Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-10-29
STOOP TO FALSEHOOD
Senator MCCumber and c. A. John
son Seek to Mislead the
Temperance People.
AN ATTEMPT TO CATCH VOTES.
The Republican Candidate for Governor and
Senator McCumber Caught In BeId Attempt
to Misead the Temperance Vote Away from
Governor Burke's Candidacy for Reflection
in Speeches Made in Cass County

in SpceCheS Made IN CdSS County
We are not disposed to seriously re-
GARD the oratorical efforts of candidate
C. A. johnson in It's campaign for gov
ernor. so long rs he confines himself
within mile of the truth; but when he
deliberately states, as facts, things
which he knows to be false, and which
are shown by the record to be. in point
of time. at least ten years short of the
possible, and when the misrepresenta-
tion is so bald as to justify the belief
that it is part of we'll defined plan of
the republican candidate to deliberately
resort to misrepresentation in this cam
paign: then it is high time to call the
attention of the public to Mr.. Johnson's
questionable tactics that his oratorical
efforts may be taken at their proper
valne
Mr.. johnson, in his speech at Armenia,
Cass county, as reported by the Fargo
statement:
Ladies and Gentlemen: Just few
years ago when Mr.. Burke and | were
both members of the state legislature,
MIR. Burke made one of the strongest
pleas ever heard in the legislature for
resubmlssion, while fought that meas
ure and was one of the members who
helped to kill it,.
When Mr.. johnson made that state
ment he knew he was stating an un-
truth. He knew that Governor Burke
had not been member of the legislature
since 1885, and that he Johnson) was
elected to the legislature for the first
time ten years later, that is in 1905. Mr..
johnson knew, of course ,sthat he and
Governor Burke were never in the legis-
lature together, and he might have
known that his bald Misrepresentation
would be discovered sooner or later and
disclosed to the public, although he may
have figured on the idea that "a lie
travels faster than the TRUTH" and that
his publicity bureau could circulate the
fraud before the deception could be
pointed out
Not only did Mr.. johnson make much
of the palpable untruth referred to, but,
if you please, that very proper and
eminently high minded statesman, the
Honorable Porter j. McCumber, gave
deliberate, prompt and unqualified en-
Corsement to Johnson's falsehood, with
full knowledge that the statement he
vouched for was false. The Honorable
Porter j. put himself on record after
this fashion, according to the Forum:
Il want to add little testimonial for
my very modest friend Mr.. johnson
who has just finished speaking Mr.
johnson has been telling you about how
he fought against the resubmisson mea
sure in the state legislature at the time
Burke was fighting for it. In telling
you about that fight he neglected to
state that at the time he was making
that big fight in the legislature against
the re-submlssion measure, fighting with
all his splendid energy to keep prohibi
ton in North Dakota, his home district
IN Ward county was strongly in favor of
resubmssion, so that for hi IS principle,
for his belief in prohibition Mr.. John
son was willing and did jeopardize his
political career"
And this endorsement and bouquet
mind you. from the Honorable Porter j.
McCumbsr, who upon the floor of the
United States Senate, youched for the
honorable Alexander Mckenzie and
eloquently defended the disreputable
re Of hot
Nome, Alaska.
We can easily imagine the chivalric
Mr. johnson fighting an imaginary straw
man with all that "splendld energy" to
Keep prohibition in North Dakota: but
how about his record as to the enforce
ment of the prohibition law? That is
the question.
Law without enforcement of law is of
little value. 1t is no credit to man
that he has tried to keep law on the
statute book, if when given the oppor-
tunity to enforce the law or to take
measures to insure such enforcement, he
goes over to the enemy, gives aid and
comfort to violators of the law, and uses
MS otficiol influence as representative
10 defeat its successful operation.
And this brings US to consideration
OF Il. N. Stevens connection with the
Attorney Generals Office. AS members
OF the legislature together, johnson was
always hand and glove with r. N.
Stevens. He had always known the at
tltude of Stevens towards law enforce
ment. He knew that Stevens was one
OF the most active and persistent cham
plons of re-submission in 1905, in the
house OF Representatives, when John
son was also member of that body.
lie knew that Stevens was notoriously
hostile to measures IN the 1907 session