Dakotan General Election, 1919
The Dakotan General Election to the Omnicyie occurred on October 10th,1919. The election results were the first to be telegraphed into the country's capital, where the gathered MO's could discuss among themselves the results that were promising to some and politically damaging to others.
Dakota was one of the chief exporters of beef throughout the north american continent, freely supplying the hungry american armies to the east of them as they continued their war against the Confederacy during the American Front of the Great War. These beef shipments had proven quite profitable, with a relaxing of large numbers of previously in place legislation by the Chief of the Land Jebediah Monroe. It may have had something to do with Monroe's personal 90% share within the
Buffalo Trail stockholders.
While Dakota had a functioning railway network, there was a monopolistic desire to purchase new private lands for development, with a growing concern to this effort being mounted by the hardline populist and unimaginatively named Populist Dakotan lead by Darwin Reeds. The Military began to loathe this seemingly open relationship between corrupt landlords, businessmen and politicians passing bribes in large rooms of smoke within the capital's rows of seedy establishment saloons and brothels. There had been a slew of scandals involving several closest cabinet officials to Monroe.
The worst of these involved his coalition partners of the Conservative and Populist Dakotan, the latter of which was able to go relatively unharmed because of the increased illiteracy rate in their voting districts. The Former had several members openly flaunt the large numbers of exaggerated fur coats and large collections of foreign and unique firearms, much to the ire and chagrin of the starving and relatively poor voting bases of the least populated and slightly more populated areas of the country.
A solution came in the form of the Military, the other party which had forced it's way through the political doors of the Omnicyie with a few pointed firearms and threats for apportionment, though these were snuffed out by a slightly less crazy and slightly more moderate wing of the military headed by veteran war hero of the Dakotan-Mormon Wars and Pike's Expedition.
The Populist Army party, was on a steep path of decline and decay from it's heydays of twenty eight seats in the 1911 election. The 1915 elections nearly divided the party over it's official policy in the outbreak of war, with a more moderate faction led by Charles F. Goodwill , while it's more hawkish cousins being the
literal cousin of Goodwill, a man named Charles Gumption. The subsequent leadership election, fought over a bitter seventy ballots between the two men, finally saw Goodwill triumph over Gumption by a handful of votes by the committee members.
This Alleged
"Breaking of the Backs" of the party caused much resentment in the last election, which saw the Populist Army lose nineteen seats, all going towards the Military's new political movement.
The Conservative Party, still lead by the ancient Jackson Williams French since the birth of the Dakotan Republic, found itself lassoed in a coalition partnership following the last elections with the Railroad Party. This partnership also found the party in the cross hairs of many of the Railroad Party's biggest rivals and political enemies, along with the faintest of umbrellas lacking by the Railroad Party for the raining of proverbial shellfire onto their local offices due to the forced close nit relationship "bonded" between the aging French and the increasingly unpopular incumbent of Monroe.
The reason why the Populist-Dakotan party wasn't under the same amount of scrutiny was the blessing of it's rather minuscule numbers within the Omnicyie and it's rarely uttered name of the leader outside of political hit meetings funded and backed by the Army rivals. It's lack of general knowledge of it's existence outside of the areas which it held MO's also proved to be a doubled edged sword. Sure it was nice to not be really known as the coalition partner for such an unpopular incumbent government, but how do you get people to show up at the polls if there's not a campaign ad in sight for you?
October 10th came and went, with the results ticking in throughout the night, several Railroad incumbents were tossed out in favor of the Military, with the Conservatives being caught in the crossfire with the loss of two of their MOs. This included the shocking upset defeat for the long serving Jackson Williams French thanks to his last hour's gaffe filled with nothing but compliments for the Military's MOs in an apparent spin of the head to attempt to flirt with the presumed victors before the battle had even commenced. The Military soon took control of the legislative branch, with a total majority of nine seats alongside the fifty-four they needed.
A lot of their victories came from the unpopular face of Jebediah Monroe and his scandal ridden party, with injuries in the legislative seat totals coming in from both the Populist Army and Conservative.
Harold Rutherford
Harold Rutherford served for seventeen years as the Rival of the Chief and Chief of the Land twice in his political career, which began with a military one. Beginning his military service as an Infantryman against numerous native tribes as the initial rump state era boarders of Dakota expanded further and further, clashing heavily with these native peoples known as the Sioux. The numerous battles saw Rutherford be wounded in the knee with a musket ball, losing much of the feeling in his left leg from the knee down.
With a large number of promotions given the man as he worked his way like a rocket up the military high command, he soon came to command the entirety of the Dakotan armed forces (estimated 30,000) against a Canadian force of similar size during the 1889-1890 Canadian-Dakotan War, also refereed to as the One Year War. He would be applauded and promoted following several stunning victories against the Canadians until his ultimate assignment as Major General. In the lieu of peace, he found himself taking up several hobbies, such as debate and maintaining his health with massive hunting trips throughout Dakota.
His position was fairly prestigious as the victor against the Canadians, with the nicknames of "Maple Syrup Ruthie" and "Tobacco Jack" by both the adoring press and the soldiers that served under his command respectively. The latter nickname for his addiction to smoking a large pipe every morning, a habit he continued until his death.
Soon he would be handpicked by the Press and then Territorial Governor Johnson Sidney Morganville to lead an invasion against the United States, which would end up being one of his biggest catastrophes, despite the burning down of over sixty american towns in large raids, a superior enemy force surprised his forces on a rather foggy morning of May the 6th,1894, loosing close to a third of them(4,000 of the 12,000 men) within a half hour. With this weakened state, he ordered a withdrawal after the Battle of the Fogs.
Upon the ending of that war, his personal pride and relationship with the press turned into a laughing stock, yet many within the government and some of the general populace still held a fascination with his position and the large and outlandish tall tales his supporters would cook up alongside the morning baked bread and flapjacks. He would then be picked for a planned incursion against increasing Mormon raids and missionary attacks, tensions which would lead to his spectacular performance in Pike's Expedition.
Entering into the Political arena at the age of 37,he would be elected as an MO for Dickey's First District in the 1895 legislative elections. In this new world of politics, he would bring his seasoned military experience to hammer home messages of efficiency while hounding the incumbent administration of Jebediah Monroe, who kept winning legislative victory after legislative victory thanks to large machine politics of the capital city. He would end up being one of the loudest critics of Jebediah Monroe's administration with his position of Rival of the Chief, much to the incumbent's chagrin.
In this role of Rival of the Chief, he frequently would play pranks on the incumbent party members, inviting journalists to wait outside while the Railroad Party would scheme in the smoke filled rooms, springing the trap on them when they had gotten good and drunk.
In the 1919 general election, his moment to shine came, with his election as Chief of the Land. In this position he pushed for more of a military strength to the country in stark contrast to the flabby and failing leadership of Monroe. He would build up ties with the armed forces, even establishing the Dakotan Air Wing in the winter of 1920, shortly followed by a gunboat sized "dinghy" of the Dakotan Navy the following spring.
His four year tenure as Chief of the Land would be one of political dominance and staunchly authoritarian style policies, such as the implementation of a curfew and the slow centralization of local county authorities to the wills of the capital. In 1921, this gradual process would be sped up with the implementation of
"Borderline Marxist" policies as cried by his political opponents. He granted the right for women to vote in the next legislative election and allowed them to serve in the military, both controversial policies.
This allocated his political rivals loads of ammunition for the hard fought 1923 general election, which saw the Military still retain it's large majority, ableit at a loss of three seats. However, he surprised everyone with his abrupt resignation from both positions of MO and Chief of the Land on his inauguration day, with the first radio address given of his immediate resignation in favor of Darwin Reeds.
With the short time in retirement, Rutherford would return to pick up a hobby of painting and dancing as the inexperienced Reeds implemented several disastrous policies that were shepherded into law with the approval of the large Military party. A faction began to complain openly to the retired general, urging him to lead a military coup that would restore democratic order to the country. On the fourth of July, he would agree to the proposal, with a short three days of arresting Reeds in a rather bloodless and surprising coup in the capital. The 4th of July Coup, as it would be known, enabled Rutherford to have a second shot after a rather relaxing near nineteen month retirement at leading.
In his second term, he became more authoritarian, though he would immediately patch things up with Reeds by offering him the lucrative cabinet position of Minister of Mines and Gold. After receiving a telegraph in the affirmative by the former Chief of the Land, he would turn his attention to the poorest areas of the country, ripping up several large railroad companies that had enjoyed their monopolistic powers, replacing some with a mixture of oligarchic notes of authoritarianism. As the 1928 elections were approaching, he confirmed to his aides of his intentions to retire for good, with a bad bout of pneumonia striking every now and then, he opted not for another long campaign cycle and just bow out in favor of the next Chief of the Land.
Pike's Expedition
Pike's Expedition was an inconclusive military engagement between the Mormon Church military forces and the forces of the Dakotan Republic throughout the rocky mountains near modern day Montana. The expedition was formed under the command of George Mansfield Pike. This force numbered around 22,000 strong by the time it set out, though over five hundred had deserted or left before crossing into Wyoming.
For over a week, the military force met little in the way of resistance, though word had reached Salt Lake City, sending the Mormons into a panic before a military force was organized under the ancient Nauvoo Legion on December 5th once news had gotten out. After three long days of forced marching, the Nauvoo Legion of 10,000 soldiers met up with the Dakotan Republican force of Pike. The Battle near Yellowstone was one of only four battles fought during the entire war, causing the bear's amount of casualties for both sides of the total suffered for the duration of the conflict.
With 1,800 Dakotan dead compared to 900 Mormon dead, both sides withdrew during the night, with small interceptions of the Expedition's baggage train of cannons resulting in the capture of two during a confused melee. A few relatively notoriety lacking skirmishes between some confused units polished off the battle before both sides withdrew back to their capitals. In the insuring peace negotiations, with a long trek by Brigham Young himself to Dakota, peace was reached with the Treaty of Black Smoke Hills.