Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-01-13
H ISSUE.

The desperate attempts Of the Her
aid and Argus to divert the legislative
mind from the issues raised in the
senatorial campaign by The Tri b-
unc are unworthy ever of tue men
who control those two sheets. We put
the question fairly and frankly: What
has NJ. \. Johnson accomplished for
the State Or the people of North Da-
grcssional life? The Herald and the
Argus. by way of response, work
themselves up to a great frenzy of de-
nunciatiOn of Senator HanSbrOugh
and charge him with everything III
the calendar Of political sins. We
may remind these overZcalOus john
o organs that Senator HansbrouSh
is not an issue in this campaign. His
case was settled two years ago in n
way highly complimentary to that
gentleman and his numerous friends.
After all that the Herald and the Ar
gus are nov saying against the sen
ator had been said by them over and
over again during the campaign of
1896, he was the unanimous choice Of
the Republicans of the legislature.
This was the answer to the opposi-
ton Of those purblind organs then; 1t
does not require Il prophet to foretell
what the answer will be this time.
The legislature will not reward the
boiling Herald editor by sending his
man Johnson to the senate. Nor will
it thus crafty Winship's echo who
writes for the Argus.
The Herald accurately describes
the situation when it says:
"The assumption, therefore, is that
Johnson has sat in his place in WASH
.ingtOn like a bump on n log. or like
a hen on a nest full Of door knobs,
If the Herald had used Il modern
Kodak it could not have secured a bet
ter composite picture Of the superb
egotist whom it is now striving to
foist upon a long suffering public. It
Is immaterial what Johnson has been
sitting on-whether it was door knobs
or dOughnutS. What the people want
to know is, What has he Matched out
during his eight years of incubation?
Has he added to the wealth of fed
eral statutes? Has he earned the
forty odd thousand dollars which tie
has drawn from the treasury? Has
he put his mark upon a single line OF
law? Has he even responded to the
courteous letters of his constituents,
or performed any duty other than that
of answering to the roll call? Yes,
through the Congressional Record he
has told Of his own greatness, and
once, being displeased with the secre-
tary Of the interior, he made a bitter
speech against that official. This as
sault upon a highly esteemed gentle
man was on a par with the insult he
offered Judge Regain and other dis.
tinguished visiting statesmen in this
city when he (Johnson) was a member
of the constitutional convention.
But this is not all. While at the
White House last spring, during the
excitement owe the Cuban question.
johnson distinguished himself by bit
terly denouncing the president and
the administration, at the very mo-
ment when Mr.. Mckinley and his
cabinet were struggling with a for
eign enemy. This ~disgraceful pro-
ceeding took place in the presence Of
a coterie of newspaper men, and
when called to account by a friend of
the president Johnson said he had not
been treated right in regard to pat
ronage! Sublime craftsmanship!
If the members Of the legislature
could visit the departmnts at the cap
itol at Washington they would un-
doubleday hear what other North Da-
kotans have frequently heard: For
heavens sake don't send that man to
the senate" With the exception of
the boiling editor of the Herald and
the Argus scribbler, who sneczes
when Winship takes snuff, the fervent
wish of the people of North Dakota is
that the legislature will send a mai
to Washington who will conduct him.
self in a II becoming the high
office Of senator. The Republican
party in this state cannot afford to
have it otherwise.
IT is very evident that the present