The New York herald., 1922-06-27
MUCH MONEY SPENT
TO help MCUMBER
~
North Dakota, However,
Does Not Make Any Charge
of Corruption.
SOURCE A MYSTERY
Railroads Are Suspected Of
Backing the Senator in
Primary Fight.
FRAZIER is NOT WEALTHY
FRAZIER is NOT WEALTHY
Eve Of Voting Finds the Situ-
alton Complicated by Issue
Of 'the Interests

ssecioI Dsspotch to THE New Yosx HnALp.
FARGO. N. D.. Juno 26.-The charge IL
widely circulated In this State that
much money has been spent in the In
tereste Of Porter J. McCumber. who is
fighting on no better than even terms
against the Non-Partisan Lacquer.
Lynn ]. Frazier. to win denomination
for the United States Senate in the
primaries Of Wednesday.
It Is not charged that the large
sums mentioned have been used cor
ruptly and 1t is certainly not asserted
that McCumber himself has had any
thing to do with the expenditure.
Nevertheless one hears from men of
affairs who think they know what they
are talking about that cash Is playing
as much a part in the pre-primary
activities of North Dakota as it played
IN other States not so long ago.
1t is persistently repeated that the
railroads traversing North Dakota are
keenly interested In the Senatorial cone
test and that men known To- repre-
the railroads In political H. tiers
among the principal hackers OF McCuu-
Der and active In the fight against
FRAZIER. Whatever may be the source
or the cash. It seems apparent that
Frazier is not being benefited by It.
The Non-Partisan League treasury Is
not bulging these days. Frazier him.
self is possessed Of only modest means.
and no politician in the State Is more
disliked by the big corporations. People
say. therefore. that McCumber is the
beneficiary Of the big expenditure. how
ever little he may know about 1t as
he stays in Washington and relegates
the direction Of his field forces to Alex
ander Mackenzie.
Mackenzie N . Factor.
This Mackenzie IL an interesting, even
picturesque figure. He was the Repub-
lican boss Of the State before the Nom
Partisan League sprang into being un-
der the leadership of such men as DR..
Ladd and Frazier. and even now he
retains large influence. He II credited
with being tho dispenser of Federal
patronage. under McCumber Of course.
and for years he was complimented by
opinion which held that he was the
political instrument Of the James ]. Hill
railway interests. Great Northern and
others. It was common to speak Of
Alex Mackenzie as Jim Hil's man."
and to refer to McCumber as ALEX
MacKenzies man."
For years McCumber was pictured as
doing the bidding Of the shrewd and
able Mackenzie and Of receiving Mac
Kenzie's favor In consequence. That
the boss was more than friendly to the
great railroad interests when these were
fighting for a fair deal against the
Socialistic impulses Of the young State
was thoroughly understood. and 1t fol-
lowed not unnaturally that many people
believed McCumber was not In the bad
books OF the railroad corporations. A
great many people think that situation
Is unchanged and II enters into their
speculations when they wonder where
all the money that has been spent in q,
poor mems campaign has come from.
Alex Mackenzie goes his way smiling.
as communicative as an oyster. but In
active management OF McCumber's cam
paign.
North Dakota 10 an important rail-
road State. Trunk lines OF big systems
traverse its prairies and draw rich
traffic from its wheat fields. The big
ones are the Chicago. Milwaukee and
st. Paul, the Chicago and Northwestern,
the Great Northern and the Northern
Pacific, and there are five smaller lines.
The railroads have been deeply annoyed
and persistently harassed by tho Nom
Partisan League officials. and In a hun
dred petty ways as well as In the way
of legislation, which has been costly
and hamperinr Naturally they have
no use for Frazier. having experienced
his Governship. and they would go. It
10 believed In this State. to any lawful
means to see that he Is beaten by Nc
Cumber. That is the Job that MacKen-
zie has taken on-and Mackenzie is q
man whose methods are not advertised
or shouted In tho street
Question Of vaIue.
This railroad support, of whatever
character, may have helped McCumber.
IL may have injured him. 1t Is to be
kept in mind that the farmers Of North
dakota do not like the railroads or any
thing about them and that one of the
prime causes Of the rise and growth Of
the Non-Partisan League itself was the
belief that the railroads were instru-
mental In preventing them from getting
Just prices for their wheat. Anybody
known tc be favored by the railroads
or even suspected Of enjoying the favor
of the railroads, is under suspicion.
when not actually an object OF positive
aversion. For this reason McCumber
has been unable to make inroads upon
Frazier's radical strength. some ele-
ments Of which might be disposed to
support McCumber on account Of his
long service. his eminence and his
recognised high character.
The word has gone about over the
State that ''thc interests" want to keep
McCumber In tho Senate. This Is well
nigh a poisonous charge In such an
electorate. II has hurt McCumber. II
may turn out to be his destruction. The
speakers and busy agents OF the Nom
Partisan League. energcticaliy and
swiftly criss-crosslng the State In their
fiivvers. repeat the charge incessantly,
scattering as we'll the insinuation that
enormous sums are. being spent to win
A.