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)VEMBER 30, 1908
The Commoner.
HE GREAT VICTORY IN NORTH DAKOTA
The greatest political struggle of North' Da
is over. The cause of the people won and
sun has set forever on. railroad control of
state and bossism. John Burke, ' of Devils
like, was elected governor, and Charles J. Fisk,
L Grand Forks, was .elected to the supreme
ich, both being democratic nominees. The
ijorities are substantial, ranging from ten to
3lve thousand.
John Burke is a Scotch-Irishman, born near
journey, Iowa, forty-seven years ago; ho spent
first twenty-five years of his life on a farm
id acquired most of his education in the rural
iooIs. At the age of twenty-five he entered the
department of the state university of -Iowa,
lere he graduated two years later. He began
practice of his' profession at Des Moines, but
terward moved to northern Minnesota and later
North Dakota. In 1896 ho was a candidate
congress, but went down to defeat, as did
democratic candidates generally. He has
Irved two terms in the state senate and one
rm in the house, being elected from a strongly
ftmblicUn community.
In personal appearance, he is tall and angu-
Lr, resembling the lamented Lincoln. He is a
pod lawyer and a powerful speaker.
Saturday evening the 17th inst. a jollification
tooting was held at Mr. Burke's home city,
jvils Lake, where democrats from all over the
tate assembled to celebrate his election. A
latform meeting was held in which good govern
ment republicans took part.
In his address, Governor-elect Burke stated
lat the recent election was not a democratic
Ictory alone, but a victory of good government
publicans and democrats over bossism- and rail
road control of the state. The machine repub
licans had forced onto their party a man for tho
supreme bench who was to be used by his makors
and they were justly punished by tho defeat of
their candidate. Ho promised to carry out all
pledges made in tho democratic platform so far
as a governor alone might be able. He referred
in particular to the non-enforcement of the pres
ent state law giving power to railroad commis
sloners to fix all rates. This would remedy an
evil which affects tho entire state and particularly
the coal producing regions. North Dakota has
no fuel problem. She has coal in abundance.
But the railroads discriminate against tho na
tive coal by exorbitant rates, to bucIi an extent
that mining has never progressed. IT IS
CHEAPER IN THE RED RIVER VALLEY TO
BURN PENNSYLVANIA COAL THAN NATIVE
COAL HAULED FROM THE VICINITY OF BIS
MARCK. This is but an Illustration of railway
abuse, which the governor will seek to rcmedy.-
Mr. Burke told mo the state appointments
would be given to both democrats and good gov
ernment republicans. This is also tho unanimous
wish of the democratic state central committee.
He said he had not made a single promise of
an appointment during tho entire campaign, and
the central committee resolved that he should
bo free to make all appointments without sug
gestions. As to the results: Tho day wo were at
Devils Lake, the republican machine was as
sembled at St. Paul in our neighboring state of
Minnesota to decide upon a course of action
during the coming session of tho legislature.
They always decide upon a slate at the Merch
ant's hotel in that city prior to each state con
vention, and it is always nominated, and until
this year, elected.
But tho democratic platform promises an ex
tensive primary election law, which wilt make
St. Paul sessions unnecessary. The machine
means to fight. There in no compromise between
them and tho Insurgent republicans.
With an economical and effective administra
tion of state affairs Mr. Burko will certainly bo
re-elected with tho help of fair play republicans.
He told mo that the people of this otato wanted
a business administration, and it won his Inten
tion to give them such, and with tho greatest
economy possible. There can bo no compromlso
on tho part of the machine, for both of our United
States senators are standpatters and their seats
in tho nenato depends upon tho defeat of tho
democrats and insurgent republicans. In tvo
years Senator Hansbrough, aluo from Devils Lake,
will bo superseded cither by a democrat or an'
lnsurgont republican, and in four years Senator
McCumbor of this city will moot a Ilka lata.
The evening before tho election Sonntor Mc
Cumber spoko in his homo city, urging the votors
to stand by the tickot from top to bottom and
particularly to elect tho republican candidate to
the state sennto from this district, giving an his
reason that the successful candidate would vote
on tho election of a United States senator two
years hence. Tho next day tho voters discredited
him by electing a democrat to tho sonato In ah
overwhelmingly republican district, overy ward
in Wahpeton and his home county going ntrongly
democratic for governor and supremo Judge. '
Tho tide has turned. Tho volco of tho people '
has been heard and a fettered people aro at last
free.
GEORGE E. WALLACE. '
Wahpeton, North Dakota. ' -
AWRENGE CALLAHAN'S THREE BARNS
Those who still Relieve that "the foreigner
kivs the "tax." that "the tariff is a patriotic insti-
lution" and that "fidelity to the republic" and
'HtnnrinnHRm" nrft svnonomous terms, will be in
terested in reading the story of Lawrence Calla
lan's Three Barns. The story is written for The
Commoner by E. E. Brossard, an attorney of Co
lumbus, Wis. Here it is:
W. D. Connor, chairman of the Wisconsin.
i-oniiiiiinnti atnte nnmmittfifi. reeentlv crave an inter
view to the Milwaukee Journal in which he said:
l'Tf a mv belief that the renublicans of Wiscon-
T. 11 il .!... .1 ,..w1 In fn,.nn nf tnnlff
tain snouia laita uuvauueu ivuiiu ju iu,wi ui wmn.
K . - I A f A. . l..i.j-t.
Krevislon. Tnp western larmer is a strong auvuuuuu
tof tariff revision. The tariffi tends to keep down
Etna nrir.e that he eets for his crops, while it in-
Ecreases the cost of almost everything he has to
fbuy."
1 That la a remarkable assertion by the leader
of his party in Wisconsin. It admits more than
Freal tariff reformers claim. They do not claim
I that the tariff "tends to keep down prices" of
m .. . mi-. 111 1 i-U.4. t-Un
ptae farmers' crops, xneir posiuuu is uwi mo
ir-ni.ir.0 nf tvinoa nrnna i fived In the world's market
r-i rvnnr. nn rw flnwn In nhrxUpnnfi to the law Of
r supply and demand, unless cornered and controlled
t'-hv the hnnrrta of trade eaniblers, The duty on
farm produce is to blind and placate the farmer.
He must still compete with tne worm in m&
line while the tariff "increases the cost of nearly
wArvthinir he has to buv." Is it not strange that
K Chairman Connor sees this and that the farmer
l rinen not nee It or rather ha's'not seen it in the
1 past; and stranger still that Mr. Connor has
K "thought and felt that way for years?"
to T.iiTYiher' fn an imnortant necessity to uio
... r ,
AN UNUSUAL REPORT
The Knights of Columbus, one of the leading
Catholic organizations of the1 country, have a local
organization 'at San Francisco, and this organiza
tion in behalf of its San Francisco membership
appealed to the country for relief funds at the
tlire of the 'San Francisco earthquake. It was
estimated by the local organization that $100000
J would be needed to provide (for the suffering mem-
fbers. sometnmg over $ou,u,yjj ,wa duuDuuCu wj
;.ji i ' it.- -i n nnnii fho nnnnrrVp a
xne inemDerspi uie uiui u fvw i. v-r-.rf, -Lverv
creditable sum indeed. But the strange, part
fof the story is yet to be told. The local organiza
tion took charge of tne tunas, lnvesufcutcu M.
r .. ... at. .114-tlviif tnar TO
plications lor rener, anu aiter uuuwto
farmer and to every householder. Mr. Connor
has been an extensive producer of lumber, and
he likely had that commodity In mind when he
said "tho tariff increases the cost of everything"
that the farmer, the mechanic and consumers
generally must buy. The history of the price
of lumber furnishes an excellent lesson for study
of the practical workings of the tariff.
Here Is a practical, home example of how the
tariff and the lumber trust have "worked" the
farmer and other consumers:
Lawrence Callahan built a barn In 1902, an
other in 1904, and is now building a third.
All these barns are in the city of Columbus,
Wis., and within a block of each other. They
are identical in size and materials and the same
lumber bill was submitted to the dealers for
bids.
Tho lumber in barn No. 1 built in 1902
cost $89; in No. 2 built in 1904 $96; and in
No. 3 built in 1906 $138.
Therefore there has been an average ad
vance, in price in the grades of lumber used in
these barns of over fifty-five per cent in four years
and nearly twenty-four per cent during the last
two years.
IN THE MEANTIME MR. CALLAHAN'S
WAGES AS A CARPENTER HAVE RE
MAINED STATIONARY.
This illustration is so simple that no discus
sion can make it plainer.
And what relief does Chairman Connor offer?
Does he, offer' a prompt reduction of the profit
on lumber? By no means; here is his remedy:
"I believe that the next republican platform should
contain a strong plank in favor of tariff revision."
In place of present relief tho farmor is to .
get a platform promise two years from now.
Would not a "strong statute" now, ho better than ,'
a "strong plank" two years from now, for every
one but the lumber trust?
Although for years Chairman Connor belioved
tho tariff robbed the farmor ho was careful to
say nothing about it ho long as the farmer ap
peared asleep to tho fact that he was being '
plundered. During all that time tho now Wis
consin boss was like Pat's parrot. "He didn't
talk much, but ho kept up a dlvll of a thinking." .
Why did he wait till after election to make
the admission? ,.
Why Is it that a revision has not been madp ,
during the present' congress?
The iniquity of the present tarjff Is admitted t
by republican managers. The republican .party.,,
is, and for ten years has been, In complete con-
trol of every department of the federal govern
ment. If that party can not or will not correct
these admitted wrongs now, it will not or can ,
not correct them two years hence.
How, then, is the farmer to get his rlgnta.'
Let him think of this for two years.
At the end of that time he may be ready to
answer with his ballot.
Columbus, Wis. E. E. BROSSARD.
Perhaps there are other readers of The Com-,
moner who can give "a practical home example
of how the tariff and the trusts have worked the
farmer and other consumers." Such practical .
illustrations as these must certainly open eyes
that have heretofore been blind.
t
the deserving, found Itself In the possession of
a surplus of nearly $45,000. To be accurate, the
total sum received was $60,671.13, and the amount
distributed $15,861.85. The Knights of Columbus
of San Francisco have announced that the balance
almost three-fourths of the entire sura received
will" be returned to the givers.
This is an unusual report and worthy of
notice. That the money was subscribed is proof
Qf tho jfraternity and generosity of the Knights
of Columbus; that it was wisely and carefully dis
tributed is conclusive, proof of the conscientious
ness pjt) those who had tho f uml in charge. Often
the local distributors of such a fund are so gen
erous as to distribute all the money received even
though many, of the claimants be lacking in merit,
for there are always some in every community
who are selfish enough to appeal for relief .wlien
relief is not really deserved. If all distributors
of relief funds discharged their duty with the
fidelity shown by the Knights of Columbus of
San Francisco, it would be easier to raise money
for such emergencies as that through which our
western seaport has passed.
JJJ
Speaker Cannon says the tariff will not be
revised, and Senator Beveridge says it will. But
as Speaker Cannon attends to all the legislation.
In the lower house, and as the lower house must "
originate such bills, the chances are that Speaker,
Cannon's attitude Is the correct one, and that
the tariff will remain imrevlsed until the people
elect a congress that will be for the people in
stead of for the trusts and corporations.
1
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