Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-10-26
THE SUCCESSOR TO JOHNSON.

As the Tribune suggested, in con-
nection with the death of Senator
Johnson, there is a flood of specu-
lation as to the senatorial success
sion. The senator who will succeed
Johnson, and who will serve the state
until the term beginning March 4,
1911, will be named by Governor
Burke It is taken for granted in
great many quarters that the senator
named will be a democrat. While. it
is admitted that Burke was elected
by republican votes, and the choice
was due to factional quarreling in
the republican ranks rather than any
political desire for the election Of a
democrat as the head of the state
government, yet it is equally true
that the republicans who voted for
Burke understood that he was dem
ocrat and in matters where party
was concerned he would act as
democrat. So the republicans who
voted for democrat have no reason
to expect that the governor. will go
outside of his party to select SEN
ator of the United States. Certain
ly, if through factional quarreling in
the republican ranks the democrats
should elect majority of the legis-
lature, it would not be expected that
they should vote for any other than
a democratic candidate for the United
States senatorship. When republi-
cans go outside of their party to elect
head of the state government, en-
which may become vacant through
death or resignation, they must be
understood as foreseeing just such
possibilities as the one which has be-
come a fact in the death of Senator
Johnson, and the appointment of his
successor.
This is republican state and we
take it the people themselves would
not voluntarily select a democrat for
a position in either house of congress.
Personality does not enter so much
into these places. There are certain
fixed matters of party policy, such as
the tariff, currency, bank regulation,
injunctions and various other sub
jects upon which the republican and
the democratic parties differ mater
tally. The representatives of this
state are elected to vote in these
matters in accordance with republi-
can policies.
If the governor appoints a demo-
crat, Senator Cashel, as the choice
of his party at the primaries for this
place, would seem the logical choice.
There may be reasons why the gov
ernor should not recognize this choice
of the democrats as binding upon
him. 1t might be argued that the
democrats knew that the primary
choice for the senatorship was an
empty honor, inasmuch as the state
was safely republican, and that had
there been an even chance of the
selection Of a democrat, the members
Of the party in the state would have
voted otherwise. The objections
that have been urged against Senator
Cashel and that may be effective in
determining his chances, are that he
has been close to what have
been termed the Interests. 1t is
true Senator Cashel has been allied
with business ventures that have
brought him in touch with moneyed
men, but we have not heard that he
has abused the trust of the people
! of the state in any capacity in which
he has represented them. And as a
business man and inancier, his sup
erior does not live in the state But
it may be that matters of democratic
party policy will force him to one
side. ~.
The appointment of Thomas F.
Marshall has been suggested, as part
of an insurgent and democratic COM
bination. Such an appointment, Of
course, would be made with reference
largely to an exchange Of votes be-
tween insurgent republi leans and DEM
ocrats, with a view to the advantage
Of the democratic candidates in the
s ss .85