The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1912-08-08

Ledgerwood Broadaxe.

1U11-WucIl l was Wrltln& nome
those fervid descriptions Of the
Perfidy Of the Senate and the hor-
rid details of the Cowan disaster,
I was just rash enough to say
I believed the men who stood
behind Cowan and defended him
and voted for his acquittal in the
face Of the evidence, were merely
sacrificing themselves and that, in
the end, they would pay the PEN
atty for the fantastic tricks they
thought they were playing with
decency and justice. Most of you
may have forgotten that affair.
One of you hasn't-and that's my
friend Emil. I believe right now
if you'd appoach him and say,
right suddenly Mud Baths" he'd
shy like two-year old colt at a
rattlesnake. You see some people
have better memories than others.
And this is to refresh your mem
cries. The returns from the re-
cent primary are in and this is
something of what they disclose:
In the senate Of the men who
backed Cowan, ten COY were not
candidates for Reelection. The
list is:
Judson LaMoure, Pembina
Jerome Ruzicka, Park River
]. E. Stevens, Northwood
James Kennedy, Fargo
Ole Syverton, Overly
Frank M. Walton, Glendale
L. A. Simpson, Dickinson
E. A. Movius, Lidgerwood
T. Welo, Velva
G. S. Trimble, Westhope
Add to that three (3) who were
candidates and who were defeated
for denomination:
John G. Gunderson, Aneta
F. A. Baker, Devils Lake
"A. L. Martin, Sentinel Butte
Two only who were candidates
for reelection were successful.
They were:
F. s. Talcott, Buffalo
H. P. jacobson, Mott +,
And when you are counting, re-
member that only half the men,
bership of the senate is elected
each year. For instance our man
Carter, of the 18th district, holds
over and will not be up for re-
nomination till 1914. Senators
from the odd-numbered districts
were up for denomination this
year, and of the 25 but two of the
is who voted for Cowan will be
up for reelection in November.
In the house the issue was not
as clear, for there was a shifting
of base by many of the members
and yet, taking the last vote
where they voted to impeach
Cowan, the record from the re-
turns is interesting and instruc-
tive.
OF the SO men who voted for
Cowan on Feb. goth in the House
the election returns show:
Seventeen (17) not candidates
for denomination
Seven (7) candidates were de-
feated for denomination
Twelve (12) were re-nominated
1t may all be only and merely
a coincidence, a peculiar fluke.
But, me, I am not taking much
stock in the law of chance. I am
of the opinion that the people are
not half as sleepy as they seem
and that their memories are easily
logged. Not fit to rule them
selves? leave that for such
geniuses as Taft to say.
And on top of all the long list
of fatalities, and while we are
reckoning up the list of dead and
wounded who sacrificed them
selves for the gang and at the call
of the machine-let me point out
that the sacrifice was useless and
the forlorn hope was all in vain.
Cowan himself was defeated atthe
primary by about 700 votes, for
denomination to the judgeship.
1t may be he can recoup and pull
through in November-he has a
second chance then-but the
chances are against him getting
back to the bench where the gang
held him at such a fearful cost.
There's just one thing worth
taking note of, out of this, and
that is: You can't back booze and
machine politics and win. In the
end you take the count and so does
the thing you stand for. Butt
came quick this time.
Arc Ever at War.