The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-04
For Presidential Electors
FACE OF TIL; ENEMY.

headquarters in this city in charge Of
Frank Knox who comes fresh from
a conference with Theodore Roose-
Welt in the east. the campaign In this
state will be on in earnest. 1t will
he a campaign OF education, OF rea-
son, OF facts. 1t is not the purpose
or the desire of the Roosevelt follow
ing in this state or elsewhere to court
success by Misrepresentation either
expressed or implied. The campaign
will he an appeal to the intelligence
of the people rather than their preju-
dices or factionalism: an effort to
:. show the advantage to them person.
ally Of supporting Roosevelt as against
any other candidate.
So far as tho candidacy OF Prcsi-
dent Taft in this state is concerned. it
is primarily a negligible quantity. He
will receive some votes. Of course but
they will hardly figure in the results.
1t is only as tho casting of votes for
other candidates effects his chances
of nomination that we are concerned.
There is a great belief throughout the
nation that the president can not be
reelected. In such an event it means
The election OF q Democrat If the Chi
cago convention dominates Taft. But
VIC take the more liberal view that
cen if President Taft can lie reelected
N" is not the mar from the party the
Republicans of North Dakota want in
that p~osition--that there are other
mon in the party that they prefer.
I:ut the remedy for both the threat
cncd evils is the same-the selection
Of IL candidate at the convention who
will he acceptable TO the party at the
polls.
1t is fair to accept as a settled fact.
the statement of the LaFollctte men
in this state that the W. onsin man
has no chance Of nomination. To do
go is only to accept n fact that every
we'll informed man knows. h thing
to- consider. then. is what effect votes
cast for him in the state primary will
have on the ultimate election of either
~ Democrat or the least desirable to
North Dakota. of the Republican can
q lates. If Senator LaFollette can not
be nominated where would the votes
for him IN the convention go? There
is no question now h a the contest
i'm the convention will be between
Theodore Roosevelt and President
Taft. To which Of these two will the
votes pledged to Senator LaFollette
go; or which will they aid most in
the convention if cast for LaFollette?
Senator L.aI"ollette has based all his
claims as a candidate upon hts OPP
position to the president, his policies
and the system of party government
which he represents. Those who have
supported. or who are still supporting
his candidacy are doing go because OF
this position Of their leader. Certain
ly. then. they DO nOt desire the con-
tinuation of President Taft. his adj
ministrative policies or his ideas of
party government. II the LnFollette
strength is opposition to Taft and the
Roosevelt strength is likewise opposi-
ton to Taft, it is evident that divid-
ing this strength benefits Taft. and
that uniting it will weaken his chanc-
es. Would not the intelligent course
then be to unite this strength on the
strongest of the two men who repre-
sent the same principles and seek the
same result?
To discuss which of the two--La-
Toilette and R~oosevelt-is the strong
er is to repeat the history of the poll
tical developments of the last three
months. Senator LaFollette made an
open campaign for the presidential
nomination. He toured the middle
west and tried but the cast. Those
who know the man and his methods
do not have to he told that his CAM
paign was vigorous and that he pre-
scented his claims in the ablest man
ner. Yet he failed. to arouse one
hundredth as much interest as the
candidacy of Roosevelt aroused in one
week ever before it was known that
he would accept the nomination. Men
who hold III support Of states in
their hands--nOt by political ma
chinery. but by tho trust the people
put in their political integrity and
judgment. have quit the LaFolIette
following and are now giving their ef-
forts to Roosevelt. Why? Because they
realized LaFollette could not win.
Senator LaF'ollette never got even a
consideration in the east-no matter
whether he or the east is to blame. He
got no support from the solid south
wherein lies more than half the votes
necessary to nominate Taft. He was
not able even to hold the northwest
and California where the doctrines he
espouses are the principles of govern
mont.
On the other hand Roosevelt has
broken into the Taft stronghold of the
8 and IN every state the Taft forces
ess fighting for their lives and losing