St. Paul daily globe., 1894-03-24
rlORTR!DGE AND THiSTLES
4 SLEPT NTH BUDD REEVE AND
KNOWS kBOUT THEM.
1 PROTECTING EGIs EayssD.

PROTECTING EGIS EaysED.
likewise the Gratitude of the
Governor-Difficul In Props-
eating the Russian Product
Sol Not Adapted to It-Pull-
ing for an Appropriation TO
Pail the "French Weed"-The
Governor Honest. but Not a
Good Immigration Agent.
To the Readers of the Globe.
BUXTON, March II. 1S94.-Ny Dear
Readers: j. Sterling Morton. the hon.
Orable secretary of agriculture, is not
only man who has the courage Of his
convictions; man who is well posted
OH the needs of the farmer, and how to
feed and breed swine. but is fine judge
of weeds and how to get rid of them.
He believes the only way to get rid OF
weeds is to pull them up. The only
thing he differs from others about is,
who shall pay for the pulling? He be-
lleveO the man who owns the weeds
should pull them, or hire some one to do
it who has taste or fancy in that di-
rection.
He is posted on the Russian thistle.
although Gov. Shortridge may not think
so. There are already differences enough
i'll the Democratic party without letting
thistle get in between the honorable
secretary and our governor. A thistle
is All ugly thing to handle, even with
gloves on, and it is not strange that 1t
should irritate two prominent men
when 1t gets in between them. Gov.
Shortridge has many fine qualities,
and he is a friend Of mine. l
never encourage or allow man to be-
come friend of mine without he is
chock full and running over with fine
qualities. l assisted in the double
barreled campaign that elected the gov
ernor. | helped fire Off the Democratic
barrel. Two barrels had to be fired into
the Republicans to knock them out,
Democratic and PopuliSt barrel. They
were hard to knock out. They hung to
Office like monkey to the side Of
cage. and are trying to hang yet wher.
ever they can get a tail hold or any
other hold.
Gov. Shortridge Is an appreciative
man. l slept with him one night before
the close of the doubled.ba barrel cam
paign, in the third story Of the Head
quarters hotel at Fargo, and about 2
O'Clock In the morning a newspaper re-
porter came prowling around, and not
only came near robbing my distin-
gulshed bedfellow Of valuable sleep,
but came around with the intent. if pos
sible, to pump valuable information out
OF him. When informed the governor
in the morning how | had slept with
one of my own eyes wide open to watch
and guard over him through the night,
and had driven an unfeeling reporter
Off at the point of revolver to keep
him from pumping his army record out
OF him. and getting away with other
yolnts in his life and early history. and
scattering them all over the country
just before the polls opened CD the day
of election, he was greatly touched and
moved by my discretion and bravery, and
then and there offered to lndorse me
for any office, not already taken. or
promised to any of his other bedfellows.
l made it rule early in life never to let
reporter pump any one was sleeping
with, without it was especially re-
Quested by my bedfellow before retir-
ing that he wished TO be called for that
purpose.
1t is natural the governor should be
anxious about the thistle. 1t is not only
a thorn in our land and IA thorn in our
pathway, but bad thing on general
principles. Another election will soon
he on, and, as the politicians ride
around over the state. the gov
ernor would like to see every
thing looking we'll as credit
to his administration. This is
natural and right. A million dollar ap-
preparation would give employment to
the idle men OF the state, and when the
polls closed next election day, if the
governor was not returned, he would
leave the state looking clean as garden.
He would retire to private life as the
st. Patrick of the nineteenth century,
not for banishing all the toads and
snakes from the land, but the Russian
thistle. loads we can step OVers snakes
nre not dangerous without we step on
them-the thistle is annoying at all
times. st. Eli would sound well.
In his zeal to Danish the thistle,
some thlnk the governor has not
been quite guarded enough i'll his
statements. For instance, in his letter to
Secretary Morton dated Jan. IL, 1S94,
relative to an appropriation. he says:
81 can assure you that no effort will be
spared on the part Of North Dakota to
eradicate the pest, by township. county
and state assistance, but we do not eX-
pect to accomplish the task with
out government aid, as our peo.
pie are poor. our farms are
heavily mortgaged, and unless help can
be had from the government, these
farmers will become discouraged and
abandon their lands to Eastern mortga-
gees. Our state debt limit has been
reached. Three years time will be re-
quired to change our constitution, and
IN the meantime the cactus will take
our country. The counties which are
suffering most from this pest have not
had two good crops in five years."
When Gov. Shortridge made this
statement, like great many other good
men, he did so relying upon the truth
of the statements of others. He perhaps
did not stop to think they had other
motives than suppressing the thistle in
urging an appropriation. Being in
IT.