Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-02-03
SOME INSIDE FACTS.
A Prominent Scandinavian Replies Il
Some Groundless Criticisms
of Republicans.

The following from II of the leading
Scandinavians of the state shows the at
titude of intelligent observers with ref
ernce to such criticisms as those al
luded to:
Grand Forks Normanden: Corpora
won the case about lower freight rates,
tor. Will the people of North Dakota
* * 1.-THE rotten political gang in the
state has been forced to openly announce
their campaign cry. 1t sounds like this:
Down with every temperate, honorable
and moral Scandinavian! Keep them
out of public ofices!"
These two statements by the present
editor of N%ormanden prove beyond any
doubt that he is an irresponsible idiot or
a deliberate liar. A man who tries to
make it appear, that out of about 1900
voters at the last election in our state
nearly 10000 of them were slaves of cor
porations and simply doing the bidding
of their masters in voting the repub-
lican ticket, such a man must be an ire
sponsible idiot or a deliberate liar. We
deplore such conditions of affairs and
the shortcomings of our laws which
caused the state Of North Dakota to lose
it's rate cases against the railroad com.
panies, but the editor making the above
statement in Normandcn has either not
read Judge Amidon's decision, in which
case he becomes an irresponsible idiot,
talking of matters he knows abso-
lutely nothing about, or, having
read the decision, he must
be a deliberate liar, as he %insinuates that
the judge decided for the railroad com
panies because he was a slave of corpor-
ations.. Then his statement about the
senatorial election: this proves him also
either an idiot or a liar. Either he does
not know anything about it or else if he
does, he is telling his readers a dcliber-
ate falsehood. We take it hat he does
not know what he is talking about and
for his information we will give him a
little history. OF the 50 members of the
present Legislature SO were elected at
the last election: Of those 80 elected 60
were republicans. The issue is, squarely
before the voters not only at caucuses
and district conventions but also at the
polls on election day vas for or against
M. N. johnson. He was the onlyavowed
and publicly announced candidate. 1t
was his candidacy that was before the
people. Out of the 50 republicans
elected only ID were instructed for John
son. There were IL more who favored
Johnson although the people of their
districts had not interest enough in
Johnson's candidacy to instruct their
members for him. The total vote of
Johnson in the legislature was conse-
qucntly Is. But there were 6S other
members, SO republicans and 1G fusion
lists vino did not want him. The question
then arises: Who were representing
the people of North Dakota in the legis-
lature and who were the representatives
of corporations. Was it only the 25
Johnson men who represented the peo-
pie in this contest and the 6S who repre-
sented the corporations? The editor of
"Normanden" says it was. Every sane
man can judge for himself whether this
particular editor is ain idiot or a liar.
He must be either.
Then that horrible cry of this "rotten
political gang" who run the state con-
ventions last summer, and who nomin-
ated the Hon. A. N. Carlblom, state
auditor, Hon. j. G. Halland, state upper
intendent of public instruction, Hon.
John Simons and Henry Erickson, rail
road commissioners. "Down with every
temperate, honorable and moral Scandi-
n%avian! Keep them out of public Of
tices!" they cried, but at the same time
nominated the above named gentlemen,
and three months later 10000 out of A.
600 voters ratified the action of this
rotten political gang" at the polls. Did
these 10000 voters represent corpora
tons and a "rotten political gam" in
their votes or did they represent a ma
jority of the people of North Dakota?
Can an editor who casts such slurs and
iniquities about the characters. of the
above named gentlemen be anything
but an idiot or a liar? We only ask.