The Bottineau courant., 1906-02-16

~ 10 % naO,FlC 1uuSL % 0aO from
within the party and not be forced
upon us from without.
1t reform is to he had in Bottineau
County. it must be found in Bottineau
County it cannot be imported to be
of any avail. In fact am opposed
to outside interferences in this matter,
as in all other matters. It is charge
we'll sustained that we already had
a great deal too much outside inerfer.
ence in our local politics, There has
never been an election in this county
since can remember that the ques-
tions Of the bearings of the result
upon the fortunes of some candidate
for the United States senatorship has
not been allowed to be the deciding
question. Local interests. questions
of local government. quetsions of can
didacy Of county officers have all been
swallowed up in the greater question
of who should have the Bottineau
men in the senatorship mixup at Bis
marck. This has not been confined
to any one year, hut the fences are
kept repaired, aud the fight planned,
and the candidates pledged up in ad-
vance for years to come.
II the present reform accomplishes
nothing else than to rid the party in
this county of this matter alone a
great good will have been accomplish.
ed. The party and the government,
and incidently the elective officers
were made for the people, to benefit
the people. and not as some would have
us believe for the purpose Of making
the election of certain candidates pos
sible. The people are the owners and
should have the say, and he who can
most clearly interpret and command
the wishes of the electors is certainly
the best qualified to vote their senti-
ment in any legislature, either state or
national.
1t is also an assured fact that GER
tain persons, ones who have always had
the itch for Office, and who have never
been at all particular by what means.
or under what methods the result was
obtained, so long as it was favorapble,
will try to use this sense of political
unrest and dissatisfaction, as a means
of floating themselves into power if
possible. They will demand under
the specious name Of reform that
they be given the possession of the
machinery of both parties, to do with
as they will. It remains to be seen
how wise the people will be under the
circumstances. Surely politics must
be a matter Of conviction; opinions
cannot be changed as person changes
his clothes, without exposing the per-
son indulging in these acrobatic feats
open tv the charge of vacilation and an
untrustworthy changebleness of pur-
pose that woud unfit him for any
position of trust or Judgment
Change, constant and ever present
is the animating spirit of all created
things. We may call the power that
causes this by any name we may see
fit, the result will be the same. Every
thing is either increasing or decreasing,
or retrograding, and this
rule holds as we'll with political parties
as with anything else. While party
is animated by spirit Of strife for
the public good, while its objects are
for the benefit and upbuliding of hu-
manity, while it's ideals are for enfran-
chisement of all that is good, noble
and pure, then it still has lease of
life for. it, although its aims may be
and although those that
were supposed to work its benefits may
have been found wanting in honesty
and force. But when party exists
for no other purpose than to secure
office for it's adherents then it it is no
longer fit to have existence, and should
be allowed to die as an outcast, alone
and unprovided for. e......
Judging from this rule one would
say that the Republican party was still
to live. and do business for many years
to come. l believe that it will be
the better for the present agitation
through which it is passing. Like
the sufferer that has conquered his dis
ease and enters upon a healthier and
purer lease of life. so I believe the
present agitation will result in looping
away many of the obnoxious grievan-