The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-05-09
GOVERNOR AND SENATORSHIP

SentitlOn OF Minnesota IN the Unit
ed States Senate, a vacancy, the
filling OF which the law of nation
and state devOlves upon the Gov
crnor Of Minnesota. 1t is the pero-
gative and the duty Of Governor
Preus to select the citizen to serve
in the high and important capacity
of Senator until the people of the
state can exercise their sovereign
right, at the next general election
to declare their choice.
Circumstances add to the import
ance which always attaches to the
office of Senator Of the United
States. The situation makes addi
tionally impressive the power
which the law coniers upon the
Governor. The manner in which
the high authority will be exercised
assumes public concern wholly
new to Minnesota experience. Too
great stress cannot be laid upon
the Importance for the present and
the consequences for the future OF
the method of the discharge of the
duty facing Governor Preus.
There are two courses open:
Governor PreuS may chose a man
who, in his mature and intelligent
judgment, will represent Mime
sofa in the Senate with ability,
dignity and zeal, to the satisfaction
Of the people of the state: or, he
may confer the honor upon him
self through IA compact with Lieu
tenant-GOvernDr Collins, resigning
the Governors seat to the latter
with the understanding that his
own appointment as interim Sen
ator will follow. These are the al
formative courses.
The first is so absolutely right
and the second l.; so positively
wrong that it seems incOnceivable
that Governor Prcus could yield to
the temptation of exercising for his
own benefit and for the promotion
of his own personal and political
fortunes the extraordinary power
conferred upon him by the law
Under that law he may proceed
with a deal which will make Mr..
Collins the Governor and himself
the Senator. Furthermore of self
ish ambition is no violation of
statute law. But every article of
the moral creed would be shattered
by a proceeding which Minnesota
people would regard as a betrayal
of public trust - as degrading d
high authority, conferred for eXer-
else in the best public interest,
into the servant Of self-interest.
AS the state undoubtedly will see
it, an appointment by Governor
Preus, with an eye single to the
public purpose, of fully-qualified
citizen, will be patriotic dis
charge of duty; an appointment by
Mr.. Collins, raised to the office of
Governor. will be malodorous
political deal, unworthy of both
and resented by right thinking
people everywhere.
The political consequences of the
execution of such covenant be-
tween the Governor and the Lieu
tenant-Governor, in which their
own political ACKNOWLEDGEMENT is
everything and the public interest
is nothing, are too apparent for>ex-
tended comment. We are unable
to believe in something as impoe-
sible as continued public conf
dence in officials who seize the
first opportunity to further their
own purposes in an utter disregard
Of public service and political pro-
priety. What the people of the
state would think Of the consum-
nation of deal which would give
to Minneapolis the governorship
and both senatorships is too obvi
Gus for discussion. Geogra phical
ALLEGATION of office is not every
thing, but to award to one city the
highest three offices in the state is
repugnant to every sense of distri
butive fairness.
Attention might be directed to
the fact other governors have been
exposed to the same temptation of
exercising their power for personal
ends and have emerged tri
umphantly from the ordeal, to the
glory of good government and the
safety of the public service. Gov
ernor Sproul of Pennsylvania, with
the double opportunity opened by
the deaths of Senator Knox and
Senator Penrose, was importuned
by his own political circle and
urged by his own ambition to use
the power the law gave him, nego-
tiate a deal with the lieutenant
governor and have himself COM
missioned as intreim Senator. To
his credit and to the good fortune
of Pennsylvania he came through
the fires unscathed He remained
in the office with which he was in
trusted and exercised the author
ity with which he was vested to
give to his state and the country
the services in the Senate of
George Wharton Pepper and David
Adams Reed,-two able and dis
men who already have
written impressively in Senate his
tory and won the approval of state
and nation.
In the situation in Minnesota the
course Of Governor Sproul we'll
may be held up as a fine example.
He was allured by all of the oppor-
tunities and assailed by all of the
temptations confronting Governor
Preus and he never swerved from
the straight line. True to himself
and true to the state, ne was deaf
to the call of self and adamant
against the misguided counssls Of
political associates and depend
ents. The same opportunity is
open to Governor Preus-the same
choice between courses, one of
which will commend him to nublic