Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-10-25
THE DEMOCRATIC MACHINE.


In dignified and sensible article
which must appeal TO all republicans
in the state, the Grand Forks Times
takes the following accurate view or
the political situation in this state:
Governor Burke has become one OF
the shrewdest political leaders in the
United States. He has the ability to
dodge issues that injure his chances
and to magnify those which help him.
He has by claiming to be non-partisan
"a condition made imperative by be-
ing in the mi>~rity-caught many re-
publicans. BY appointing a few luke
warm republicans to office he has CIV
en- his administration the appearance
of being liberal, but at the same time
has given the democratic appoint
ments to the best politicians in his
party. Thus while he has Quoted the
fears of many by the appointment OF
republicans, he has surrounded him
self with the best party machine that
could be developed. We are not criti-
cising him for these things, but only
using them as danger signals against
their continuation.
The democrats in this campaign
have talked of defeating Congressman
Hanna. They are basing their talk
ha oh ~ ~
carry a large vote to the democratic
candidate for congress. There is only
one thing that will prevent the effort
from being made, and that is the fear
that seeking too much just now might
cause a reaction which would over
whelmingly defeat the candidate for
governor and lose all that had been
gained The Times ventures the pre-
diction that if Governor Burke was
elected this time he will be candi-
date for fourth term. We predicted
before his last election that in that
event he would be a candidate for a
third term, and the governors parti-
sans denounced it as a dishonest
method Of seeking to prejudice the
voters against him. Yet that predic-
ton was as true as scripture. The
signs for fourth term are more pro-
nounced than they were for third.
A third term will give him, through
his appointments, absolute control of
every state institution, and while the
several boards may manage the in
situations without reference to open
politics, there is no question but that
the members will do valiant service
for the governor Incidentally, no
one has found in this campaign a
Burke appointee who was not also an
active and open Burke partisan. The
machine already has several cogs.
Those men have political right to
follow this course They have a po-
litical right to look we'll to the in
terests of the man who confers hon
ors upon them.
But when all this is conceded, the
fact yet remains that a democratic
machine is being constructed as for
midable and on exactly the same plan
as the republican Quay machine in
Pennsylvania. In that state Quay al
ways saw to it that a few easy going
opponents were appointed and that
the rest were his strongest and ablest
adherents. In this way he Quieted
opposition until he had such a l.
chine that the people could not over.
turn it even after his death.
Once such a machine is entrenched
in the state, the democratic party
will be able to elect it's congressman
and United States senators and to
throw the electoral vote of the state
to that party. That would mean the
state lining up for fifty cent wheat,
six cent wool and similar prices for
farm products. Do the farmers really
want that condition?