Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-03-02
INDUSTRIOUS WRBONlGlI
A Writer on the Tacoma Times Paws
a Splendid Tribute to Fidelity
and Integrity.
Brief Account of His Career in North
Dakota and His Experiences
in Alaska.
No Scandal Ever Attached to Him OF
the Men Whom He Has Placed
= in Power.

the Men Whom He Has Placed
in Power.
The following article from the pen of
Ed. Henderson, formerly of North Da-
kota-back in the '80's a member of the
Bismarck Tribune force-appears in the
Tacoma Times, of whose staff MIR. Hen
derson is now a member:
There is no man who is a force in IA
tional politics and who has strong and
loyal friends that at the same, time does
not have a few personal enemies. Sue
cess and power, when universally at
tanned by one individual, is likely to
breed envy and opposition in the heart
of another. Probably no one realizes
this more than Alexander Mckenzie,
now a prisoner and adjudged in contempt
of court in San Francisco.
Mckenzie is a frontier character who
began life as a day laborer and by hard
work and easy adaptability to conditions
became a self-educated, successful and
wealthy business man. From the day
he arrived at Bismarck, North Dakota,
in advance of the Northern Pacific track
layers and graders, he begun to have
power over other men. He was a nat
ural organizer. He possessed almost
hypnotic influence. He read all men as
an open book. He made friends and re-
tanned them. He made enemies and con-
founded them. His friends we're loyal to
the death and his enemies would secretly
sound his praises and seek an opportu-
nifty to win his good opinion.
1t became known in North Dakota in
short order that Alexander Mckenzie
was a man whose word was better than
his bond; that he was a man to tie to;
that he was alert, aggressive, successful
and self-reliant. Soon he was nominated
and elected sheriff of his county, and
then it became known that he was in
addition a man of honor and of rare
physical courage. He could have had
any Office within the gift of his state,
but he preferred to bestow the honors
upon others, and his commands soon be-
came the political law of the land. He
made combinations and elected judges,
governors, congressman and senators.
He organized a capital removal plan and
removed the capital of the then territory
from Yankton to Bismarck. His abili-
ties attracted the attention of the
Northern Pacific railroad and he was
made one of its receivers during its
period of bankruptcy. He was sent to
New York to represent the interests of
the road in Wall street. He became as
shrewd a %tinancier as he was a success
full politician.
In New York he put aside the frontier
characteristics and became the polished
gentleman and man of affairs. At no
time did his powers wane, but constantly
increased. From a distance of $500
miles he welded an absolute power over
the politics of North Dakota. From the
men whom he placed in power he ex-
acted nothing except absolute loyalty to
pledges made to the party and to the
people. None of the officials whose
destinies he controlled ever disgraced
their office or abused their power. His
judgment of men and their capabilities,
though often contrary to common belief,
was always acknowledged in the end to
be correct. No scandals ever attached
to the public or private life of the men
whom he placed in power; no dish nest
dollars ever found their way into their
pockets or his.
Although always refusing elective or
appointive office for himself, Mr.. Nc
Kenzie was finally induced to accept the
honorary Office of national committee
man for his state. Here he came in con-
tact with some of the best politicians of
the United States, and they soon recog-
nized his unusual abilities. He became
the close political confident of such men
as the late Senator Davis, Senator Car
ter, Senator Spooner, Senator Hanna,
Senator Hansbrough and others. Know
ing of his business abilities and tinan-
cial power, some of them became his as
sociates in mining ventures at Cape
Nome, Alaska. He organized a com
pany and took with him machinery for
dredging the sands of the ocean beach.
This was not entirely successful and
attention was then turned to the devel-
opment of claims acquired by purchase
before going to Alaska. Pending this
reorganization, Judge Noyes induced Nc
Kenzie to accept the receiyership of
rich but disputed claims on Anvil creek.
These had been worked at a loss, but
under McKenzie's superior management
and organization they were worked at
a cost Of about 30 per cent Of the gross
output, and in a single season approx
mately S250,0O0 in gold was taken out
and deposited in safety deposit vaults to
await the action of the court in deter
mining its ownership. Duplicate receipts
were given and taken and the accounts,
when examined, were found absolutely
correct. Not a cent was ever allowed by
order of the court for Mckenzie's ser
vices or for the salaries of the men en-
g1 v IN A@