Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, February 17, 1909, Page 1

as | oa Rg Vor. XVI.—No. 35 Granp Rapips, Irasca County, MINN., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1909. ‘ HISTORICAL. MINNESOTA | SOCIETY. | ¢ Two Dollars a Year. GREAT NORTHERN TO GRAND RAPIDS Positive Assurance That Trains Will Be Running Over East and West Line by July. TOCONNEGT MESABA RANGE TOWNS Now Securing Right-of-Way Between Coleraine and Main Line at a Point East of Prairie River Bridge. There no longer remains any doubt that the Great Northern Railway company will immediately begin active operations an the construc- tion work of the line that will direct- ly connect Grand Rapids and Cole- raine, Bovey, Calumet, Marble, Nash- wauk, Hibbing, Virginia» and the other range towns on both the east and west Messaba ranges. Represen- tatives of the Great Northern are now busy securing the right-of-way and as soon as this preliminary bas been disposed of the work of con- struction will begin. Steam shovels are now at Swan River ready for use on this end of the line. The survey that bas been decided upon and for which right-of-way is being secured, takes a northwesterly course from Coleraine fora distance of about four miles to within a short distance of Prairie river, ‘thence south tothe main line on the east side of the river to the set of the net of section 26, town 55, range 26, where the connection of the two lines is made. Possitive assurances have been given by Great Northern men who are in a position to know where- of they. speak, that it is planned to have the connection between Grand Radips andthe other range towns completed by the first of July next, and a regular train service estab- hshed. The distance from Grand Rapids to the point where the range branch and the main line connect is about three miles. A “Y” will be used torun trains into this town, while the ore traffic will be carried directly to the docks at Duluth and Superior. The building of this will give the Great Northern largely in- creased rail facilities for the trans- portation of ore from this end of the range. Inits issue of Monday last the Duluth News Tribune had the following: “By Aug. 1 next, the Great Northern will be running trains east and west between Grand Rapids and Virginia. The road will connect its western Mesaba line with the main line three miles east of jrane Rapids. The railroad company has not been able to find a satis- factory crossing of the Prairie river inorder to make a line direct into Grand Rapids. The proposed new schedule will include Coleraine, Nashwauk, Hibbing and Chisholm between Virginia and Grand Rapids. This arrangement will be possible with the completion of the western extension to the main line at the point described, which will be about July 1. Another month is allowed for ballasting and putting trains in commission. The Great Northern will, by running trains east and west between Virginia and Grand Rapids, do a great public service in the matter of establishing communica- tion between many range towns.” The Postoffice in Bnsiness. The postoffice department at Wash- ington is hustling for business in the envelope line. The department evi- deatly beleives in advertising, as we are in receipt of a circular letter in which the quality ofthe goods are highly spoken of and a bid for the business made. The government is sure scabbing on prices. The depart- ment furnishes envelopes, with re- turn card of the purchaser printed thereon, at a price that no local dealer can complete with, The Herald-Review buys envelopes in lots of 50,000 and pays a much higher price thanfthe government sells at in lots of 500 or more. A iarge item of the yearly postoffice deficit could no doubt be traced to this branch of the business. It is an easy matter for the grafters to dispose of hundreds of thousandsKof stons of paper at/less than cost aod make good in the “dificit” items. This is a matter that_should be investigated. AN INFAMOUS ATTACK. Twenty-six years ago Joseph H. McMahon was in the full vigor of his early manhood. Strong of body, a splendid specimen of physical propor- tions; tall, erect, broad-shouldered, | active, ambitious and industrious. Nature had been generous with him. He felt the ioy of lifeas only the young and strong can feel and know it. The world seemed bright and the way seemed easy to him then. No ordinary obstacle could arise io his pathway that he did not feel capable of overcoming and casting aside. It is said by a friend who knew him in his boyhood days that he had the strength of a young ox and the agility of a wild cat. In the winter of 1883 he went to work in the woods of Pine county. The breaking of a chain binding a load of logs was the accident that left him uncon- sious beneath tbe ponderous pines with many abroken bone. The lower part of his body and legs were mangled as few men have been man- gled and survived. After days and weeks and months and years of awful agony he wasable to move about again with the assistance uf crutch and cane, since which time he has managed to secure such light em- ployment as he is able to perform and maintain, himself without being a burden to any one. He would scorn proffered alms, and no man living can say that Joe McMahon ever begged for aid. But the terrible accident which befel him just ashe had grown to man’s estate, leaving him for life a physical wreck, deprived of the Splendid vigor he had known, must indeed have darkened and made sad the slow days that have have since dragged by. With it all, however, he has appeared cheerful and hopeful and thankful that he has been able to make an honest living and pay his honest obligations. He seems to have been sustained by a sublime courage and unfaitering determina- tion to do the best he could and ac- cept the inevitable without com- plaint. He is certainly one who Is entitled to the admiration and re- spect and aid, if needs be, of every eftizén who has within him a spark o: human kindness and sympathy. It is true that because of his sad affliction Joe McMahon holds his present position as clerk of the town- ship of Grand Rapids. What would aman of his natural earning capacity be doing with a position that pays but a mere pittance in addition to the shanty that serves as a home for him? Four years ago he was elected township clerk and he has held the oftice since. If anyone questions his competency or the correctness of his records they are at liberty to ex- amine them at any time. It goes without saying that if Mr. McMahon were not physically incapacitated he would seek more profitable employ- ment. In the last issue of the Indepen- dent that paper makes a most re- morseless and brutal attack upon Mr. McMahon and without any ap- parent cause. What it says and insinuates as to the condition of the township books, is a damnable lie, so far as the Independent editor is con- cerned—a lie fur which he should be publicly horsewhipped. The editor of the Independent has never ex- amined the township books since Mr. McMahon has been acting as clerk, and he has never sent anyone to the office toexamine them for him. He therefore cannot know whether their condition be good or bad. Not being possessed of this knowledge the statement made in the Independent is nothing more or less than a lie by the editor, no matter what condition the books may actually be in. The man who is cap- able of making such a charge against another without knowing whereof he speaks is capable of applying the torch or using-the deadly dagger of the assassin in the dark. He isa menance to society; a villain more dangerous than he who openly assails or assaults. Ihe Independent refers to Mr. McMahon as one “who is little better than a pauper.” That sounds good, coming from such a source, Joe McMahon pays his debts; the editor of the Independent dosen’t pay his debts. Joe McMahon has a little money that is his own, because he earned it; the editor of the Indepen- dent hasn’t adollar that is his own and in order to pay his debts at the present time he would have to go through bankruptcy proceedings. The people of this community, without exception, were shocked, shamed and humiliated when they read the coarse, brutal and heartless attack of the Independent upon Joe McMahon. Good judgment prevail- ed, however, and the unavimous in- dignation that is felt throughout the X | spread. township will not be asserted until { election day. In conclusion the Herald-Review well deposit one hundred dollars !n the First National bank of Grand Rapids, conditioned that the said sum shall be paid to A. L. La- freniere, publisherzof the Indepen- dent, if the said Lafreniere will be- come acandidate for the office of clerk of the township of Grand Rapids against J. H. McMahon at the election to be held march 9, 1909, and the said Lafreniere shall be elected in said contest. Lafreniere need not offer the ex- cuse that he does not want the office: he need not qualify, and the offer will still hold good. This is nota proffered wager. It isa cold hun- dred as a donation to determine Tony’s popularity as compared with that of Joe McMahon. GRADUATES AT THE HEAD OF HER CLASS Miss Rhoda Dinwiddie of Grand Rapids Elected Valedictorian at Carleton College. \ The many Grand Rapids friends and relatives of Miss Rhoda Dinwid- die will be pleased to learn that she is one of the most dlstinquished student that has ever graduated from Carleton college at Northfield. Miss Dinwiddie will graduate next June and she has been selected as valedic- torian of her class, an honor that car-> ries with it the recognized scholar=4 ship of her co-students. Review as received a note from the editor of the Carleton Press Club in which it is advised of the honor cou- ferred upon Miss Dinwiddie, and adds: “To complete one’s college course of | four years iu three years and to. win the scholarship of one’s class besides is a feat few can perform. Miss Diu- widdie’s record is especially good.” The Herald-Review joins the young lady’s Grand Rapids friends in ex- tending congratulations.” COHASSET’S NEW ry "VILLAGE HALL’ Will Be Formally Opened With | a Grand Public Ball on February 19. Remember the date—Friday, Feb- ruary 19, 1909—Friday night of this week. It will be at Cohasset. The occasion will be the formal opening of the new village hall. It will be a dance. All respectable people are officially invited by the official paper of Itasca county and the village of Cohasset. ‘The music will be inspiy- ing because the Grand Rapids orches- tra wil! make it. The supper will be all that skilled chefs and a prodi- gality of expenditure can produce, The banquet will be served at John Nelson’s famous caravansary. The price of admission has been fixed at the very minimum—only $1.50, in- cluding the luxuriant banquet The floor will be in perfect order; the ball islarge, 36x70 feet in dimensions; Henry Carrier's brother says the night will be fine, and Flet- cher says it will be finer. All the good people of Grand Rapids are especially invited to be present, and partake abundantly of that rare hospitality for which the citizens of Cohasset are especially noted. The Coleraine Skee Meet. A large number of our citizens went over to the tournament of the Itasca Skee club held at Coleraine last Saturday. The weather was rather cold or the attendance from here would haye been much larger. There were about 1500 people in at- tendance and while no records were broken every one enjoyed the sports. The first prize went to John Evenson of Duluth, Ole Ferring of Duluth taking. second place. The longest standing jump was made by Oscar Gunderson of Chippewa Falls and was 108 feet. A special prize had been hung up for boys that used ordinary barrel Staves instead of skees. A young son of Mr. and Mrs. Matt Hanson, nine years of age, made the jump three times, sliding the full 8 feet from the top of the scaffold and stood each time. He jumped 75 feet, receiving the cheers of the entire gathering. It was a great surprise to the specta- tors to see the skill and daring d: played bythe amateures who seem to be able to handle themselves as skillfully on a pair of barrel stares as did the professionals on the most ex- pensive skees, ete HNEFEECTIVE PARE The Herala- | DISCUSSING THE COMING CONTEST Some Consideration is Being Given to the Selection of Village and Town Officers. 6000 COUNCILMEN NOT ANXIOUS A. C. Bossard Talked of and Urged + to Accept the Office of President of Village—Present Council Good Enough to Retain. _ There is no apparent excitment anent the forthcoming village and township elections, to be held on March 9. There is plenty time, how- ever, in which to liven up the situa- tion. Nearly three weeks still re- mains before voting day, and Grand Rapids people are in the habit of getting excited before the time arrives to start something. This community has passed beyond its puppy days and there prevails almost a unanimity of opinion as to the manner io which public business -shou!d be conducted and the class of ‘men that are best qualified to con- duct it. There is prevalent agenera] opinion among the voters of Grand Rapids that Mr. A. C. Bossard would make au excellent presiding officer of the municipality. Most everybody is agreed to this except Mr. Bossard himself. He is a very busy business man and feels that he cannot afford to do the position justice. Unless he protests too much, however, he will be nominated and elected. lenry Hughes and Keo Leroux, present members of the council, would be excellent men to retain. They have both had considerable ex- perience and their past publicservices haye been eminently satisfactory. For the third member of the council Will Nisbett is most talked of. He has been urged many times in the past to accept a position on the council, but bas persistently refused. No better man could be named as a member of the council. It is generally conceeded that H. E. Graffam will be the next yillage re- ecorder, He is eminently qualified both for the clerical work involved and as a voting member of the council. He is the owner of considerable vil- lage property; all his interests are bere, and the public interests of the village are his ioterests. It is pro- bable that Mr. Graffam’s only op- position will be Jake Gole. Jake is one of those fellows who imagines he plays a good game of politics. Now he is saying that he cannot afford to sacrifice his personal business in the service of the public. His scheme is to get as many into the game as pos- sible with the hope that he might come out later and sneak in on the side. Holding the office of re- corder in Grand Rapids was the big- gest business Jake ever handled. There’s where he got his start in life. But Jake is pretty well known in this good town. He won’t fool anybody. The Independent tries to cast re- flections on Mr. Graffam by falsely stating that he was defeated in the caucus two years ago. Mr. Graffam had served about a year and a half and refused to be a candidate for re- election in the spring of.1907. Ou March 9, 1907, the Herald-Review said: ‘‘The present members of the council are not candidates for re- election.” On March 2 of that year the Herald-Review announced: ‘Re- corder Graffam says he does not de- sire a re-election.” There is no talk of any opposition to John H. McMahon for the office of village treasurer. He has served two terms in that capacity and his ef- ciency and reliability is well known. He is the kind of a public official that the public is very apt to retain to look after the cash box. In the township there is to be elected one supervisor, clerk, treasur- er and assessor. Mr. Hachey, whose term expires as supervisor, says he will not accept another term. John G. Fraser of Laprairie would make an excellent member of the town board. He should be elected, if he will con- sent torun. For the office of town clerk the candidates will probably be J. H. McMahon, the present in- cumbent, and A. L Lafreniere. For could be made in the whole township than the present efficient care-taker of the exchequer, James Connell. There are already three avowed candidates for the office of assessor, viz: P. C. Warner, R.gW. Heideman and Jobn H. Whipple. DENOUNCES COMMERCIAL CLUB And now rises up the great ‘“‘tax- paying’ Independent to denounce the Commercial club of Grand Rapids. There is a bill before the state legislature to increase the com- pensation of county commissioners. Senator D. M. Gunn, representing this district in the state legislature, desired to ascertain the views of his constituents on the subject. No better means could be employed than to submit the proposition to the sever- al Commercial clubs of the county. This method of securing a public ex- pression on the propusition must be conceded to have been the best that could be devised. It was not’ an at- tempt to dothings inthedark. It was open and above board. By re- quest Senator McCarthy explained the measure to the club, when nearly one hundred members were: present. The matter was freely discussed. It was decided by almost a unanimous vote that the present compensation was inadequote and an increase to eight hundred dollars per annum was recommended. The Cohasset Com- mercial club recommended an in- crease to twelve hundred dollars per- annum. The attempt made by the Independent to create the impres- sion that a ‘great graft” was being worked falls flatin the light of the facts. «Timid Tony was present at the meeting. Why did he not raise his eloquent voice in opposition to the proposed bill? He sat there like a frightened toad, and waited to ex- press ‘himself: through the weakly slanderer. The statement that the commissioners served the county but twenty-four days during the past year dees not by any means represent the time devoted to public duties, A majority of their time is devoted to public affairs in a semi-official capaci- ty of which no record is made. We will venture to assert that there is: not a member of the Lvard whose expenses, incident to their office, is not yearly a greater sum than is paid then by the connty. But it 1s useless to discuss public questions with a character of the Independent guy’s calibre. COHASSETHASA _ COMMERCIAL CLUB Grand Rapids’ Progressive Wes- tern Neighbor Is Keeping Up With the Times. There is no small town on the Great Northern line between Duluth and Grand Rapids that is made up of a better or more enterprising class of citizens than is Cohasset. The people of that village are not of the hot air class, but they do things in a way that has brought permanent and beneficient results. They haye a natural location for a manufacturing point and the business menof the town know it. They have succeeded in securing some god mills and are looking for others. In order to ad- vance their material interests a Com- mercial club was recently organied with the following officers: J. M. OLD SETTLERS FOURTH ANNUAL Social Event at Village Hall Last Friday Night a Decided Success. OVER EIGHTY TICKETS WERE SOLD Cold Weather Had No Terrors For the Early Settlers of Itasca County Who Turned Out in Large Numbers. The fourth annual party given by the Old Settlers association took place last Fnday night and was, like all of its predeeessors, a most decided success. When the grand march was called at nine o’clock there were seventy-five couples present and several couple came in later filling the hall almost to the uncomfortable point, A happier, jollier lot of people never gathered together in Grand Rapids. Fun fast and furious prevailed from the first number on the program un- til “Dan Tucker” reminded the dancers that it was almost three a, m. and high time that they take a hike for home. It was a cold night, but clear and without wind so that very few were kept from attending on that account, Roecker’s orchestra. rendered most delightful music and while they were eating supper the Wheaton Brothers kept the ball rolling, furnishing music on their violins. There were several parties present from outside towns, there being six or seven from Deer River, quite a num- ber from Cohasset and a few from Bovey. These annual gatherings have mucli to-do in fostering a friendly, brotherly feelag among our older and leading citizens and they should be kept up and the scope of the society broad- ened making the organization a per- manent one and one that will bring much good to the community. A summer meeting should be held, a program of entertainments arranged; including addresses, music and the like followed with sports and pas- times. With a very httle work on the part ofa good live committéé this could be brought about and in this way the old settlers would be brought together twice each year and the bond of friendship now existing would be greatly strengthened. Talk it over and see if this does not jmeet with approval by the eighty odd members that now form the associa- tion, WINTER IS IDEAL FOR THE LOGGERS Just Enough Snow and Sufficient Cold to Freeze Swamps and Lakes—Labor Plentiful. Logging operations in the northwest are now at high tide, and the condi- tions are ideal. The output of logs this winter will be about double that of last winter, and about 80 percent Stackhouse, president; Dr. M. M. Hursh, secretary; Owen Skeely, treasurer; D. A. Dunn, John Skeely, E. L. Buck, Morris O’Brien and W. W. Fletcher, executive committee. The organization started out with about forty members. A Laborious Trial. Judge Cant was pleased to be able to return to his home in Duluth last Saturday. The week before he re- mained in Grand Rapids over Sunday to avoid the loss of time in the hearing of the contest case for the office of sheriff of Itasca county. By consent of both parties to the controversy court was held on the 12th, Lincoln’s birthday, notwithstanding it was a legal holiday. The hearing of this case has probably been one of the most laborious experiences on the bench that Judge Cant has ever had. He has called court to order nearly every morning at 8 o’cloch and held late sessions every night during the two months’ trial. The whole com- munity will draw a sigh of relief when the decision has finally been rendered. About ten couples of young people went to Colerain. last Friday night to attend the Skee dance. They report the party as having been a very swell ‘town treasurer no better selection affair and well attended, © of the cut two winters ago. The lumbermen look for a large de- mand for their product before the end of the year, but the tariff tinkers are at work in Washington and the de- mand may not become very general until after they are done, says the Duluth News ‘Tribune. It is assumed, of course, that con- gress is not going to du anything that will injure any American industry, and lumber is one of those thature in the limelight, but there is always a chance that some error may be com- mitted and in the meantime the in- dustry is in something of a waiting attitude. The loggers state that crews are easily maintained this winter. Jobs are not so plentiful that all a man has to do is to hurry to the next camp and get a raise of pay and more kinds of pie than at the old place, as was the case for a few winters up to two years ago, and the men are holding their jobs jealously. There isenough snow and not too much to make log- ging conditions good. The extreme cold of the early part of January froze the swamps and interior lakes so hard that teams can go anywhere with heavy loads. The ice roads are easily kept in excellent condition. The winter is ideal for the logging in- dustry.