The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-02-02

If anything were needed to prove
tho overwhelming prcpondcrance OF
Roosevelt sentiment in this state, the
report from Valley City MS TO the
unanimitv with which Republicans
signed the petition to place his name
an the presidential primary prefer
encc ballot to he voted on March IL.
ought to be complete answer. our
Information is that in n few hours
over two hundred signatures were
secured and there was not Il single
refusal. We do not believe such Il
thing would have been possible with
the most popular candidate in the
history of the Republican party, OK
Cept Theodore Roosevelt.
More than sixteen hundred petit
lions arc now in circulation to secure
signatures t" place his name on the
North Dakota ballot. They are in
every voting precinct in the state and
We doubt it there is a precinct that
will not have IL goodly number OF
names on the ono roll. Theodore
Roosevelt. unless conditions change
between this and the national Repub-
lican convention. will be the next
president OF the United States. II
will 10 a matter of pride for any Re-
publican to point to his signature ON
II Roosevelt petition and say he was
one of th&c who helped give his
candidacy tangible form in North Da-
kota.
But Republicans must not he sat-
isticd with signing Roosevelt petitions,
They are essential and necessary In
order that the Republicans of the
state MAY have II chance to vote for
him as their choice for president
Then 1t is essential that every Repub-
lican who favors Roosevelt go to- tho
polls on March /? and vote for him,
and for Il Set of delegates to the ma
tional convention who will carry GU;
the will of tho people in supporting
Roosevelt in tina convention not me-
chemically because they have TO. blu,
enthusiastically because they want to
There are some differences OF
opinion as to the rights and power:
of the delegates under tho North Da'
kota law. The law makes no pro
vision for them voting for amy candi
date except the one receiving tht
highest number of votes in the March
election. our view is that the law
can not be stretched to cover condi'
tions upon which it is silent. any
more than the law against larcen!
ram he stretched TO exempt a mar
who steals God when he is hungry
lie may he morally cxcusable. bu
not legally so. Others hold hat TIL,
delegates are ut liberty to use thcil
judgment; hat they can violate TIL,
preference of the people when the!
see fit. AS there is no penalty at
tached. the delegates would only b,
morally guilty in any sense. Blu tn
danger lies elsewhere.
suppose Il delegation composed %
men favorable to President Taft i
elected as delegates. but the majorit.
of tho people arc for Roosevelt
Those Taft delegates. under the law
would have to vote for Roosevelt, bu
they would do so listlessly and me
vention would be much like sleep
ing under IL wet blanket. On tn,
other hand these delegate
were enthusiastic Roosevelt men a
heart and the preference of the stat,
vas for him, amy n who ever saw
1t convention in session knows tina
the spirit of enthusiasm would sprea,
from the North Dakota section to TIL
sections where other state delegation
We're seated and would have Il rally
ing effect upon them that would hell
the cause of Roosevelt.
That is why IA convention of Roose
Welt supporters is proposed to be hel.
in this city February 90 for the pur
pose of selecting a list of Roosevelt
delegates h a shall represent all sec
tions of the state in !; convention I,
which every Roosevelt supporter il
the state is invited and in which h,
will have a voice n vote equal Il
those Of everyone else. Instead o
sending IL hostile delegation forced
I, vote for Roosevelt. let the stat,
roll up the biggest and most en-
thusiastic convention ever held in tn,
state and send a delegation tina will
march and shout and vote for hin
until he is nominated.