Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1912-04-18

rs sccond-cIass matta. Lintc.
Senate. 1o,4s, = Washington. in
the sens,e' recently. made one of
tho mast remarkable speeches which
has been heard in the upper nation
al body in many a day. Senator
Jones was on the committee investi-
eating the charges Of bribery in con-
nection with the election Of Senator
Stephenson Of Wisconsin. whose ex-
pense account in the primary cleo
ton at which he was elected ran to
over a hundred thousand dollars.
Previous to his appointment on the
investigating committee Senator
Jones was opposed to the continue
ton in Office OF the elderly Wiscon-
sin senator; but. after listening to
the large volume of testimony pro
and con in the case, he voted with
the majority of the committee to the
effect that no case had been made
connecting the senator with the
spending of any of his money illegal.
ly. The evidence showed that vast
sums of money had also been ex-
pended by other candidates in that
primary. one of the defeated candi-
dates having spent more than forty
thousand dollars. the difference be-
tween this man and Stevenson being
only one of degree. 1t was also
shown that when LaFollette was
first elected governor of Wisconsin
Mr.. Stephenson's money-bags we're
also opened as wide for the pompa-
dour candidate as they we're when
he (Stephenson) was elected senator.
In his speech Senator Jones dissected
the undertaking press that. regard
less of the evidence. sought to have
Stephenson declared guilty. when he
had done absolutely nothing that
had no been done by those who op-
posed him as candidates in the pri-
mary election. The fact is that
Stephenson did in Wisconsin just
what men having the money to spend
have done right along in every cleo
ton for important place, and just
what he did when his immense
wealth was used to make LaFollette
governor only to meet. later. MOTH
ing but ingratitude and abuse from
the man who owed his first rise in
politics largely to Stephenson's
money. The. committee reported
that, while a large sum had been
spent by several of the candidates
when Stephenson was chosen senator
in spite of LaFollette. there was
nothing to show that it had been
spent for the purchase of votes. The
senate voted in favor of Stephenson.
among the majority being dozen
democratic senators men like Sem
ator Pomerene of Ohio. against
whose election the finger of suspi.
cion could not be pointed who
believed in the legal and equitable
maxim of giving All accused man
1.-THE benefit of the doubt" men
who, while regretting the prevalence
of system that allowed large ex-
penditures of money in elections,
would not condemn an individual
who had violated no law-men with
the moral courage to espouse the
cause of an unpopular man for the
sole and only reason that they believ-
ed him innocent. And yet many of
those senators who refused, with
such evidence as had been given in
the investigation, to find Stephen
son guilty. are strongly in favor of
laws that will render the expendi-
lures of large sums impossible. 1t
is to provide remedy for this evil
that corrupt-practice acts such as
we have here in North Dakota are
being passed. And how manifestly
unfair it would have been to unseat
a senator who had expended large
sum but only in degree larger
sum than his opponents at the pri-
mary while there was no law
against such expenditures, and while
such expenditures were being made
in all the states that were without
limiting laws. Senator McCumber,
OF this state, was another senator
who had the moral courage to vote
against the unseating of Stephenson,
knowing that he had done nothing
that had not been done by him fol
LaFollette, and that had been done
by his opponents at the primary cleo.
ton in Wisconsin. Senator McCum.
Der knew that every barking news
paper cur that had been swapping a,
his heels for years would yelp still
louder in North Dakota; but it die
not move him. 1t moved him n,
more than eastern opposition in tn,
senate has moved him during the
years that he has been battling
against injustices of the reciprocit,
stamp aimed at the interests Of tn,
agricultural commonwealth he rep
resents. And he will be honoret