Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1912-03-15


Alone"
Official Paper Of Ramsey County.
DEMOCRATS FOR TOILETTE.
The Times a few days ago stated
in this column that the Democratic
party was doing all in its power 10 Sc
cure votes in this state for Senator La
Toilette. That statement will bear re-
petition. The Democratic party mem
bers in this state are urging Rebuilt
cans to vote for LaFollette because
they know that every vote cast for
him in North Dakota is vote cast in
the interests of President Taft and in
aid of his nomination. That assertion
requires an explanation. else it would
be on an equity with the bare asser-
ton that a vote for LaFollette is
vote to defeat Taft.
Suppose We analyze the conditions.
Senator LaFollette now has in pros
pect at the best, including North Da
kota's strength. less than fifty votes
in the convention. Wisconsin has
twenty-six votes and in spirit of char
iry, the Times and other Roosevelt pa
pers have conceded the whole state TO
LaFollette. But Taft has the certain
guarantee of two delegates from Sena-
tor LaFollette's own congressional dis
trict ano in addition six more are reas-
onahly sure for him. Iowa is lining
up for Taft and in every state where
LaFollette had any show when he first
entered the contest, his workers have
deserted him and joined Roosevelt.
Thirty votes. ten of them from North
Dakota. outside of Wisconsin, is more
than any we'll informed LaFollette
leader can point out. It should be ap-
parent to anyone that under these con-
ditions LaFollette has not ghost OF
a chance in the convention.
But before we consider the reason
why the Democrats are working So
strenuousiy for him, let US unmask the
real motive behind his candidacy. La
Toilette men in this state argue that
he will have few votes in the con-
vention and with these in his hand he
can force his nomination because OF
the bitterness of the fight between
Roosevelt and Taft. That presumption
is the merest folly, for the bitterness
is about equal among the three and
both the Taft and Roosevelt followers
viii 90 to some other man like Cum
Minis or Hughes before they would go
to LaFollette. There is too much bit
terness in the LaFollette following for
him to become the dark horse. Now,
conceding all that the I.aFollette men
in this state claim in this particular,
if our vote is tied to LaEGiiette with
mere corpora1's guard. we not only
have no voice in defeating Taft bat
are unable to help nominate another
man unless that man is LaFollette with
not one chance in ten thousand Of Win
ming.
Now lie. us study the reasons why
the Democrats are working for LaFol
lette. One Democrat stated to the
writer that he was for LaFollette be
cause he had advocated the same low
tariff rates as the Democratic party
stands for, practically free trade. Thai
is not The reason. There has never
been since 1892 as completely organic
ed determination as now to elect {
Democratic president and congress
That party can win neither on its his
tory nor its principles. It can only
win on the disorganization of the Re
publican party. The Democrats are
turning heaven and earth to create
dissentions in thes Republican party
and at .Ae same time urge the nomina
tion of the weakest candidate by tn
Republicans. The Democrats know La
Toilette can not be nominated. The,
know they cannot beat Roosevelt. The,
believe they can defeat Taft, and the.
hova ha cif f{u info11i Ant ,
sized up.
We need not tell the voter that un
der the conditions outlined, every vot'
that can be taken from the stronges
Repu. can man in the November elec
tion helps the Democratic candidate
They know that to urge voters in thi
state to support Taft direct would b'
folly. They are doing that in Massa
chusetts and Pennsylvania. But in
North Dakota they can only hope tt
keep votes away from the man they d.
not want the Republicans to nominal.
Roosevelt. It is only half as good a.
getting a vote direct for Taft, bu
they know tnat the ten votes of Nortl
Dakota may defeat TAFT and that il
kept from Roosevelt may nominate
Taft.
It is for this reason that so many
Democrats in the state are talking fo]
LaFollette; that W. J. Bryan came in
to the state and made speech equally
divided between the Democratic party
and LaFollette; that enwspape,
which has always flung the Democrat
ic banner to the breeze except in thi:
campaign is so earnest in its support
of LaFollette and is unable to tell the
truth about Roosevelt meetings when il
prints anything about them.
The Times discussed this question 8
few days ago and called attention te
the fact that two out Of every five La
Toilette boosters were Democrats. A
gentleman living in the country read
that statement Saturday probably
Sunday-and came to Grand Forks or
Monday. Nine men talked in favor
of LaFollette to him while he was in
the city. Five Of them were Demo
Gratis and one voted for Burke every
time he was candidate. The gentle
man has been a LaFollette man and
made the test for the purpose of prov
ing the Times assertion an error. H
LETT the city Roosevelt man, and will
work until next Tuesday in his inter
ests.
Shall the Republican party be wreck
ed at the behest of the Democrats
Shall fifty cent wheat be forced or
North Dakota farmers because person
al ambition will not step aside in the
interests of the peoples Will the Re
publican party be trapped by the Dem
ocrats and laughed at after it is toe
late to remedy the mistaken If not
waste mn vnfoc nm Copo&o~ oT.1La