Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-06-18
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THE SENATORIAL HAND. !

:
THE SENATORIAL HAND.
We have had in this campaign IL
Illustrations of the potency of speech
es, statesmanship, intelligence and
similar atainments Of the candidate,
but it has remained for the Grand
Forks Times to illustrate for us the
potency Of the senatorial hand.
The Times has been industriously
setting forth the virtues of Senator
Hansbrough, and its zeal has only
been rivalled by its occasional lack
Of discretion. And in the closing
days of the campaign the Times
tells us how Senator Hansbrough got
q million dollars for the state by the
graceful and persuasive employment
OF the senatorial hand.
1t was all in connection with he
visit Of Williston citizens to Wash
ington to get funds with which to
begin irrigation work in that vicin-
ity. There were some millions In
funds rightly belonging to North Da-
kota's share of the reclama ton fund !,
and a delegation Of citizens from
Williston went down to Washington
to see what could be done. Their
wanderings in quest of the funds
were long and best with difficulties.
Many persons they approached
were unable to direct them to the
treasury vaults where the grapes of
irrigation were stored. And at
length, weary, worn and in despair,
they found Senator Hansbrough.
The senator, SO we are Informed
by the Times. took them directly to
the president, as the man who held
the keys of the big vaults. tsMr
President" he said, these gentle
men are friends of mine. They have
come down here from North Dakota
and they want a million dollars"
1t was little sum, in the eyes Of the
senator, but it sounded big to the
gentlemen from North Dakota.
The president, so we are led to be-
lieve from the Times discourse upon
the incident, did not at once respond.
Then note the tactics of the shrewd
Senator Hansbrough. He laid his
hand on the presidents shoulder, at
fectionately and persusaively. Out
in the secretary's room Bill Leob
wept big tears of joy. Stenographic
activity was suspended. Nothing
was heard but the basting of a big
turkey in the White House kitchen.
The presidents strenuous count
enance relaxed. A thrill of generos-
ity went through him as he felt the
touch Of the senatorial hand on his
shoulder. His purse strings unloos-
ed. On the following morning the
million dollars was found and
brought home to Williston.
Thus we see the virtue in the sem
atorial hand We have no criticism
to offer except had Senator Hans
brough laid both hands on the pres
ident's shoulders we might have had
two millions instead of one. But
perhaps the senator's other hand was
busy scratching his chin.
Thus we have senator, SO the
Times gravely informs us, the touch
Of whose hand on the presidents
shoulder is worth million dollars
to the state. BY plain arithmeticaI
calculation it will be found that the
worth Of the senator's personality,
figuringing q single hand at a mill
lion dollars, is incalcu1able 1t
reaches into the billions or trillions.
Can we, asks the Times, afford to
sacrifice senator with a million
dollar hand What other man could
{ lay hand on the presidents s1loul-
der and pry loose million dollars
from the treasury.
Seriously speaking, this trait of
Senator Hansbrough's paper to claim
for the senator the undivided credit
for all that has been accomplished
for North Dakota is the trait in SEN
ator Hansbrough that has made SO
much pickering and discord in the
delegation at Washington Senator
Hansbrough's press bureau at Wash
ington has never failed to claim
credit for whatever is done. There
has been credit enough for all and it
should be shared by the whole dele
cation.
A recent review Of the senator's