The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-01
BALANCE IS SHIFTING
TOWARD THE 'tSLOPE"
Rapid GrolDh Of Western North Dakota Has Taken Pow
of Control Away from the Valley-Queer
Features in NelD Primary LaD

From Staff Correspondent.
Bismarck, N. D., Dec. headers
of the machine forces in the coming
fight view the growing influence of the
Slope counties with considerable
western counties have generally gone
down almost solid for the machine pro-
/ gram, and have been used as the nu-
cleus of the winning combination. Had
the valley counties been able to unite
they could at any time have controlled
over. The balance Of power is shifting,
and the four judicial districts west of
the valley will have more delegates i'll
the next state convention than the
four districts that include the valley.
The, machine has a pretty, strong hold
on the fourth district, which is in the
eastern section, and on some counties
in the other districts. If the slope is
4 strong aslever for the machine, it will
be practically impossible to dislodge it.
I The only trouble with this calcula
ton is that the newcomers in the west
ern section are an unknown quantity;
timers run things to suit themselves,
the machine will capture the western
delegations, but the insurgents have
strong hopes of reaching the new set
tiers and with their votes overturning
things. The immigration into Missouri
river counties has been heavy, but the
great rush has been into the counties
Of the ''Mouse River loop McHenry,
Bottineau, Ward and Williams. Ward
county, which has Minot for it's county
seat, jumped from 1861 people in 1909
to 33,469, according to the state CEN
Sus this year: It is now the most popu-
the largest delegation in the state con-
vention. McHenry county increased
from 5,253 to 1921 people in the same
period, Bottineau from 1852 to 1914,
and Williams county from 1880 to
1921 Burleigh county. used to be ,prac-
been filing up fast, and grew over 60
! per cent in the five years. Mclean
county, tapped by the new 500 extern
sion and developed by the coal indus
try about Washburn, has jumped from
4,79l to 1926.
/ Hope to Swamp Norwegian Vote.
= A feature of this immigration that
. interests the politicians is that it is
: nearly all native-born American farm,
, ers and their families, coming in from
Iowa., Illinois, Minnesota and other
: western states, attracted by the chcal
land. Comparatively few of the new
settlers, it is claimed, are of Scandi
navian extraction. In years past the
u machine has found the Norwegian ele
e ment in the state hardest to handle
: and it used to be almost controlling
d factor. Now, it is said, the Norwegians
: are much in the minority, and are only
IN the lead in four counties-TraIll
Walsh, Steele and Nelson. The new
8 no one knows how they will be 'linet
5. up. at the primaries next year. The ma
e chine leaders say they are all busy
: satisfied with the conditions, and viii
3, not be drawn into the insurgent move
il ment. The result in the state hangs t.
IL large extent on the attitude of thes,
: new voters.
on Bismarck and Burleigh county, an
IL expects to get thru next year withou
70 much opposition locally. Senator Little
A. the leading banker of the city, is work
II ing in entire sympathy with the stat
~ y administration. While Mckenzie is her
=, very little, he has a strong local influ
y ence: There have been some hard fight
:" in Bismarck. and led by F. H. Register
a local attorney, the opposition has wo
No. out several times in city fights. M
:, Register was mayor for several years
= but, is out Of office now. If he cor
"a cludes to take W. the game again mex
IS year and lead an insurgent ticket at til
lig primaries, there will be good fight, br
10 with the odds on the machine. -.
ed Mixed in Ward County Empire.
T. Ward county will be storm cente
or and the fight for it's big delegation wi
80 attract great deal Of attention. II
- - local fight in Ward county has very Ii
a. tie connection with state issues, but
- the primaries there will be line draw
&. between machine and insurgents, an
~, s local factions line up. In the last fgl
= the faction headed by Major Murpf
n was downed, but the winners are no
d. badly divided. One section Of the
re are friendly to Mckenzie but hostile
cd Hansbrough: They are headed by R.
Ia, Ssnborn, whom Hansbrough has di
nd placed as register Of the Minot land @
70 fee. He is receiver of the Minot Opt
tn and has begun to go after Hansbrous
in that paper. A deal is on to buy
the Optic and run it as a straight m
to chine paper. Another faction is oppos,
alf to both Mckenzie and Hansbrough,
In we'll as to Murphy, so it is hard to fl
in ure on the outlook in Ward county. T.
n newcomers will decide the question. T.
led records show that 5000 new real esta
~, descriptions were added to the tax 70
zee In the county last year, representa-
i'd no doubt almost that many new vote
ed The. county has 1854 townships and
traversed by 235 miles of railroad, 1
4 Of it 500 main line and 90 miles Gre
IN, NoItHeIu. Inc new voters Will al
he dominate Mclean county. which h
ne, heretofore been carried in the pocket
ed John Satterlund, receiver of the B
err marck land office. Stark county.
ION which Dickinson is the county seat,
r,s thought to be "cinched'' for mach
err disposition, but Morton county, viii
ro- includes Mandan, is fighting ground. /
re- these towns along the Northern Paci
n have awakened from their former des
ness to a. wonderful business activit
Dickinson is doing a tremendous volul
&. of business, and Bismarck banks n,
In have deposits of over $1,200,000. a
,ed the maximum is not yet reached. The
ay, things mean that every one is busy a
by rot easy to interest in politics. TIL
a are entirely satisfactory to the powt
lay that be in state politics. If there h
tty been a bad crop this year and farm,
the were kicking. they would be far wo1
nee alarmed than they seem to be at pr
me ent.
yle Primary Law Is Botch Work.
ght
of No one knows how the primary ell
les. tion law is going to work. The law
far from being what the insurgel
want, and they charge freely that it |
been framed for the purpose of disgu
ing the people with the primary prin
rn1n AS fa nj nd al