The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1910-11-17
Editor of the Independent:


On several occasions the editor of
Reporter, preceding the recent elec-
least provocation, seen fit to assail
me by referring to me as tool in
the hands CT Jim Kennedy in the last
Legislative session.
In one of the issues of the Daily
Reporter, proceeding the recent cleo
ton, he comes out boldly with the
following statement:
John Wallin, the staunch insurgent
senator who became stalwart i'm
mediately upon his election to the
senate, and who was one Of the pill
ant tools OF Jim Kennedy during the
last session of the legislature, was
supposed to be a great insurgent until
lie became senator from this district;
he lined up with the Mckenzie
machine and has done the bidding
OF the master since that time; he
voted with the machine on every
measure; ne stood with Jim Kennedy.
This | brand as base and malicious
falsehood and misrepresentation Of
facts, and l can prove it by my own
record which can be found in the
Journal Of the senate.
Only once during the whole ses-
sion did Mr.. Kennedy request me to
vote for one Of his measures and that
was Senate Bill No. 81 providing for
the establishment of state fair, and
locating the same at Fargo. l voted
for the measure for the simple rea-
son that II we were to have a state
fair concluded that Fargo was the
right place for it, and besides this,
we needed all the friends we could
get for the support of the Minot
normal school amendment. The fact
that Mr.. Kennedy's measure passed
the senate by vote of 29-15 proves
conclusively that chose the right side
Mr.. Kennedy did not even need my
VOTE and I considered it would have
been very foolish of me to refuse this
little request to vote for his measure.
| might say that if l had any boss in
the last Legislature, that boss was the
Minot Normal School Bill and | do
not believe that the people of Minot
think that I should be abused for the
work l put in securing the passage
of this measure. 1t will be re-
membered that the Mjinet Normal
School bill was persistently fought
from beginning to end, and is requir-
ed more than mere buster to keep
it afloat.
Now, CT course, voted the same
way as Mr.. Kennedy did on several
occasions, but as did the rest Of the
senators. Many of these measures
originated in the house; some Of the
bills were Senator Steele's of Mo-
hall, some of them were my own bills;
many of them were the product Of
progressive senators and represen-
tatives, and some Of them originated
from Democratic members. Why
not call me Democrat just as we'll.
voted for many Of their bills and so
did Mr.. Kennedy. Perhaps the
Democrats also were the tools of
Mr.. Kennedy.
According to the Reporter all you
have to do to be a good unbiased
legislator, is to vote against Mr..
Kennedy. The newly elected repre-
sentatives will do we'll to note this.
All you have to do in the legislature
next winter is to watch Mr.. Kennedy
and see how he votes. When he
votes Aye, you vote no. and when he
votes No, you vote Aye. Then you
will be hailed as a good insurgent
and unbiased legislator by the Minot
Reporter. This will be an easy mat
ter for me, as the roll call IS in alph-
abetical order and as my name ap-
pears on the last part of the list, and
as Mr.. Kennedy votes before me all
will have to do is to listen to Mr..
Kennedy, and vote the opposite.
Let me give you another illustra-
ton. When House Bill No. 26 known
as the anti-pass bill came up to be
voted on, Mr.. Kennedy voted for It..
Now occording to the Reporters
argument,I should have voted against
It, but if l had done so, now would
my record look. Many of the pro-
gressive senators voted the same way