Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1913-12-19
Entered at the postofice At Dexils
Lake, N. D., as second class matter.
Official Paper Of Ramsey County.
THE RED FIRE AND TORCHLIGHT
CAMPAIGN.

S3AAsAA 1A4NANs
Robert Adamson, who managed tn,
recent campaign of John Purroy
Mitchell, which resulted in the latter (
election as mayor of New York, il
an article in the New York Times
declares that the Campaigns Of RED
fire and frenzy are doomel.''
It is so, and it is well that it is so
What did the old fashioned cam
paign mean7
From first to last it is the result
of studied attempt to arouse and ii
direct largely to misdirect the at
tention Of the voters. lit was base
upon conviction that there would
be little public interest unless it was
aroused, and that it was the duty of
campaign managers to direct this III
the "right'' direction.
So there was bombardment of the
public with 'literature and advber.
tisements, most Of these being ap-
peals to passion and prejudice and
relatively few Of them being appea $
to reason and calm Judgment.
So there was a wholesale distribution
of stump speakers, most of them Gun.
ming workers in words noted for their
skill in wrapping "the old fag''
around them and gliding empty moth.
ings over with rounded periods and
glittering genera !ities. Their spee'h-
es, like the "literature' were appeals
to passion and partisan prejudice, sell
dom appeals to reason and calm Judg-
ment.
Later on there were torch light
parades, red fire, bonfres, everything
imaginable that was calculated to be-
stir a superficial excitement; the pur-
pose being to spur the tagging en-
thusiasm of the "faithful" and to
awe the opposition.
1t all cost money. The Literature -
cost money in printing and postage
bills, except where statesmen drew up
on the largess Of Uncle Sam to send
it out free in franked envelopes
The stump speakers were not in the
business for their health, and they
had to be well paid. The torches cost
money and often it was necessary
to hire patriots to lug them about the
streets and to cheer Justify the while
for the party and 'the ticket''
And all the while, under the Trojan
horse Of "the party" and the "tici-
et," sleek party rings were "putting
over'' maneuvers against free gov.
eminent, against honest government,
against government by and for the
people, and maneuvers for special
privilege and for big and little graft.
Such methods were necessary-and
useful-dnly when the public was indo-
lent and Indifferent.
When the public is alert, as it is
today, when there is vigilant public
spirit inspired by civic consciousness,
real patriotism and insistence upon
economic justice and fair play to all,
these methods would be not only a
wanton insult to public intelligence,
but complete waste Of money.
Mr.. Adamson is right. The old
fashioned campaigns of cred fire and
frenzy" are doomed.
The campaign of the future will not
disclose horde Of designing rascals
more or less disguised as party patriots
feeding artificial stimulants to a fac
cid public opinion. It will disclose
a people celebrating in public schoo
social centers, in their homes and Of
fees and stores and shops and on the
streets, and deciding on issues, partio.
and candidates for their own and thu
country's good.
The oldtime politician Is shrewd de
vices to distract public attention from
Zeal issues, from the vital things tina
menace privilege and promote socia
justice will avail no longer. ppeal
must be to reason, not to prejudice
The old appeals to party patriotism
fall on deaf ears. The new appea
must be to patriotism, to Intelligence
to a well-informed, determined ant
very definitely purposed public opir
ion.
There is a vast shrinkage in the
market quotations on bombast an
fustian.
And the bottom has dropped out o
the market on red fire and frenzy.
Il II vAPv evident that the IN,