The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1911-12-08
Hanna from running on the gang

ticket.
There are capable Stalwarts -
Talcott, GiIbreath and others
who would like to run, but who
have been told to "go and lie down"
by the North Dakota bosses. Be-
cause Aaker was shown that his
candidacy hurt the cause of good
government-and for that alone
he consented to withdraw. No
other argument was used-or
needed. Therein lies the difference
between the gang gag rule of Nc
Kenzie and the Chronicles friends
and that of Progressive Repub-
licanism. just as soon as Gill
breath or Talcott should dare to
run--they would become FIN
surgents.'' That Is how Insurgents
are made They do not obey the
master. And therein lies the
weakness of the Chronicle. 1t is
still in bondage to bossism. and
though it earns stipend thereby
the slavery is none the less true,
for it is merely wage slave"
Distrusting platforms. the
Chronicle therefore turns ard de-
mands: "Give us Men" Having
demanded men, it defines the sort
of man it wants for governor:
"Who has personality of his own.
principle; experience; ability. and
a moral desire to do the right
thing" And further lit is the
man that is wanted and the only
way he can be Judged is by his
past" And having made the shoe,
it proceeds to trim and cut Hauna's
foot to fit it. Yet of personality,
Hanna has none, save that of be-
ing a trimmer, a time.server and
having a sleek and insiduous man.
ner whereby he secures to him
self the friend ship of the thought
less and those who do not know
his real character. OF principle,
he has time and time again, both
in the state Legislature and in
state politics, shown he has none,
save the advancement of himself.
The Chronicle sneers at the me-
cessity of his endorsing Taft or La
Toilette and runs it to an absurdity
by suggesting that he might ad-
mire Gotch. Hanna need not
endorse any men-but he might
endorse certain principles Of
government and state where he
stands in order that the voters
might judge for themselves and
learn to vote intelligently. Hanna
prefers to have them "go it blind"
to take him on trust. Of expert
ence he has had much--and of
such a sort that can not commend
him to North Dakotans. Asso-
ciated as he has been his entire
career with the worst element of
the Republican party in this state,
in secret conferences with: them
in st. Paul and in their deals and
political tricks, he has had ex-
perience of a sort that the state
may fail to profit by.
He has had experience in
Washington and it is such that
La Toilette has denounced him al
a Representative of privilege"
rather than a representative of the
state in congress. OF ability no
man can truthfully say that he has
any great share. He has ability
to make money, to turn despioable
political tricks (as he did ON
Blaisdell) and to hand out post
Offices and money for campaign
purposes. But get him on tho
platform and he has no ability,
get him face to face with any great
question and he has no ability TO-
wrestle with it; listen to him talk,
read his writing and the mental
caliber of him is soon measured.
OF moral desire to do the right
thing it is possible that he may
have some--but he has never