The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-13
WARM OBSERVATION
on POLITICAL
JUDASES
Some Pertinent Comments on
Some cass County Poll :
+ : ticians.
tlClanS.

Deisem and Cash Hammond of the
North Dakota railroad commission at
the johnson hotel last evening. They
are attending meeting of the rail-
road commissioners of the several sta
tions, called to meet at Washington
at this time In connection with pend
ing legislation. The gentlemen from
North Dakota were making. agreeable
remarks to several gentlemen from
South Carolina, whom they met in Call
ifornia last winter, including two or
three congressman from that state,
who are satisfied from the excellent
missionary work done by the North
Dakota party, that there ID no country
on earth, barring South Carolina. quite
equal to North Dakota. and no better
fellows, excepting Tillman. than North
DakOta's representative men. Com
missioner Hepburn of Alabama was
with the party AS a story teller. Hep
burn takes the lead over Colonel
Plummer, even in his palmy days,
when his water fall story used to ex-
cite everything capable of manifest
ing the sensation of pleasure in man
or woman, into active demonstration.
/ never understood before what made
Plummer go to Maine. He must have
heard Hepburn and decided to yield
the palm, or possibly had pre- that
w. j. Hawk was about to open his
batteries on him not realizing, per-
haps, that at most his guns were of
the kind known In war as a branch
battery.
Colonel Plummer made bet Of
we'll, no matter what--One time that
he could buy the vote of a certain al
legged representative from Cass coun-
ty for the sum of $40 to vote for a
pending proposition. The colonel won.
1t wasn't Hawk. but there were some
things in Hawks legislative career,
that If the, colonel was to take up, and
mix with poetic license, that would
make it exceedingly distasteful to him.
1T is not necessary to go to Alaska
to purchase affidayits with California
bold to blacken the regulations of
some would-be statesmen from west
ern Cass county. The truth. as known
I, to those who kept legislative tab.
would be enough. Had Hawks per-
sistent effort to secure place through
Senator Hansbrough, brought desired
results, would he now be among the
dirty ours bowling down the pike" or
among the friends and admirers of
Senator Hansbrough. who has given
seventeen of the best years of his life
to the upbuilding of North Dakota in
terests, applying his own standard of
fidelity.
The Alaska man, whom Mr.. Hawk
relies upon for his evidence, swears
he was a liar and perjurer. His af-
fidavit is good enough to defame In
the hands of men who delight in loot
ing character" but when his counter
affidavit is put on the course with the
lie they prefer the lie. They, go to
Alaska to defame, but hold it dis
reputable to go to Alaska for defense.
They do not like the hair of the dog
to cure the bite. Nor do they want
the home record of the men they seek
to defame; they rely upon the pnf-
chased lies waited down from Alaska
in the hope Of influencing the new ele-
ment in the state. These lies are the
chief stock in trade of those working
overtime in their efforts to destroy the
influence of those who have devoted
SO much of their lives to the upbuild-
ing of North Dakota.
A campaign of defamation rarely
brings good results. 1 do not believe
it helpful to q good man and have
known it to be used as one of the
elements to bolster up a bad cause.
From the echoes which have reached
here from Fargo l think the defama-
ton racket was overworked in the re-
cent city campaign. The supporters
of Mayor Wall, good man who did
not go wrong, can congratulate them
selves that Mayor Johnson will help
make the state fair one of the biggest
things Fargo has ever had. Mayor
Wall can settle down to his reward
abuse for good things done, rather
than criticism for failures. That is
the reward of good men in office no
matter how small or how great their
salaries. Washington and Lincoln met
with harsher criticism than Mr.. Roose-
welt has ever had, or the abused sena-
tors are getting. Alexander Ramsey,
VIM. Window, and long line of Min
nesota men, were destroyed by cam
paigns Of defamation and the strength
of the state in congress seriously inn
paired, for the states which have al
ways had greatest influence and COM
manded most for their people. and
have made the strongest impression
upon the affairs of our country, are
those which have stood by their faith
full representatives, re-electinG them
wear after year.