Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-18
Mr.. REEVE HUNTING FOR His PARTY
Representative Johnson's Friends
Confident of His Success.
SOME MIXED OLITIC s
special Correspondents Of The Evening Star.

| and horny handed, shall replace him and
vote with the populists. The fight here, as
| In Minnesota. Is really between the republi-
| cans and the populists, but with this diff
| ference. that the democrats are here acting
| as assistant popuists, while in Minnesota
| they are preserving the traditions Of the
party and running an independent ticket.
| Two years ago North Dakota was largely
carried by the populists, and the politicians
have been busy ever since explaining how II
| happened Perhaps Congressman Johnson's
| explanation Is good any. He says
| that the populists and democrats formed
| a peculiar combination by the terms of
which the democrats furnished the votes
| and the populists took the offices. How
| ever that may be. the Congressman himself
pulled through and now holds the only
seat North Dakota is entitled to in the
House of Representatives. The state ticket
was the one that suffered defeat at the
| hands of the fusion combination. This de-
feat was largely due to the methods by
which Roger Allin of Walsh county was
euchered out of the republican nomination
| Tor governor. Aiiin had the votes in con-
ventfon necessary to nominate him, but the
affair was manipulated that he didn't
win. North Dakota politicians are no
chickens In the matter of sharp practice,
and the one who loses is not apt to make
any cutlery beyond carefully sharpening a
long knife and putting 1t in his bootleg,
| but the Allin affair was just a bit too fla
= w
| one was vastly surprised when about 1.OOO
| OF the Walsh county republicans bolted the
whole ticket. The result was the defeat of
the republican ticket by narrow pluralities.
How the Situation Has Changed.
This year things are different. The Allin
| affair was smoothed over by the unanimous
nomination of Allin himself for governor
Congressman Johnson was nominated to
succeed himself, and the breaches in the
party were so successfully closed up that
1t is now presenting remarkably har-
| Inonious front TO the enemy. There was
promise OF trouble earlier in the campaign,
when the state committee attempted to read
the rcdoubtable Jud IaMoure of Pembina
out of the party for the part he took in the
election of Senator Roach by a republican
legislature. Jud. however. put in an ap-
pearance at the STATE convention, backed by
the solid delegation of his county and ii
was thought best to drop the whole matter.
LaMoure sat on back seat and took no
part in the proceedings. His behavior was
sufliciently meek and lowly to win him
some consideration, and 1t is probable that
after he has worn sackcloth and ashes for
a sufficient length of time he will he re-
ceived back into full fellowship. But il
was severe blow that LaMoure dealt his
party when he formed a cabal strong
enough TO prevent the election of a republi-
can Senator, and then turned about and
secuf d the election of Roach The tern,
of Senator Hansbrough, the senior Senator.
ooNo nut tAlffe tf'ttf tSgt, and this wears
campaign IL therefore not complicated by
any senatorial issues.
Mr.. Reeve Sticks.
The congressional campaign is i'm rather
peculiar mess. The democratic convention
played horse with the nomination I'm such
way as to greatly embarrass themselves
and their allies, the populsts. When the
convention met no deal had been arranged
and II seemed impossible to get the warning
factions to come to terms. The anti-fusion
men We're In the minority, but were we'll
organized at first. Tney proposed the NOM
iration of Budd Reeve, a rural hunorist of
unique Wit, we'll known throughout the
state, for Congressman. Inc suggestion
was received with loud guffaw Every
one thought 1t the best Joke ina ginable and
betore the convention realized what ii had
done Reeve of Buxton had been nominated
by reclamation. He was called to the
stage, ana made a Speech, in which he ac-
cepted On one condition-that no fusion be
made with the populists on the state ticket.
Inc leaders, who were anxious to conclude
fusion, were in Quandary. They wanted
to name man for Congress who could be
taken OFF the ticket when it became neces-
sary in order to complete the deal They
were very much afraid that Reeve couldn't
be easily handled. A committee was sent
to labor with him to come before the con-
ventioE and decline, but he was too wary
for that So ii was decided TO ignore him
go ahead on the hypothesis that he had
declined when he made the condition as 10
no fusion, and nominate some one else NJ
u. Larimore, who could be depended on to
Withdraw Whenever necessary, was named
ard his nomination was certified to by the
convention officers. This, it was fondly
hoped, disposed Of Reeve entirely. But the
Buxton humorlst was not TO be left out OF
the calculation SO easily. He declared that
he would run an independent straight
| out democrat, filing his nomination by Pc
tition In the manner provided by the state
law. He issued a quantity humorous ad-
dress 20 the voters, in which he stated that
he was running to save the honor of the
democratic party and on platform of
honesty. Where Is my wandering party
tonight, he exclaimed in mock heroics. AS
nobody answered the query, he declared
that he would start out on his gray mare
and make a canvass to find out. He is now
making that canvass, and as he is an old
stager from the territorial days, it is be-
lieved that he will poll about half of the
1900 democratic votes in the state.
l. Completing Fusion.
Meanwhile the fusion between the demo-
Gratis and populists has been partially COM
| pleted Lartmore has just been withdrawn
in favor of Muir the populist, and the state
| tickets have been amalgamated as far as
possible. 1t wasn't found practicable to
withdraw Wallace. the populist candidate
for governor. nor Newton, the populist can
| didate for supreme Judge. but the populIst
candidates Endorsed by the democrats have
made secret agreement to turn over as
many votes as possible to Kinter and Tenn
pieton, the democratic nominees for those
two offices. Just how this will work re-
mains to be seen, but as the announcement
has caused a bitter quarrel in the populist
| party 1t may be doubted whether the re-
! suit will not be to aid both Alin and john
| son.
North Dakota is normally and naturally
a republican state, and there is every rea-
| son to believe that she will remain In the
| republican column this year. Johnson, es-
| pecially, in view of The divided opposition
| to him by reason of the Reeve candidacy
seems certain to win. johnson is some
| thing of an anomaly for western Con-
gresham I'm that he has firmly resisted
| the silver heresy. Two years ago he risk
| ed his political future by taking an uncom-
promising stand for sound money. He
| fought the fight openly without any trim
| ming to meet the imitation gale that was
blowing-and won. His campaign was edu-
cative. and 1t is believed that he now has
| mis- constituents soldly with him In his
| position. The Infection has passed and left
| the fiickertail state unaffected.
1IOn O<DO IL