The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-19
For Presidential Electors
THE ACCEPTED VERDICT.

q TINS ISSUE OF the Times
reaches its readers the verdict of the
people in the presidential primary
will have been recorded. 1t will no
longer be a contest for supremacy but
the result of the contest. The nam
date Of the people will have been is
sued and North Dakota's vote in the
national convention will a been
sealed. And no matter what the YER
dict. 1t will be accepted by the Times
and by every Roosevelt supporter in
The state as the irrevokable law of
The people to be carried out both in
letter and spirit in the national con-
vention. This was the spirit in which
we entered the contest and it is the
spirit in which we saw il close.
So far as our course is concerned,
we have given our best efforts to Il
policy that We believed was for the
lest interests of the republican party.
as We'll as the best interests of the
state with whose people we must
prosper or suffer because of the DOM
mating influences in prosperity that
dow from the application. of some dis
linctivc party policy. While it may
seem selfish at first blush to advocate
~ iIOlitS lItdL We DelltNt was III our
own interests, Yet when il is recalled
that in the complex. commercial fab
ric of today. the prosperity OF one in
d!Nidual OF one institution is depend
tnt on every other individual or in
stitution for its success the appar-
ent eltiShness becomes only the in
tercst of the individual or institution
in the success of all.
The mind of nan has no, yet on
ccived a government in which the APP
%plication of certain principles to the
administration Of the government it,
self does not materially influence the
industrial conditions of the people.
Hence. the success of one party-not
SO much the men as the principles
which they carry into governmental
policy-is appreciable in every clti-
zen's condition. Politics thus becomes
n matter of stern business rather than
frothy sentiment.
Had all the candidates for the pres
idency e the same effect on the
body polite, there would nave been
no q of a contest to decide be-
tween them. Did all parties. in the
carrying out of the platforms, have
a like effect. the November contests
could also he eliminated. But the
different results which come from
these different sources effect both the
intra-party and i%nter-party contests.
The foundation of a republic lies
on the bedrock of majority rule. and
when this principle is Eliminated, an
archy prevails and be
comes the will of the mightiest. There
may be in this country even "A GER
tain amount of voting done because
of passion. prejudice. fanaticism or
hatred. But the great bulk of the
verdict recorded in the ballot boxes
is the cool, well-considered and de.
1fberate judgment of the voters. Those
whose votes are Influenced by other
motives are so few compared with
the whole that they do not effect the
stability of our republican institu-
lions.
The campaigns are merely the
means by which the voters
to register their judgment. Tho
FASTING of the ballots separate the
opinions into as many piles as there
are isues and we measure the merits
Of the piles by their size. Once this
ls done the verdict becomes the will
Of all, and those whose piles were
the smallest must unite with those
having the largest pile to form a com
bined pile composed of all.
The Times believes that time will
prove the wisdom Of its policy In this
campaign. no matter whether that
which it advocated succeeds or 9TH
arwise. Had we not believed so. we
should have followed another course.
But regardless of this. should the
votes make the larger pile Of some
other issue We are ready to unite to
1elp make the completed pile.