The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-14
For Presidential Electors
STATE CANDIDATES NOT CON.
CERNED.

The Times has referred several
times. during the present campaign.
to one featurc of the contest that
ought TO be frankly discussed and &c
riorsly considered. One of the ar
guments advanced by the leaders Of
Senator LaFollette's interests is that
carving the state for Roosevelt will
iniure the chances of Mr.. Bucha nan
in his contest for the ~governorship
at the state primaries in June. Sup
pose we speak plainly and say that
CONGRESSMAN Hanna is for Roosevelt.
and that Mr.. Buchanan is for LaFol-
lette. What advantage will either de-
rive from the success of their respec-
tive presidential candidates in the
state primary next week?
The Times believes the voters of
North Dakota are a~bundantly intel
ligent enough to- know that casting
n vote for Roosevelt next Tuesday
does not in any way obliEate them
20 vote for Congressman Hanna for
governor in June merely because Mr..
Wanna chose to support Roosevelt in
this primary i'll preference to n of
tho other candidates. 1t is really
= reflection upon the intelligence Of
Nh" voter To tell MIN so.
Now. if there is no obligation on the
part of the voter to vote for Hanna
lrratlse such voter voted for Roose-
Welt there is but ono other reason for
asserting that the vote on Tuesday
will have any influence on the vote in
June, and that is the reflective infu-
once from the nomination at Chi
cage by n or the other Of the cam
di,lates. We do not believe a dozen
votes In ten thousand are Influenced
hy such means. We can see why car
rying North Dakota for Roosevelt will
effect tho result in other states be-
cause the vote here will reflect public
sentiment. Rut that is n vote directly
on the candidate concerned and not
on a candidate who supported anoth-
cr candidate.
The point We make is that choosing
between candidates for president and
choosing between candidates for gov
rrnor three months later are two dis
tinct matters. Those adherents OF
Senator LaFollette who favor Roosc-
welt and would vote for him We're It
not that they feared such action
would help Mr.. Hanna. we believe.
are making a serious mistake. Colonel
Roosevelt will make no speeches in
the interest of Mr.. TIanna's candidacy
If he is nominated. He will have more
important matters to engage his at
tention than deciding between repub-
lican candidates in North Dakota.
The republican national convention
will June is and will be in
session for the rest of that week at
,I, yor,- lonct 1-h, Nor+t, no1,n%o
state primaries will he held June 26,
q week and a day after the converting
of the Chicago convention and prob
ably not more than two or three days
after, h candidate is named. Any
man knows that it would be impos-
sible to use the success of either
Roosevelt or La Follette for the bene-
fit of n candidate in that time. even
if such success could be used. But
no man is foe enough to change his
vote from one gubernatorial candi-
date to another just because of the
nomination of any particular man for
president.
We have stated before. that the
only way in which the result OF the
Chicago convention will influence the
election in June would be in the re-
sentiment of the voters against the
nomination Of President Taft. Should
North Dakota tie up her ten votes
to Senator LaFollette and this fact
allow the nomination OF Taft,
the voters would probably be angry
tho next week and vote against those
responsible for tying up the state. but
this would be on the initiative Of the
voters and not at the behest of any
candidate. 1t is admitted that neither
the Roosevelt nor the LaFollette men
in this state want Taft nominated.
This is not the sentiment of leaders
or bosses or gangs. but of the voters.
If the result Of Tuesdays primary
aids in accomplishing that purpose,
these voters may resent it. II the
strength in the nation of Roosevelt
and LaFollette were reversed-if La
Toilette had as much chance of beat
ing Taft as Roosevelt has-tying the
votes of the state up to Roosevelt
would produce the same result that
tying up to LaFollette will. But we
repeat that n change in the vote
will be an expression of the indigna-
ton of the voters at Taft's nominal
ton, not the result of the candidates
for governor supporting particular
men
Va xnow that th> con1>.t Ia. a..