FORUM
OFFICIAL PAPER)
i
FORUM PUBLISHING COMPANY
James B. Wingate, Editor and Manager
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 1905.
For the past two months the Forum
has devoted considerable space to des
cribing some of the minor illegal acts of
the Federal officials of the Third judi
cial division. This publicity was deem
ed necessary on account of Judge W. A.
Day's action, last summer, in refusing
to grant the residents of Rampart, a
•• chance to personally interview the com
mittee sent by the president to inves
tigate the merits of' the charges filed -
against federal officials of Alaska.
Those,who are not familiar with the
public rations of our officials, are entit
led to receive some enlightenment when
charges of corruption and incompetency
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are filed against such officials. ' If the
numerous instances, as heretofore men
tioned in the columns of the Forum,
which emanate from this section, are
not of sufficient specific nature; we will
condense them in the following form,
and explain them more throughly—if
so desired.^'
judge wickersham is charged with
“improprieties of office” in the abuse
of administrative executive functions;
illegal and unjust judicial actions; ille
gal and unjust executive actions.
COMMISSIONER J. LINDLEY GREEN is
charged with “improprieties of office;”
incompetent to administer the functions
of Justice of the Peace; illegal and un
just judicial actions; incompetent to ad
minister the fnnctions of Recorder; il
legal and unjust executive actions;- in
competent to administer the functions
of Probate judge.
DEPUTY MARSHAL GEORGE DREIBELBIS
is charged with ‘ ‘improprieties of office’ ’
illegal and unjust executive actions; il
legal and unjust speculations at the ex
pense of the government: intimidation
of jurors; intimidation of witnesses;
violating statutory provisions. ■
1
The above charges would have been
throughly defined, and sufficiently prov
en beyond a reasonable doubt, had Day
remained a few hours at Rampart last
summer. There was no other place in
the division, at that time, where the
evidence of guilt against these officials
was so concentrated as it was at Ram
part. The accused officials well knew
the existance of this evidence, at the
time this ‘ ‘investigator’ ’ was tourir g
down the Yukon; and, ftrange to say,
judge Day “visited all points in Alaska
thereby giving the residents ample i
time to interview him. ’ ’ Day refused
to hear any one in Rampart, and was
barely ten minutes ashore. If Day was
carrying on a fair and impartial inves
tigation, Rampart was the very place
he should have devoted a few hours of
his valuable and unlimited time. He
cannot say our people would not come
before him with their grievances, for
he was notified, personally, upon his j
steamers’ arrival, that they were ready
and anxious to give his committee im
portant testimony.
No doubt Judge Day is fully compet
ent to manage an investigation of such j
a nature, but his actions on the Yukon !
does not tend towards exculpating him,
in the eyes of the people, from the ac
cusation of resorting to unfair manipu
lations, on a preconcerted proceedure.
Judge Day’s final report to the presi
dent, with reference to the judiciary of
this division, is fully in accord with his
actions on the Yukon: but not in har
mony with the actual facts as they are
known to exist in this section, and it is
on exactly the same line of injustice as
the people have been receiving from
the Wickersham administration. It is
not justice to brand the peoples charg
es as false, without giving them a fair
and impartial hearing. Such unfair
treatment has called forth the present
publicity, and the blame must rest on
the guilty. The Forum stands ready
to back up every' statement it has made
in this matter with actual proofs. Our
people. asked. for, and expected only
fair treatment; but as they were entire
ly ignored in the investigation, still
claim the right to demand, from the
National administration, recognition of
the above charges.
The Forum has taken no unfair ad
* i
vantage in its statements of actual
facts. They are all matters of record,
and are of vast importance to the gen
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eral public. If they are not true we
stand for correction; and if true de
mand justice in the name of law-res
pecting citizens. We would not criti
cize Judge Day’s actions as a public
official in the discharge of his duties,
were they not, under the circumstances
subject to public criticism. It is not
done for the purpose of attempting to
interfere with his final action, on the
contrary, comment was withheld until
after his report to the president. We
know that, acting in the capacity of
‘•special investigator,” Judge Day did
shame! uliy neglect, and refused, to In
vestigate the moot expensive and im
portant court center on the Yuki n.
The reasons for this neglect of duty is
up to Judge Day for. explanation. If
he is unjustly criticized, it should be
made known, so that the blame can
rest where it properly belongs. This
is a matter which involves the rights
of the people, and they should not be
kept in ignorance of the true status.
Comparison of the presidential elec
toral vote of the four greatest political
campaigns, since 1872, reveals some in
teresting figures. They were as fol
lows :
In 1872 the electoral vote was: Grant
292; Greeley (and other Democrats) 74;
Grant’s plurality, 218.
In 1892 it was: Cleveland, 277; Har
rison, 145: Weaver, Pop.. 22; Cleve
land’s plurality, 132.
In 1896 it was: McKinley, 271; Bryan
176; McKinley’s plurality, 95.
In 1904: Roosevelt, 343; Parker, 133;
Roosevelt’s plurality, 210.
The flower of civilization is the finish
ed man, the man of sense, of grace, of
accomplishment, of social power—the
gentleman. — Emerson.
* 7 y . _ *