Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-11-02
RAILROAD OPPOSITION.
A JAMESTOWN VIEW OF THE
JuDGEsHIP FIGHT AND THE
RELATION OF THE RAIL-
ROADS THEREWiTH.

2E$#3%ESSs tASnSS lFIs ,tS!5rs ~ a
jamestown Alert: The corporation
attorneys of Fargo and Grand Forks
are very much interested in defeating
Judge Knauf for the supreme court.
Ever since the convention was held
those. interested lawyers have been
pushing the opposition. C. ]. Murphy,
attorney for the Great Northern rail
way company for the state at Grand
Forks has written to all the lawyers in
the northern portion of the state
soliciting funds with which to carry
on this opposition. In Fargo Judge
Young, who resigned to enter the
firm of Ball, Watson & Young, the we'll
known attorneys in this state for the
Northern Pacific Railway Co., is
treasurer of the lawyers committee
and is soliciting funds from the
southern portion of the state with
which to carry on the fight against
Knauf. ..
Prior to the convention it is claimed
that a deal was entered into by these
parties in conjunction with the head
officials of those railroads., by which
a Grand Forks democrat was to have
been nominated by the republican
! convention Judge Engerud and ex-
Judge Corliss, it is claimed, were in
this deal, but the convention refused
to ratify same and selected John
Knauf, a republican, instead. This
brought protest from a few lawyers
in Fargo who induced Judge Engerud
to make his i'll advised threat to re-
sign if the convention persisted in
nominating Mr.. Knauf.
| This naturally suggests the inquiry,
why are these people at this time
so interested in a non-partisan judi
ciary" Does it not seem a little
strange for all the great railroads
and corporations and their attorneys
to suddenly become so virtuous and so
tsolicitous as to the personnel of the
members of the supreme court? Does
anyone for a moment suppose that
the Northern Pacific railway COM
pany or the Great Northern railway
company would be raising all this
"howl" about the qualifications Of the
republican nominee if he was "their
MANI" '
Corporations are much the same
everywhere. And the records of rail-
road corporations show that they
have never paid much attention to
anything but their own selfish inter
/ ests. 1t is pretty safe to assume that
they have their own private reasons
for opposing any particular candidate
4 for any special office, and likewise
that they have their own reasons for
supporting any particular candidate
for Office
When we, look into the facts we
find that Judge Knauf .. has always
been what is known as an anti-cor-
poration lawyer. For years he has
! taken cases against the Northern Pa.
cifc railway. He has tried a great
many cases against this company
with success. "
/ Poor railroad men who have been
injured have come to him, with their
claims after having been turned down
by the claim agent, and he has fought
Etheir cases to a successful ISSUE He
fdoes not accept favors from the rail
roads that would put him under obi
cations to them, and is probably the
only judge in the state today who re
fuses to ride on a pass. His influence
was used to good effect in securing
| the passage of the personal injury bill
that was placed upon the statute
books a few years ago. He believes in
Egiving the railroads and great corpor
Eations a fair and square deal, no less
land no more. e..
T This would be sufficient for most
people, but it is not what these great
corporations want They want to feel
"sure' of their man. They know Mr.
EKanuf as lawyer, and know that he
has always been against them. They
do not know him as a judge, and are
naturally fearful that he will prove
Independent" OF their influence In
1.-THE case. OF his opponent they have
lhad some ten years OF experience
with him as a Judge. Theeyys know know
Iabont what treatment they can can de
lpend on at his hands. They know
that he has accepted, favors from
them. during all this time, and thai
Inc feels .fgiendiy 70 them, and thai
II elected he viii be- under more obit
cations to them, and they feel SAFE
with this z experienced 1urist thar
they do with the nntrisd lawyer who
has always SO successful X opposed
them III the past. We believe this
Il in measure axfsIains The great In