parties want to come, and it they do’ not it will be because the town does not hold forth inducements enough to bring theim here. cuted EXPERIMENT STATION Not What the Farmers and People Generally Expected It Would Be. RESULT OF WORK NOT KNOWN The Dissemination of Information Re- garding the Result of Experi- ments is Not Made in Effecti.al Manner, It has long been apparent that the the .people of northern Minnesota, andespecially the farmers, are by no means pleased with the manner in which the state agricultural experi- ment station at Grand Rapids is con- ducted. Where the fault lies the Herald-Review is not prepared to’say, but it is evident enough that farming in this region has been very little be- ne fited so far through} the operation of the station. It would be unjust to criticise those in charge of the work locally, so it must be brought to the regents directly for the desired reme- dy Itasca county was to no small ex- pense in securing the location of the farm at Grand Rapids and our enter- prising citizens felt justified in warmly congratulating themselves upon their successful efforts. It was understood and believed that large numbers of pamphlets would regular- ly be issued and widely distributed settling forth the result of each sea- son’s experiments, and also that the newspapers of the district cal- to be benefited would be furnished with facts of interest and value to the farmers. These things have not been done. The Herald-Review has made many efforts to secure such information as would aid the farmers, but with very little success. Those who are in charge of the station may have ac- cumulated a vast knowledge of the agricultural possibilities of northern Minnesota, but if they have it bas been kept a profound secret up to this writing, except a small amount that has leaked out accidentally. The counties surrounding Itasca are as much entitled to all benefits to be derived from the state farm as is Itasca. It is not a township or coun- ty institution, but was calculated vo benetit the whole of northern Minne- sota. This can only be accomplished through liberal and judicious adver- tising at regular intervals, the result ef experiments in everything that our svil produces. Particular care should be taken to furnish the coun- try newspapers of this region with reports from the station, thus giving every farmer a chance to kuow what is most productive on the differ- ent soils as determined by careful comparison. It is argued also that the management of the station should make known to the farmeis of the several counties what they have found to be most desirable in cereals, vegetables and fruits, and the lands upon which they thrive best. Then they should parcel out as nearly -equal as possible the desir- able seeds and plants that may may be spared, at a nominal cost, to farmers who make application for the same. Iu this way the money expended by the state in maintaining the Institu- tion would be a most profitable in- vestment of public funds. Three thousand five hundred dollars a year was appropriated by the last legisla- ture for the Grand Rapids station, ‘That sum should be sufficient to run quite a farm in any country without dependiag on the produce therefrom to pay expenses. Many citizens also object to: the idea of the state farm coming into the market and com- peting with or underselling the farm- ers of the community. Of course, it could not well be argued that the hay, grain and vegetables produced on the state ‘farms should be allowed to rot on the premises but it is pointed out that po more shou'd be grown than is needed for consumption on the place, and tbat all else in excess should be distributed for seeding purposes only, at a reasonable price. During the past two years the station here bas been conducted along the same lines as any farmer operates— for the dollars and cents teat will be gathered in when the harvest is marketed. James Costello returned from a little trip in the Sphthand district where he went to murder ducks and the like. He didn’t get the ducks, etc., but he got sight of a frost that killed all vegetation in that neighbor- hood. THE FAIR PREMIUMS. The List is Practically the Same as Last ~ Year Except the Races. The premium list for the eighth annual fair of the Itasca County Agri- cultural association is about ready for distribution. Most of the prizes remain unchanged and will be about the same as in former years. The purses for the races, however, have been increased. In the trotting race the first prize will be $25.00; the se- cond, $15.00, aud the third $10.00, so that even a man owning a horse that he only thinks can trot is sure to win something. The pony running prize has been increased to $5.00 and $3.00 tor first and second respectively, and the same has been done in the horse running race. The officers of the association in- form us that they will devote con- siderable attention to the track, and that they expect to have it in better condition this fall than it has ever been before. It is not in bad shape now, and. very little repairing will have to be done. Everyone owning a horse that can travel a mile in less than two weeks should trot it out as there is always a great deal of inter- est taken in these events. The best horse flesh in the vicinity has never been seen on the track because the money to be gotten out of a race was not enough to pay for the trouble of getting an animal into even com- parative condition. The prices this year are not. large, but they are double what they have been hereto- fore and we look to see twice as many entries and twice as much interest. CONCERNING VACCINATION. The Sweeping Order of the State Board of Health Doesn't Go. A short’ time agu County Superin- tendent of Schools Mrs. Stilson, re- ceived notice from the state board of health informing her that children, before being allowed to enter school, would have to show a cortificate of vaccination or evidences of having been vaccinated within the seven year limit during which an inocula- tion is supposed to prevent smallpox. The notice stated that this dreaded disease was prevalent all over the country and that as cold weather came on extraordinary precautions would have to be taken in order to prevent its spreading. The order created considerable attention all over the state, some people thinking that it was a move in the right direc- tion and others claiming that it was sheer nonsence. Here in Grand Rap- ids the last-named element were easily in the majority and from what we can. hear. other localities felt about the.same way. The matter was brought befure Attorney General Douglass, who ruled that the order was made without authority of law and consequently. was invalid. The law as it now stands provides that children. cannot be excluded from school unless a general epidemic is threatened and then only if vaccina- tion or other preventative is not ap- plied. 1t is within the province of the school board to exclude children from school in case of danger from infection, or exclude those residing in an infected district until such time as in their judgment it is safe to let them return. This ruling of the at- torney general will be popular here at least, as many people think that the wholesale vaccination of children without regard to their physical con- dition at the time of inoculation might prove a very dangerous pro- ceeding. Odd Fellows Building Commenced. On Monday morning 4 crew of men in charge of Contractor John Hofer commenced the erection of the new Odd Fellows building on the corner of Leland avenue and Second street. The ‘foundation, which is of stone, was put in a number of years ago, but the work was at that time abandoned for want of funds. The foundation is as gocd today, however, as it was the day it was left, so nothing is lost. The building will be of wood, 80x50 feet and two stories high. It is ex- pected that two months will be oc- cupied in completing it, as cunsider- able trouble is experienced in procuring men, The building will cost about three thousand dollars. A twelve-foot walk is being built on the west side of Leland avenue, This is an improvement that was badly needed as the old_ walk, besides being rotten, was very uneven, and a person was hable to get a fall most any time. In front of the places that have this year been improved new sidewalk had been built, and this was higher than the old, making the whole street look. hke blazes. 2 / ag A ts ts eee