Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1893-01-27
THE SENATORIAL SITUATION.

81 -.
From Thursdays Daily.l
The facts of interest in relation to this
subject will be found under the head
of 1.-The Joint Convention" Reflections
and additional facts are in order here.
AS intimated in the TRIBUNE yester.
day morning the deal was put up at a
late hour the night before to elect John
D. Benton on the second ballot yester-
day. The populist vote was understood
to be solid and the democrats had signed
a written pledge to stand by their party
principles. Nine republicans had agreed
to vote for Mr.. Benton, seven of whom
are known by their votes in the joint
convention. The eighth and ninth re-
mains for the present unnamed. The
vote was to be cast for kingman. as
agreed upon among the republicans op
posed to Casey, and the first ballot was
to pass without special incident. The
second ballot was to have been cast
for Smith and at the close
OF the roll call, like a clap of thunder
from a clear sky, six of the Smith men
were to change to Benton. Senator
Enger was to make the seventh, to be
followed by the two unnamed.
The plans were dlsarranged by
Mr.. Hagen voting for Mr.. Muir,
but as Mr.. Oliver was absent and
six instead of seven were Lecessary to be
gained from the republican ranks, the
play was attempted on the first ballot.
With Hagen, even, voting for Muir the
scheme would have won had the other
two reput lican votes materialized.
High stakes are being played for. The
control of the United States senate is in
the pot, and it is a we'll known fact that
money in unlimited amounts would be
given by the democratic managers for
republican votes to accomplish that
result.
While Mr.. Benton is an excellent and
an able gentleman and as a senator would
be a credit to the state, and under some
circumstances men could be excused
for voting for a townsman, but here the
honor of a state is at stake.
No matter how pure the motives of
men voting for Mr.. Benton may have
been, there is not a re-
publican journal in the land
which would not have portrayed them as
men who betrayed their party.
Men who know the honorable gentle
man from Cass, and the excellent
man from Steele, might not believe the
whisperings which would have folio we'd,
but the world at large is not so chari-
table.
The principal campaign in this state
was to saw the United States senate to
the republicans. Wisconsin and New
York seemed quite certain to be lost,
Kansas was counted with the opposition,
and North Dakota was a battle-ground
for republican principles and republican
supremacy in the senate, and the men
from Cass we're electd over their popu-
list opponents on the belief, which was
counted as knowledge, that they would
vote for a republican.
Will the fact that Messrs. Newman,
Southland and Haggart refused to vote
with them for one unwilling to 90 into
a republican caucus, just because he was
a resident of Cass county, be sufficient
justification for turning the United States
senate over to the democrats and betrav-
ing the interests of the republican party
in the nation.
AS we'll might the democratic electors
of the great state of New York through
personal spite toward some of Cleve-
lands friends, go into the electoral
college and vote for Benjamin Harrison.
The betrayal of party would merit no
more severe condemnation than would
be melted out to those responsible for it.
The TRIBUNE does not believe that
the persons who voted for Mr.. Benton
yesterday did it for any other purpose
than to ghost other candidates. # that
was the purpose it was a dangerous ex-
pertinent.
AS to the conference last night. Is it
republican, is it just; Is it honorable to
say that any man shall be denied the
privilege of competing for a republican
nomination? Was it not something of a
boomerang to the candidates who went
before that conference on the propo.
sition that the vote should show how
many were unalterably opposed instead
Of how many favored? Casey had a
majority of the conference in his favor.
All others-those who insisted he should
not be permitted to be a candidate-had
a majority opposed to them.
True, it was only a conference and
there is nothing in the way of all going
into honorable competition for a nomi-
nation.
Twenty republicans in that conference
said they would not vote for Mr.. Worst
under any circumstances. Why? Mr..
Worst is an able and honorable man.
Mr.. Worst as a man who cares for his