Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-11-29
will be elected.
One More Crisis.
[From Sundays Dsily.]

There have been many wild and exciting
scenes in the capitol. The fame of men
has been made and unmade by the battles
on the floor; capitals have been located;
railroad corporations have stood for weeks
upon the narrow line between victory and
defeat; orators have clashed in brilliant
strife; the galleries have rung with the
applause of the enthusiastic multitude, but
the climax of excitement and speechless
anticipation had not been reached until
yesterdays caucus ballot for United States
senator had been taken. Everybody was
keeping tally. As the calling of the roll
progressed and the members responded
with the names of their favorites the inter-
est became intense. The silence was
broken only by the call of the clerk and
the response of the members. No one even
whispered, but with eyes riveted on the
tally sheets every man in the room
listened to the names as they were
shouted by the temporary rulers.
1t was an impressive scene, and
as the name sYonson" came
in rapid succession upon the ear, his oppo-
nents began to feel that at last the Scandi-
navian statesman was striking winning
pace. The roll was completed; all heads
were raised to hear the verdict of the clerks;
the count of the clerks showed that some
of them had made mistake; averifcation
was called for; Chief Clerk Hamilton pro-
ceeded to repeat the roll when 10 and
behold members began to change their
votes to johnson. A point of order was
raised that member could not change his
vote during roll call for verifcation.
The crowd leaned forward and with
craned necks and open mouths watched
and listened. A motion to adjourn was
made; "bang y went the dynamite; silence
was transformed into a cyclone; what q
few moments before had been vOiceless
hall now wagged a thousand tongues;
Stevens, the mover Of the mo-
tidp to adjourn, was on the
floor, Chairman Selby Of the caucus
and the caucus nomination Of johnson,
which was claimed by those who kept
their private counts. was transformed into
myth and hallucinatiOn. Like a phan-
tom it walked the limitless fields Of the
imagination and vanished just as johnson
VyCiSOOA ~ III GHc IaC6. OU, agony supreme.
With husned face and transfxed gaze,
the persistent Johnson looked down from
the gallery and watched each movement
in the desperate game.
Then came the joint session with Its two
ballots, in each of which johnson received
II 2v0tes-:Maratta, the democratic candi.
date, coming ont next with 1S-and the
session adjourned until z O'Clock in the
evening, the intermissiOn being filled with
as much artistic work as was ever sQeezed
into given space of time.
FAREWELL JOHNSON.
But the crisis was in the evening when
the johnson forces were given such drop
that they remained dazed until after ad-
ljournment. Their special train OF cir
cumstances and contingencies ran along
smoothly at 9 tightening speed until they
encountered large obstacle on the track
In the form Of 9 third ballot during which
Senator Robinson OF aTraill county, ex-
plsined his vote with . genuine star
lspange d.banner ring. q johnson received
forty votes on the first and second ballots,
but now he began to fall from the fortieth
story Of his fame and did not stop until he
reached the thirty-secOnd, where he was
caught and where he still remains sus-
pended. There was no choice Of senator.
a week has gone and the second senator
ship is as fer from q reality as when bal
ISloting began, but the grand array of canili-
dates has been increased by the appear
ance OF the imposing Harrison Allen Of
Fargo, the distfngu guished Henry W. LORD
! lsDeyils3 Lake, and the scholarly and classi-