The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-09-25
HELLSTR0M MAN
OF THE PEOPLE
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR GOV.
ERNOR OF NORTH DAKOTA HAS
RECORD WHICH PROVES HIM TO
BE FRIEND OF THE PEOPLE At
ALL TIMES.
Was Farmers Friend
When He Was Warden

"f the people Of North Dakota arr
looking cor a governor with the back.
bone OF a j"llyfsh, then don't vote for
ne is a warning made by Frank O,
Hellstrcn democratic nominee for
governor Of this state in opening the
campaign this fall.
This statement is chara cteristic OF
tho man. AS he says, he never was
when he vas warden, and he never
will be As governor, merely a rubber
stamp for the political bosses"
Frank o. HellstrOm is a self-made
man. He has gained his large per
sonal following in North Dakota be.
cause he never made q promise but
what he fulfilled 1t, because he never
TUNED a deaf ear to his friends when
they were in nerd of his services, and
because he hasn't simply used his
friends to further his own interests
and then dropped them when they
we're no longer necessary for his ad.
vanCemont.
Born On a farm, he spent most OF
his life on a farm. Educated for the
legal profession, he graduated from
the Kansas Jaw school in 1892. And
her he devoted much of his time to
the cultivation of the soil in his old
home in Douglas county. Kansas.
SchoOled in the principles of demo
cracy Mr.. Hellstrom early was recOg.
nized as a leader, and in 1896 he
stumped the state Of Kansas for viii.
Ham Jennings Bryan.
When he came to North Dakota II
was in connection with the farm ma.
chinery business and for several years
was manager OF the Fargo branch OF
the Northwest Thrrsher company. It
will be said OF him by that firm that
during his incumbency as manager the
company saw its largest years OF bust.
ness in this state. which proves Mr..
Hellstrom's ability as a business man,
rs also does his record as warden OF
the p~enitentiary.
When John Burke was elected gov.
ernor Of North Dakota in 1906, with
the members Of the board OF control
he began looking around for a man
who would be suitable for warden of
the penitentiary.
The wardenship IL perhaps the most
important office in the state, outside
Of the chief executive. and this Gov
srnor Burke realized. He we'll knew
that 1t raj not simply a plum to give
20 the man who needed to be taken
BARE of by his friends because he had
to any men as a reward for any special
favor which may have advanced the
governors own interests.
Governor Burke realized that under
the Sarles business administration, the
penitentiary had fallen into q deplor.
able condition. Instead of being self.
supporting, as they can be made to
be, the institution was a great fnan.
eial burden on the state. Burke want.
cd to find some nal Of sound business
ideas who would make an honest effort
to decrease this debt in two years
time. for it was then uncertain wheth.
o. the Burke administration would be
sustained at the close Of It's first term.
With this idea in view. he asked
Frank o. Hellstrom to help him show
the people Of North Dakota the value
Of An economic administration. ons
which was really laboring for the In.
forests Of the people. He asked Mr..
Hellstr0m to take charge of the peni.
tentiary and try to lift the great bur.
den of that institution. At first Mr..
Hellstrom was loath to accept. He
realized what it meant. But finally
persuaded, he went at 1t in a manner
that has reflected everlasting credit
on the state and the Burke admins
tration.
What was Mr.. Hel1strom's record A.
warden? Even the most strongly par.
tisan republicans admit It was tho
best in the history of the institution.
The first thing he did was to abolish
the whipping post, the form Of capital
punishment that prevailed in every in.
stitution Of the kind in the land. In
that reform Mr.. Hellstrom wal the pio-
neer. Since then how many states
have followed his example and done
away with whipping posts and all
forms Of capital punishment in one
way or another, either by legislative
enactment or otherwise? Mr.. He'll
strom set the pace that has grown in.
to a widespread movement.
His next act as warden was to o.
tablish the honor system, something
that brought him q national reputation
and gave the state Of North Dakota
much prominence. The Burke admin.
istration's oppo6ents at once predicted
that Mr.. HeAstrom's policy would be
disastrous, that the country would be
overrun with escaped criminals, that
It would undo all the courts and tho
pe~nitentiary had ' . done, and what
not. Have they not all been bitterly
disappointed? The Hellstrom policy
has proved such q marked success in
this state that Warden Talcott, the
gift Of q republican administration, has
made nc effort to change 1t in that 70;
0pect. The Hellstrom policy has prov
On so successful that nearly every
state prison In the United States has
adopted 1t.
When Frank Hellstrom became
den Of the p~enitentiary, 1t was bur.
1ened with debt. There were sight
drafts and other debts due and unpaid
amounting to $4,000, besides bonds
and interest on the same. In his suo-
cessful administration % warden, MI.
Hellstrom paid OF the deficit, paid all
he floating debts, paid the interest on
The bonds, paid $1,000 q bonds. and
saved the farmers Of the state more
49, 000R Ann - Ak>Av H~A~A AA11n Ana