Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-12-05
nE IS WORTHY OF RECOGNITION

Democrats OF North Dakota generally
will recall the dilemma in which the
party IN this state found itself on the
morning after the primary election
of 1910, when by the operation of the
thirty per cent clause of the primary
election law it was found that no less
than twenty three counties would not be
entitled to a place in the democratic
column on the ballot at the fall election
for their candidates for Office on their
county ticket, for the reason that none
of the democratic candidates in these
counties had been successful in getting
the number of votes at the primary cleo
ton required under the thirty per cent
clause of the law.
The situation was rendered more pre-
picking by the fact that the supreme
court of the state had two years pre-
vious to this time passed upon the
thirty per cent feature of our primary
election law and had found 1t to be con-
stitutional and valid in the decision that
was handed down.
Following closely the condition which
the returns of the primaries of 1910 re-
vealed in these twenty.three counties an
emergency meeting of the democrats of
the state convened at Fargo to devise
ways, and means to meet the situation,
and while Cavalier county was not one
of the delinquent twenty three" above
referred to, five out of eight of its demo
cratic county candidates having received
more than the thirty per cent the pri-
mary law required, yet among those re-
spending to the call and taking part in
the meeting at Fargo was our townsman
Attorney W. B. Dickson, who in a clear
and logical size-up of the predicament
in which the party foand itself, contend
ed that the thirty per cent clause was
unconstitutional and expressed a we'll
founded belief that the previous decision
of the supreme court could and should
be overturned The body of representa-
ttNO " OSCl III SldVO az
that meeting fully recognized in what
Dickson said that he had a logical grasp
of the stu alton and he was retained in
behalf of the democratic party of the
state to start an action for again contest
ing the validity of the thirty per cent
clause of the primary election law.
The successful outcome is now politi-
cal history and the editor of this
paper personally knows that from the
time of his being entrusted with the
conduct of the case up to its presenta-
tion and argument before the supreme
court Mr.. Dickson devoted his entire
time and energies for the saving from
ignomlny and defeat the democracy of
North Dakota.
The whole state as we'll as the twenty
three counties involved benefited from
the achievement of Attorney Dickson,
in fact it may truthfully be said that
he was the means of saving the party
from falling into a chaos of total disor.
ganlzation and rendering utterly impos-
sible the position of which the democ-
racy Of NorthD Dakota today occupies with
pride. North Dakota today has demo-
cratic patronage to distribute and the
DEMOCRAT asks that when the plums are
being passed around that the great SER
vice rendered the party in it's hour Of
greatest need be given fitting recognition
. The appointment of w. B. Dickson as
United States district attorney would
appear to us to be just about the right
size in this case. and qualification is as
sured as to fitness.