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About Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1909)
COSTER * - COUNTY XXVIII BROKEN BOW , OUSTER COUNTY NEBRASKA , THURSDAY , AUGUST 12 , 1909 NO. 10 JUDGE A. R. HUMPHREY ADMITS CHARGES MADE AGAINST HIM. Declares That He is Willing To Stand on Mis Record. Says Railroads Were Satisfied with All His Decisions In Railway Cases. Judge Humphrey and his Re publican n c tj'par tisau-Populist- non-partisau tiery-near-Republi- can anything to-get-the-legals organ , on the auuihwest corner of the square , have up to this week failed to come out with any definite statements and have been beating about the bush throwing mud all of the time , so that I aui glad to give space to the communication below from Judge Humphrey. August 9 , 1909. To the Readers of the RKPUBU I CAN : 5 * It may be that I am emulat ing the example of Balaam , as the famous story is recorded in the Bible , in. talking back , but some stiteuieKls recently made in the KKPOJJUCAN seem to need a reply. The RKPUBUCAN says it has made certain charges against me and that "my friends admit them. " I want it understood that I do my own admitting and denjing. It is quite possible that C. W. Beal , of the Beacon , / < 'id R. G. Moore , chairman of ' . ' he Democratic county committee - - tee , will admit anything the RK- FUUUCAN may say to help along a Republican row , but I do not wish to be bound by their admis. sious. The same charges made against me now by the RKPUU- UCAN were worn thread-bare 15 years ago by the Beacon. A Republican convention was never I" held in the county but that the Beacon said it was dominated and run by the railroads ; and every fighting Republican in If the county was branded as a rail road helper of some kind. No one thought it worth while to deny or answer such stuff coin ing from the source it did , and many will think this reply is useless. I am about of that opinion myself. The KKPUUUCAN says that I have been a railroad attorney. I have. When I was I carried transportation. But since I have been county judge I have had no connection with the rail roads in any way. It also says that I assist now in the selection of juries in railroad cases. This is not true. C. L. Gutterson is * - attorney for the railroad now and he needs no assistance. Lawyers here , and from all over the state , when here , trying cases to juries frequently ask me and others concerning men who are drawn upon the regular panel. I answer them. So does every other lawyer and person of whom they make inquiry. It isn't confined to the members of the bar by any means. * * * While I have been county c It judge I have tried nine railroad I'- cases. In each case I have en tered judgment against the com pany. All appeals taken from such judgments have been by the railroads. And in no case that I have tried has the rail roads tried their case in the dis trict court. The company has paid the judgment and costs without trial in the district court. The case of C. T Orr vs the B. & M. is a case in point. * ' 'Mr. Orr sued the company for 8365.00. After a hard trial I en tered judgment in his favor and against the company for $332.00. The company appealed and then paid the costs and satisfied the judgment without further trial. The RKPUBUCAN talks of rail roads in politics. Long before the present management of the RKPUBUCAN began the railroads ceased to be a factor in politics in this county. Ask D. M. Ams- berry , for twenty years editor of the RKPUBUCAN. He knows. And I am willing to be bound by what he says. When the Myers boys were attending the Univer sity and coming home to vote on free transportation the railroads might have had something to say in politics. But the rail roads graduated from politics in this county about the time the boys did from the University. Since that time the Republicans of Custer county have run their own politics. And they are not looking for a boss now. The RKPUBUCAN insinuates that I opposed county option in tlie county convention. I did not. I wrote the resolutions of fered by the committee on reso lutions and at the request ofthe | reporter furnished him a copy for the state papers. I had no copy of the resolution offered by Mr. Gadd for county option and made no attempt to get one. I am not in the news-gathering business. If the editor of the RKPUBUCAN thought it was of such importance why didn't he attend to it That's his business. It is true I attended the Old Settler's picnic at Merna. I caused no inconvenience by so doing. I hbmesteaded 22 years ago west of Merna and I wanted to see the old timers there. That's why I went to Merna. The cause of the REPUBLICAN'S noise arises over the legal noti ces that are published from this office in estate matters. Last fall the editor , Mr. Herbert Myers , came to the office and de manded that I publish all the notices from this locality in his paper. I turned down his de mand. If I had published these notices exclusivel } ' in his paper I would be a "good lellow" in the eyes of Herbert today. But I did not and I will not. County option and railroads do not in- lluence him. It takes legal no tices to make him happy. He has been in town six months and he has stood for legal notices ever since he landed here. He is grouchy because he says I do not treat him fair in the matter of legal notices. Since last Sep tember I have published 29 no tices in the RKPUBUCAN ; 19 in the Chief and 1 ii the Beacon. ' this fair ? I Isn't treatment rec ognize the papers of the town and county as factors in the de velopment of our business , com mercial and social interests and have tried to aid each communi ty by sending to it such legal notices as belonged to it. It is noticeable that no other paper in the county has taken up the fight for "reform" that the RKPUBUCAN has started. It may be that the other editors of the county , having spent years at the case , have not yet learned how to run a paper and "pro- gressiveness" smothers them and they do not know it. But "a man from college" can jump into the editorial chair and have things "reformed" in six months. The principal thing to find out is that book-learning don't make sense. It's a good fertil izer , but it must have a base to commence on. But what the reader of this paper is interested in is whether or not the county judge has at tended to the business of his office and brought to its duties a sufficient amount of intelligence to do the work. On that ques tion ask any one who knows and be guided by what you can learn and cast an intelligent ballot and tlio present incumbent will be satisfied. Respectfully. A. R , HUMPHKKV. Judge Humphrey opens hia statement by saying that he doesn't think there is any use in replying. No , there isn't Gus , unless you can deny the charges made against you and your state ment shows that you arc unable to do that. I am glad to have you admit that you have been a railroad at torney and that you have carried free passes. You deny that you have as sisted the Burlington railroad at torneys in the trial of their cases in the district court and then in the next sentence you admit that you have. You say that attorneys ask you questions concerning the jurors and that you answer them. The result of the trial of a railroad case de pends in a large measure upon the jury. Doesn't advice as to what men will make the best jurors for the railroad constitute assistance in the selection of the jury. Your statement is a frank admission of the charge that you do assist in the selection of the jurors. There is another t'hi.ig , too , Gus that always puzzles me a little. When you go into the district court room and get your head up ne'xt to that of Attorney Bishop and whisper in his ear and he whispers in your ear , what are you doing ? Are you there using your influence with Attorney Bishop for the railroad company to try and see that he doesn't take any advantage of your constituent whose interest is at stake , or are you just an swering bis questions as to what is the best course to pursue in the trial in order to defeat a res ident of this county ? You say , Gus , that you have tried nine railroad cases and that none of them have been appealed and tried in the district court. They could not be appealed and tried in any other court so the railroads must have been very well satisfied with your decisions It is a well known fact that a railroad companj * with all its financial backing and its corps of corporation attorneys never fails to appeal a case to a higher court if there is any chance of getting belter results. The trial of nine railroad cases with the decision of all of which the rail roads were satisfied would make a real good record for a railroad judge. Don't you think so your self , Gus ? When you talk about the Myers boys coining home to vote on free transportation you are talking about something that you do not know anything about. The Myers boys never came home to vote while they were in the university and con sequently they couldn't possibly have used free transportation , Whenever you make any charges Gus , you better stick to the facts. You seem to know that free passes were being used to bring in voters at that time. I am told that you handed out a few to your friends , too , about that time. When you were handing out those passes , Gus , did you feel that the railroad company was furnishing them purely and simply to accommo date you and your friends or did [ Continued oe Usl page ] NOTHING AGAINST OLD RESIDENTS. This Paper Opposes Judge Humphrey Simply on His Record. A. R. Humphrey has , in the campaign for the nomination for county judge , appealed to the older Republicans of the county to get their vote on the state ment that this papet's opposition to him is aimed at all of the older Republicans and that they must stand together for him because the attack on him is aimed , at them all. He is thus misrepresenting the facts because it is to his own advantage. The editor desires to make his position in this matter clear and he is willing to stand or fall on the facts. This paper is not opposing Mr. Humphrey because of his age , his twenty y ears residence in Custer county , or his twenty years in Custer county politics. Judge Humphrey says that be is willing to stand on his record and this paper is willing that he should. This paper is opposing him purely and simply on his record as a politician and as an office holder in this county. If , when they know the facts , the Republicans want him to be their nominee then he should be nominated. If they believe that liis record shows that he is not deserving of further recognition then he should be defeated. This paper takes it as its right and duty to state the facts and and on the facts rests its case. * Thia paper has said that he is the OUJ TYPE of politician. By this was meant not old in years jut old in style , i. e. , a man who las used and still uses the old methods in politics , the man who has catered to the interests and does so today. The people of today are demanding that their representatives be free to serve .hem honestly and conscientously. This is the NHW TVP or style politician and the style to which [ lumphrey does not belong. This paper has nothing what ever to say against the older Republicans who have a clean record. We have some of them .n office now and they deserved the recognition they received. John Cavenee has made a good treasurer , George Mair has been an excellent clerk of the district court and Jos. Pigman has made an obliging and efficient county clerk. Their age makes no difference so long as they are deserving men and have com mendable records. JUDGE HUMPHREY ALWAYS WEAK MAN Has Never Polled Full Vote of His Party. The RKPUBUCAN has taken the position from the beginning of the primary campaign that it is not advisable to nominate A. R. Humphrey as the republican candidate for county judge be- cauee his record makes him- weak man on the ticket. The campaign this fall promises to be a warm one and the Republicans must put their strongest men up or loose the election. That the RBPUBUCAN is right in this is shown by the figures printed below. It must be concedet that Custer county has been in the Republican column since the election of 1902 and the vote shows that Humphrey has never cast the full vote of his party and has , as a usual thing , come out considerably behind the other candidates. In the 1902 election Humphrey was a candidate for comity at torney against C. II. Ilolcomb and won out by 108 votes when Prout , the Republican candidate for attorney general of the state , carried the county by 253 votes and the other candidates won by an average majority of about 300. 300.In In 1904 the county candidate * carried the county by majn U > it that averaged about 500 tikilfc the highest Roosevelt elector defeated the strongest Parke elector by 1600 and Humphrey came out 15 votes behind A. P. Johnson as a candidate for county attorney. How is that for strength -lost the election when the county went Republican by 1600 and his fellow candidates won out by 500. In 19Q5 Humphrey appeared again as a candidate , this time asking that the people make him county judge. He was elected by a bare majority ofx94 votes when Letton , the republican candidate for supreme jirtfge carried the county by 448 \ ef t * In 1907 he was again a Cfcr-.C date for county judge and wua next to the lowest man on the ticket at the general election. II. M. Pinckuey came out with the smallest majority which was 325. Humphrey came next with 491 and VanAntwerp headed the list with a majority of 1403. It It is ordinarily supposed that a candidate for supreme judge will poll about the party voto. M. B. Hccse carried the county by 935 votes. According to this Humphrey fell about 450 votes behind his party vote the last time he was a candidate. When you go to the primaries next Tuesday vote for a tuau with a clean record and one whom the party can elect after he is nominated. Ki.KL-rtnN of 1IXJ5. A. It , Humphrey , county judge 1806 II. J. Shlnii , county Judge 17U ! Humphrey's majority 04 C U Letton , supreme Judge 1077 W O Hasting * , supreme Judge 1520 Letton's majority 448 Kl.tCOTION OK I9U7. If M Pinckuey 704 1) U Hlchards ii7U IMnckneys majority 3i5 A It Humphrey ' . ' 775 I. J Shliin 2iS4 Humphrey's majority 401 I V Kennedy 280a C U lUchardson , -J32& Kennedy's majority . . . . . . 537 * IS Pole . 2f6fl U Morrow . 183'j Cole's majority . 731 Jeo 1) ) Malr . 2872 UTOrr . am Malr'i majority . 8.11 rt 11 Heese , supreme Judge . 2087 Q L Loomls , supreme judge . 1753 Heese'H majority . 035 -1 K VanAntwerp . uy i M It Ljmb . i5in VanAntwerp's majority . ii KI , CION ; | OK 1SMJ. Frank U. I'rout. Ally. Oen . 1827 JeUerson U. Uroady , Ally. Oen . 1571 I'rout's majority . " 53 A. U. Humphrey Co. Ally . 17M ! CHHolcoml ) . Co. Ally . KW8 Humphrey's majority . ioa KI.UCI'iDN 01' IKI. ( Itocsevelt Uleclor , ( hlnUest ) . " (158 ( Parker KleUor , ( highest ) . i8 ) Majority . icoo AKHumpreyCo Ally . 2 | l A 1 * Johnson co. Ally . > | 7U Johnson's majority . is To the Republican Voleru : When you go to lha polls lor tbe primary next Tins Jay remember me as a candidate for coroner Kemember , also , tbai a live uui does nol need an undertaker and a dead man doea not need a doctor. Remember , too , that wheu an in quest is being held over a deac body and tbe coroner and jury deem an autopsy necessary the law saya that two competent doctors shall be called in and that the coroner can not ba one of them BO that if tbe coroner IB a doctor it will not save the county any money. money.L. L. B. COI.E. Thuraday evening witnessed a moat gorgeous sunset. Tbe heavens ens were brilliantly lighted , as if by a great and awe inspiring cociUgra tion. Crowds of people witnessed the grand spectacle and no one viewed it unmoved. PURCELL MAKES FREQUENT CHANGES. Changes Politics Often llnougli to Keep In Line for Legal Notices. Brother Beal took occasion in ast week's Beacon to ask Brother Purcell of the Chief some ques- ft fens concerning his attitude in primary campaign. Brother ccll politely side-stepped , re fused to answer them , and sug gested some questions that should be answered by the editor of the RWUIIUCAN. The sub stance of these questions is taken up in Judge Humphrey's com munication printed in this issue of the RWUUUCAN and are answered in the Itui'UiJi.icAN's reply to Mr. Humphrey. In this connection it may be interesting to refer to a few > ages of Brother Purccll's politi cal history. Brother Purcell started his first Cnstcr county JP vspaper in Merna. This was r.t led the Merua record. It was established in the latter part of the ' 80's , when the county was Republican and some of the old settlers who are in a position to enow say that the Mcrna Hecord was considered to be a Republi can paper. Old settlers will remember that the Populist party began the lat ter part of the ' 80's and the early 90's to gain strength and prom- scd to gain control of the county. Brother Purcell estab- ished the Chief in 1891 during this period of change and he seemed to be a little uncertain just what the political complex ion of the county was going to _ > e so he started the piper as a non-partisan paper. The Populists continued to gain strength and Bro. Purcell saw that it would be advisable Inancially to announce the Chief as a Populist paper and in 1893 , after a conference in the Kealty Block in whick II. II. Hyatt and Jim Ilalland played a prominent > art , Bro. Purcell came out as a Dopulist paper and began pub- ishing legals issued by the offi cials in the county that were con- rolled by the populists. Emerson then became one of he leading factors in the Popu- fst councils along with the 'Big Four" in the Populist party and was made chairman of the Pop central committee. _ The Republicans , however , be- jan to show signs of getting back into the hat ness from 1896 to 1898 and Bro. Purcell seeing that he was in danger of losing the county legals began to show indifference to the Populist in terests. When the Republicans began to get control of some of the county offices that hand out legals Bro. Purcell changed poli tics again and again announced his 1891 non-partisan doctrine so that whether a Republican , a Pop , or a Democrat was elected ) he could go up to the court house and hold out an anxious hand asking for legal notices. If the county board is Republican Emerson wants the legalH , if it is Democratic he wants the legals. It has been legals with Emerson ever since he started his Merna Record about twenty years ago and he has made a v cry good record as a legal get ter. When the county is Repub lican he wants to be a Republi can , when its Pop he wants to be a Pop and when it is uncer tain which party controls the legals he likes the word "non- partisan" to appear at the top of his paper. Patrick Sexton , of Eddy- yille , was taken before the insanity board Wednesday and found to be ineauo.