Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-07-12
The REWARD OF REPUBL1cAN1s,1,

Inc ropuDuC6u SC6G0 CeuGId1 COuuAVeoo
has fixed the date of the convention for
the nomination of state officers, and
made the apportionment therefor. The
convention is to be held August 21st, and
the apportionment was made on the basis
of one delegate to each county and one
additional for each 200 votes cast for
delegate last fall. The TRIBUNE desires
to protestant it believes in this it will
be backed by republicans generally
against this kind of an apportionment.
Let this be the last of it. What encour-
agement is it to republicans to roll up
big majorities if they are to get no credit
for it from the republican machine?
1t seems strange that the committee
should have increased the representation
in those counties casting large demo-
cratic vote last fall nineteen, and dimin-
ished the representation of those counties
that stood up Loyalty for the party
twenty difference of forty
one in favor of the democratic
counties-yet that is just what the
committee did. It seems strange that
county like Cass, which rolled up such
a magnificent majority for Delegate
Mathews, should be cut off eight votes
from what she would have been entitled
to if the apportionment had been made
on the basis of one for each LOG republic
can votes, yet that was what the COM
mittee did. It seems strange that those
counties which hirted the most with the
democrats last fall should have been re-
warded for their treachery, yet that is
what the committee did. 1t seems
strange that one additional delegate
should have been given to Morton coun-
ty "because it stormed on election day
and there was not full vote," when as a
matter of fact there was no storm at all,
yet that is what the committee did.
The TRIBUNE wishes it understood
that it is not criticising the apportionment
because of it's effect on the Missouri
slope, for it so happens that the two
apportionments do not change the total
representation of this section. It criti-
clses the action of the committee, because
of the injustice to the republicans in
those counties whose large republican
majorities combine to make such grand
total, in North Dakota. It does not seem
right to take twenty delegates from the
counties of Cass, Dickey, Grand Forks,
Mcintosh, Ransom, Ramsey, Sargent
and Trail, that gave the republicans a
majority of 1858, and add eighteen dele
gates to the counties of Benson, Botti-
neau, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, Pembina,
Rolette, Stutsman, Towner and Wells,
that gave a DEMOCRATIC majority Of
1875. But that is what the ap-
portionment on the total vote did.
The TRIBUNE calls attention to the
injustice of this apportionment at this
time with view of creating q senti-
ment that shall crystalize into an en-
phatic protest from the forthcoming re-
publican state convention against future
appointments on this basis. Let each
county stand On it's merits s-be rewarded
for loyalty and punished for treachery.
The present committee has followed pre-
cedents It is not the committee so
much as the precedents the TRIBUNE
criticises. The date fixed by the COM
mittee for the convention August 81, is
also objectionable-it being couple of
weeks too early-but there will be less
complaint on this score than on the ap-
portionment.