The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-26
BURKE AND LEGISLATION.

BURKE AND LEGISLATION.
Some Of the old line democratic pa
pers of the state are alarmed over the
fact that the legislature, dictated by
republican policies. will refuse to give
Governor Burke the legislation which
he will ask in the carrying out OF his
plan OF reforming the state govern
ment- The trouble lies largely in the
fact that already the republican press
has taken the wind out of the demo-
cratic sails and LETT the reform ship
merely drifting with the tide. with n"
pilot aboard qualified to get her into
port.
This cry is merely IN attempt to
hedge and to avoid the results which
must come from the failure of their
campaign promises. The people Of
this state were told before the cleo
ton that the state government was
rotten and that all that was necessary
was to elect John Burke and all would
be reformed. MIR. Burke in substance
stated these same things on the stump.
The Evening Times and other .repub-
lican papers pointed TO the fallacy of
such an argument and contended that
these promises were merely for the
purpose Of influencing voters and that
they could not be fulfilled.
But the spirit OF reform was in the
air and under the magnetism of Mr..
Burke's eloquence such arguments
were swept aside. The unexpected
happened and the voters took the dem
ocratic campaign managers at their
word. Now that they have elected a
democratic governor the democrat,.
press realizes that it is impossible to
fulfill the ante-election promises ana
disaster looms up black and threat
eniug in front.
Ii the majority of the legislature lis
in political sympathy with Governor
Burke's politics-if it is democratic
he will have all the legislation he
asks. But if it does not agree with
him. even he cannot expect the men,
bers to betray the trust reposed in
them by their constituents and leg
islate adversely to the interests of
these electors.
The election of Burke is one Of the
anomilies Of politics. If the people
had chosen to support him in his Of
fetal course, they would certainly
have elected legislature in sympa-
thy with his political views. Certain
it is that the republican party will not
become parties to the schemes which
must certainly fail, and then be held
responsible for such failures when the
record gees before the people at the
next election. If that party has made
mistakes it has no right to shoulder
the responsibility onto others. It
must stand at the bar of justice and
answer for such. So must Governor
Burke. He knew. the difficulties he
would have to encounter If elected
without the support of a democratic
legislature, yet he never opened his
mouth to secure the election of sin
gle member of that body SO far as the
records disclose.
The republican party has written
too much good law alto the statutes
OF North Dakota to be swerved from
its purpose merely to prop up the ped
estal upon which a political ndol has
been placed and which is now totter-
ing on its foundations. As in the past
il it has the power and is consequently
responsible to the people for the laws
it Will give the state just what the
conlbincd wisdcr. OF The legislature
considers best. But it will not, under
such circumstances, give the democra-
tic party Il means of experimenting
with matters in which 1t is wholly un-
learned. and then assume the respon-
sibility for the failure of the scheme.
HEARST AND THE DEMOCRACY.
Everybody will commend Mr.
Hearst's resolution never again to be
candidate. Nothing in his public life
so becomes him as his retirement from
it. 1t shows his good sense too. His
only qualification for further nomina-
ton at the hands OF the democratic
party is his ability to run sixty thou
sand behind his ticket in New York.