The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-03-31
SOUTH DAKOTA

Returns from South DakOIl
straggle in slowly. Hiram john
sons trumpeters are confident that
the rural precincts will overcome
Mr.. Coolidge's early lead. Per-
haps they are right; but they were
equally confident about the result
of the North Dakota primaries. In
any case, Mr. Coolidge, without the
advantage he had in North Dakota
OF a divided opposition, has made
remarkable run. 1t Is really 4 tri-
unrph for him and not for Johnson,
even if the latter wins. The Re-
publican machine was behind the
Californian. The great Progress
sive is borne along by the Organ
| iZatiOn." Governor MrMaSterS,
Senator Norbeck, the three Repub-
lican Representatives were band
ed together The Republican reg
istration was smalE and the ma
chine may be supposed to have the
best of it,
Last Fall hardly anybody eX-
pccted that Mr.. Coolidge could car
ry the State Proposal Convention,
as he did in December. Relief for
the farmers was then the main is
sue. The President has done all in
his power for that purpose. Much
was made of the oil scandals later
| in the campaign; but Governor Nc
Masters, who seems to have beat
Ell Senator Sterling, needed no oil
scandals. The man who reduced
the price of gasoline from 26.6 to
Is cents must have been a hero to
every voteh' bffii Ford. 1t is SUR
Uprising that he didn't run even fur
Their ahead of Sterling and John
Ison than he seems to have done.
Mr. Johnson made a lot of speech
es. In January he was roaring
against the Administrations policy
OF selling arms to the Oregon
Government. He is not a construc-
tive statesman, except in the mat
, ter of tariff rates on California
products, but he shrewdly espoused
the particular schemes of agricul-
tural relief dear to the South Da-
kota Congressman.
. He set his soul, and all his
"angels" and managers set theirs
on carrying South Dakota. Else
where he was making no visible
progress with all his mo-
ton and d emotion. If he
-ucrc @ s in winning the
tWclvcs votcs Of South Dakota. the
friends of virtue oppressed and the
, under dog" will only be grieve(
that he couldn't do SO on the
l strength IF his shining merits; thu
= The naughty indeptnd ant--ard for
/ mer boss-h:G to be yoked to ths
/, machine Even the friends Of Mr.
coolidge could almost welcome
one bright, brief break in the set
tied Johnsonian gloom.
: The economic causes Of Irritation
and dissatisfaction in South Dako
I Ia are familiar. There, if any
e where. the wand ering itine:ant o
: discomfort might look for an cage
Welcome There, too, the tly-gob
hlcrs who find Gearsay AZ gtron;
4 as proofs of Holy Writ ought to 81
t common. But just there, in tn
face of various difficulties OF pecu
liar local moment and at TIN
V height, perhaps, of the flood of pc
litical sensation and scandal, MI
Coolidge has polled an extraordi
Il nary vote against a political com
bination of extraordinary strength
/ His steadiness, his integrity, tn
I solidity of his character, the quie
courage with which he stands b
the taxpayer in spite of all tn
froth and flourish of noisy politi
e clans, have produced their effect i
\ South Dakota, even in circumstan
G ces most unfavorable and a publ
=, temper ill-disposed to sober rea
y soning.-New York Times.