Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-01-21
OFFICIAL PAPER BuRLE|GH co.
NO MORE MARTYRDOM, MR..
JOHNSON.


Here is a choice bit of ''political Cos
sip from the Minneapolis Times, whose
manager has been sued for libel by Jim
Hill of the Great Northern road:
Washington, Jan. 2.-CEimes Special)
North Dakota politicians in Washing
ton declare that President j. j. Hill of
the Great Northern railroad will en-
deavor to dictate the man who shall
succeed Senator William N. Roach as
senator from North Dakota. 1t will, of
course, make very little difference to
Hill what the politics of the lucky man
will be, provided he can control him.
There is one man who is Il candidate for
Roach's seat who, it is believed, will not
be dictated to by the Great Northern
magnate. The gentleman referred to is
NJ. N. Johnson, the republican repre-
sentative from that state.
johnson has finally decided to become
a candidate for the senate, and he will
be, of course, opposed by the present
republican ring in North Dakota, which
means that he will have againsthim the
opposition of the Great Northern rail
road, and perhaps those o in control
of the Northern Pacific.
If the Legislature elected next year,
which will choose a successor to Roach,
should be anti-republican, it is not
known whether Hill would select Roach
as a candidate or not. Roach is prob
ably looked upon as too weak a man for
Hill to have to represent HIM at wash
ington. The Mckenzie Ha%nsbrough
ring is already at work selecting candl-
dates for the legislature, and it its nom
inees should be elected, some other man
than johnson would be it's choice for
senator. johnson, however, has not
been idle dnring the past few months,
and will undoubtedly give the ring a
very hard fight, even if he should not
be elected. The man who will be pitted
against him by Mckenzie is not known
here. ,
1t is quite evident that MIR. johnson
proposes that prejudice shall be the
leading feature of his campaign for the
senate, which would indicate that he is
afraid to run on his own merit. Who
are the "North Dakota politicians in
Washington" who declare" that j. }.
Hill will dictate Senator Roach's sue
cessor? Will Mr.. johnson lame them?
The only North Dakotan in Washington
who has made such a declaration is Mr..
johnson himself, and his motive is
clearly apparent. 1t is done in the hope
that the people can be arrayed against
somebody who is alleged to be conspir-
ing to send johnson back to his farm
where he may raise "3O-cent wheat at a
protit"-without the aid of a congress
sional salary. This would be a great
hardship on johnson. Most any kind
of a farmer could make money raising
"3O-cent wheat'' if he had $1,000 a year
in cash from the government as MIR.
johnson has had for the past seven
years. Mr.. Johnson's opinion will be
quite interesting at this time. Here is
what he said in a Pioneer Press inter-
view some time ago:
"But what I want especially to show
is that wheat can be raised for 30 cents
a bushel, with profit, a fact which l did
not believe myself until | had proved it
by my own experiments
Now, we do not know much about Mr..
Hill, but we venture the assertion that
he does not agree with Mr.. johnson on
the wheat question.
Mr.. johnson further "declares"-for
it was he who inspired the Times article
that he will have against him "the re-
publican ring in North Dakota" and the
two great railroads running through the
state. BY "the present republican ring"
MIR. johnson doubtless wishes to be
understood as meaning the party Or
g%anization to which he has persistently
refused to pay his campaign assess
ments, because, as he once wrote to the
committee chairman, "the party needs
me more than l need the party" Mr..
johnson meant by this that it was
enough if he delivered the Norwegian
vote to the party. 1t is true the Nor
wegians have done a good deal for john
son, but what did johnson do for the
N~orwegians? Did he ever put any Of
them into office? Yes; at least he is
now trying to put one-his brother
into Office. But how will this help the
many Norwegians who have kept Mr..
johnson in Office?
Now as to the opposition of the rail
roads. johnson says they are against
him. Does he furnish any evidence in
this regard? None. But this is in
variably the way demogogues begin a
campaign-by alleging that the corpora
tons are fighting them. What are the
facts? The only North Dakota measure
that Mr.. johnson has interested himself
in during his entire service in the house
was the "lieu" land bill, which gave Jim
Hills road 10000 acres Of valuable tim
Der lands in lieu of certain Red River