"Mayor Figge through the medium of his Ossian Enterprise advises the people to patronize home industry. Yet he ordered the woodwork for his new residence from some 'cheap-screw' house and brags he saved $100 by the transaction."

A later item states that the Bee people are no longer trading with F. Figge & Son, because they buy their stationery and sale bills from a 'cheap-screw' Chicago printery.

Fred Figge tendered his resignation as mayor at the September, 1905. council meeting. I. H. DeGraff accepted the appointment as his successor.

The Bee editorializes: "We have criticised the executive branch of Ossian's government...prompted by sufficient provocation...while qualifications of Mayor DeGraff...fit him for office... We will not refrain from criticizing his administration should it become necessary..."

In 1906, the paper proudly announced that it has again been selected as an official county paper. The editorial continues: "A desperate effort was made by the OE (Ossian Enterprise) tribe to steal the title of official paper, by presenting to the board (of supervisors) a 'stuffed' list of subscribers, but, in this plan, they were balked. Their perfidy was so vividly exposed, that when defeated in their nefarious scheme, they slank, one by one, from the scene of battle..."

"Last July, when the town printing was let, the OE, practically owned...by the council, barring the present mayor, selected the OE as the official town paper... They voted just that much money into their own pockets...to assist the maintenance of their paper. They did not notify the Bee to bid on town printing to ascertain which paper would do the printing the most reasonable... This was during the 'Kid's' (Mayor Figge) administration...every dollar paid the OE for town printing ...is a dollar robbed from the taxpayer. No public officer has authority to vote public money into his own pocket..."

The paper also renewed their attack on Father Lechtenberg with the following: "For the benefit of those who do not know, or, . . .do not believe, we hereby state that the Rev. G. B. Lechtenberg... is on record in the recorder's office at Decorah, as director no. 1 of the OE . He is one of a gang that wants to put the Bee out of business. Nice work, that, for an expounder of Christ's doctrine...

Not long ago, director no. 1 wrote a heavy editorial denouncing the art of dancing. It was...to be inserted in the 'soap-box' edition, but never appeared in print. The story of the 'loss' is this: One of the stockholders of the OE, also a stockholder of the Ossian Hall Go., objected to the editorial, fearing it would...injure dancing and thus deprive him of dividends.. .from hall rents. The typo was paid to 'lose' the heavy editorial... We are told the loss...created not a little dissen-tion..."

The attacks on the town fathers were renewed with this item: "Marshal 'Yim' (James Floody) needs a little prodding to help him along with his work. The crossings on Main street have not been thoroughly cleaned this winter, and their condition at the present time are very dangerous to pedestrians. Yim hasn't done 10¢ worth of work during his incumbency, although earning a big salary ($35 a month), and should be given a boost out of office..."

In the election of 1906, the Bee backed a ticket for municipal government headed by I. H. DeGraff. The Enterprise endorsed J. Weitgenant, who won by a margin of over 2 to 1.

Times were tough for the owner of the Bee during this period of competition with the Enterprise. The small advertising revenue from Ossian businesses was inadequate to support two newspapers. Senior editor Heck made weekly trips to Calmar and Fort Atkinson to solicit ads from the merchants in these towns. Likely this income kept the Bee afloat. However, controversy sells newspapers, and we suspect that readership was on the rise.

The feud with Father Lechtenberg reached its climax in April of 1907, when an editorial headlined, "Another Onslaught on the Ossian Bee", appeared. The column reads; "Sunday, at high mass, Rev. Chas. Lechtenberg took occasion to score the Ossian Bee, and has assumed the unprecedented authority to refuse absolution to all readers of the Bee. .. Chas. Lechtenberg is a newspaper promoter. He has $600