The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1897-03-27
Plum Hunting Under Diff
ties.
Bismarck Settler.

streightway {, ayitate the tree that
bore the coveted frnit. A few leaves tiut.
tered away ON IKE wings of the wind, but
nary II plum could they bring down. At
this they tnarvelled muchly-and sought
explanation. While the following is not
verbatum, it may be taken as fairly rep
resentative of the substance of what was
said by the custodian aud official dispen-
ser Of State plums:
"Yon see, gentlemen, l nm in position of
this plum tree by the mandate o! the
Republican party o. the State of North
Dakota, 1 need not inform you that this
great party is an aggregate entity, the au-
tonOmy of which l am especially charged
with the duty of maintaining, preserving
in its entirety, and returning intact to
those who committed it % my Keeping.
Now. my friends, it will readily occur
to you that in dispensing the fruits OF our
great victory last fall, great care should be
taken that they ''be placed where they
will do the most good" See! Very we'll.
Now, the Republican party in your dis.
trict is divided into two factions headed
by Major Murphy and King John respect
lively. Now, you see, on the other hand,
that however much I might desi e SO to
do on personal grounds, I ais 'luteiy can.
not recognize either faction without draw
ing the fire Of the other. l have there
fore, made "harmony in the ranks Con-
dltion precedent to the bestowal Of pollt-
that you will duly appreciate the beauties
of harmony as exemplitied in this matter
l bid you good morning.
Some Office seekers would lie satisfied
with SO reasonable an explanation, but
one Of the applicants talked back some
thing like this:
See here. old man, talk is cheap, and
rules may be droved by exceptions-but
how about Burieigh county? How much
Republican harmony to the square inch is
there i'll that county: Do you not know
that there are two bitter factions in that
county, two full-tedged county organiza-
tons, each claiming to represent the Re-
publican party, each having an ''organ"
ald each claiming To represent a majority
of the Republicans of the county? Have
you not spent the last two years i'll the
very midst of this factional fight aud do
you not know that prominent Republicans
are aligned against each other in this fac
tirr,O1 vl,t O,,rl VT 1n,, ,~o ~ -:u..
out plun's i'll Burieigh county. your rule
to the contrary notwithstanding?
u am told piums nave thus far all fallen
on the one side of the factional fence, al.
though both facti MS were loyal to Won
an to the entire State and national tick
ct. I am told that you have in contem pla.
ton a division of tas positions about tbs
Penitentiary between the truly loyal'-
from yonr stan point-in BurIelgh and
Morton, the two counties that openly DEFY
and spit upon the Prohibition plank OF
the Republican platform which You were
charged with upho.ling. am told that
the appointments in these two disloAai
counties ~alreauy exceed in number those
of the entire Red River Valley; and yet
you pirate to us Of preserving the autolo.
my"
At this pniut our plum hunter looked
up and found he had been talking t,
space.
We republish the above as a
fair sample from Il newspaper
that is decidedly loft it's base
Ion a subject that it's editor
attempts to discuss.
In reference to political plum
hunting-(as the Settler choose
to term political rewards)-in
Mclean County, is concerned.
there is no dissatisfaction among
Republicans that we are aware
of, and certainly should be none
to a self respecting Free Silver
lite.
There was but the two parties
in the politica! field here, last
fall, viz:-Republicans and the
Free Silver party.
We have yet to hear of a els
appointed Republican,-we mean
one who voted the ticket on
election day-or one who has
asked the Governor for any ap-
pointment for himself or on be-
half of Mclean County. The
iGovernor we believe could sub
stantiate this statement.
AS far as Murphy is concerned
and the silver party-we have
nothing to do. But we have
heard that he had presented the
persons and names Of his Silver
supporters for the Governors
consideration. In his scramble
for representative last fall, he
had pledged himself to support
a Free Silver man for the office
of United Senator. Ahdavits