The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1916-12-12

A score of reasons, causes or ex
cuses for the defeat Of John Burke
for United States Senator have been
advanced in the pas: few weeks, in
political circles over the state. Pos
sibly this has been occasioned by the
rumor that Burke is mentioned as a
candidate for position on the fed
eral bench, and the fact of his defeat
is pointed to. by his friends, as his
martyrdom for Democracy, and by his
enemies as showing that he is a
much over.estimated man.
Somewhere Kipling has written
these lines, which seem to us to be
applicable to the situation:
III we fall in the race though we
4 win, the hoofsIide,is SCARED, on
* the course,
'"ThoIgh Allah and Earth pardon sin,
remaineth forever ,Remorse."",,
&Our friend Burke having not only
had the misfortune to fall III the race,
added to that misfortune a failure to
win. his. must be condition of dou-
lie remorse.
1t is evident to the most unsopllis-
ticated that Burke fell in the race.
The "hoof-slide is still too plainly ev-
ident on the "cSurse'@to' permit Of
denial or refutation. He returned to
the state from his cosytberth as Unit
ed States treasurer and entered the
race for United States Senator. In
doing 50 he repudiated the progress
sive wing Of his own party, ignored
the ticket of his own party, accepted
the benefits, without protest, that
seemed likely to accrue to him from
the insults and humiliations heaped
upon his old friends and supporters,
surrounded himself with the patron
age wing Of his own party and thus
alternating the support of progressives
in both old parties, pretends to search
for the cause of his defeat and his re-
morse.
Unbeaten before. as a progressive,
he has been humbled by p. j. NC
Cumber. who has never lacked the
courage of his convictions to declare
himself a conservative. How could it
happen that Burke, once the idol Of
the state, and the state itself pro-
pressive, can be defeated by over
10000 plurality? IL, a b..
The lack of three things in this
campaign defeated him. These we're:
Courage, fair dealing and sincerity.
He feared to offend the Non-partisan
league, hence he ignored and refused
to mention the Democratic state tick
ct in any of his campaign speeches.
In that he convicted himself in the
eyes of the voters of lack of courage.
He proclaimed himself progressive
OF the Wilson type, and associated
himself with Democrats in the state
who were the anti-type of that, thus
proclaiming his lack of fair dealing
he spoke as a progressive, as an sun-
,doer of wrongs, and yet preserved a
grim silence when his own old.time
friends and supporters we're being gib.
beted before his eyes, and refused to
Lift finger to repair the wrong done
them. Who could believe his SINGER,
ity after that?
These things Burke must know. He
may never acknowledge them to men,
but within him there must exist con.
seriousness of his fall. The hoof-
slide on the course will not be wiped
away by many summers rain or win.
ters' snow. He may strive to hide it
from himself, but the progressives o.
North Dakota know it and talk of it.
He may reinstate himself in their con.
fidence some day, for "Allah and
Earth, pardon SIM" yet for him IRE
maineth forever Remorse."