The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1916-10-05
G. G.L. CIRCULAR
SIMPLY AFAKE
Secretary Black Says Good Govern.
ment League Appeal Was a Fraud
and Not Authorized.

0bA0 ANVS 1ASASAsVA sSS~s
Editor The Courant:
| am in receipt of a marked
copy of the Courant of Septem-
ber 28th. containing an editori-
al criticism of the North Da-
kota Good Government League,
with the generous offer that
the columns of the paper are
at my disposal.
Let me first thank you for
the privilege you have given
me, and knowing the value of
newspaper space, l will be very
brief in, taking advantage of
your generosity.
l regret that you have fallen
into the common error of class
ing the North Dakota Good
Government League as simply
an antidote to the FarmersNon-
partisan Political League. This
is not the object of our organi-
zation. You quote from our
circular, giving the objects of
the Good Government League,
but you pass it up with this
simple assertion. Sounds
very beautiful, does it not?
You have absolutely nothing
to say as to whether you be-
lieye these objects are good or
bad, You simply doubt the
sincerity of the movement and
dispose of the entire PROPOSE
ton by mentioning the names
of few citizens, some of
whom are not even members
of our organization.
Further on you quote from
a circular, with which the
Good Government League, as
an organization, had nothing to
do, and you base your entire
criticism on this point. You
have studiously refrained from
giving your readers. any Of the
real facts contained in the
Declaration Of Principles sent
you from this Office. 1t would
have been only fair to have
printed this Declaration iand
based your comments on it,
but instead, you make your
own assumption and then pro-
ceed to criticise the movement
on that ground.
There is only one thing in
your editorial that calls for a
definite reply. In yonr last
paragraph you ask, frank ques-
ton when you say, Where
does this so-called Good Gov
ernment League stand today,
toward the Nonpartisan League
candidates nominated in the
June primaries" To this let
me say that the North Dakota
Good Government League is
neither nominating nor endors-
ing candidates. That is not
our business. 1t is not our
purpose to tell voters how they
shall vote. As announced in
our Declaration of Principles,
it will be our earnest endeavor
to obtain unbiased information
concerning candidates of all
parties and measures that seek
enactment into law in the
State of North Dakota. We
have started out on this line.
and we will continue, regard.
less of the warped and unjust
criticisms that are beinG made
concerning us at the present
time.
We believe you will agree
with the principles laid down
by the Good Government
League as fundamental in
Government. We recognize
the right Of honorable men to
disagree in the method of their
application, without being sub
|jected to the accusatio n Of
ulterior motives. The North
Dakota Good Government
League is composed of several
thousand voters Of North Da-
kota. representing all classes
of our agricultural and COM
mercial life. It's expenses are
provided for by this member
ship, and not a dollar has been,
Tor will be contributed by any
interests outside Of the state.
There is nothing to conceal in
this organization. The parade
Of political ghosts is not argu-
ment in these days Of progress
sion. When you get the politi-
cal dust out Of your eyes you
will see our organization as il
I'D, and not a. il has been
= -