The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1916-09-29

tO0A cnaI80 OF the hep00llcon orRanlza.
tion by force OF numbers and we have
the rather singular spectacle Of the sue.
cessful majority openly supporting many |
democratic state and legislative candl.
dates though perhaps We should qualify
by saying one Democratic state candi
date.
Personally the Nonpartisans selected
q good man for candidate for governorf
Mr.. Frazer was brought up near the
boundary line between Pembina and
Walsh counties, is we'll educated, and is
a man Of strong personality. While he
is committed to some Of the rather fad
dish theories Of the Nonpartisan part,
yet We believe that he is a man Of good
hard sense and that when the responsi
bilities of the state fall upon his shoul.
ders that he will be conservative and
that he will not be under the control Of
any man but himself. We think that
Mr.. Frazer when elected will be govern.
or-himself.
As to the other state officers 90 the
Republican ticket, they are looking for
job. That does not mean anything
wrong. Their Offices do not mean much
politically, they are mostly of a purely
business and clerical nature. Few vot.
ers will or can know as to the personal
fitness of these as they cast their bal.
lots. Some of them are being re elected
and others are new. The records Of the
former are known and the latter have
the recommendations of their friends.
The more curious political situation is
that of the candidates for the supreme
bench. Under the law this selection Is
supposed to have been taken ont of par
tisanship, but under the facts 1t has be.
come the greater political issue of the
state campaign
There are two sets of candidates, the
old ones seeking re election while there
is new set endorsed by the nonpartisan
party. On these candidates both the
Republican and Democratic parties will
vote indiscriminately in November.
Personally, we do not like the Nonpar.
tisan candidates because they have prac.
tically pledged themselves to make judg-
ments favorable to the Nonpartisan
theories in advance. Certainly that is
not proper thing for a prospective
judge to do. On the other hand, We
have but little regard for the former
Judges as judges. But that is personal
to this writer only, who cannot forget
the county seat decisions. But by the
same token those former judges are en-
titled to about $500 votes in this county.
Our friends, the Democrats, are in
perhaps the worst condition for many
years. Always badly divided in this
state, the accidental return to power Of
the Democrats, made things worse by
scattering political plums among their
partisans which has resulted in gener-
al row and assumes the proportions of a
riot.
Our old time, Pemblna county boy,
Fred Mclean, has been elected as char
man of the Democratic state committee
and he and Macarthur, who was selected
at the June primaries as candidate for
governor, are admittedly and publicly at
swords points and the committee is divi
ded into two factions accordingly.
There has been talk of court proceed.
ings to oust Mclean, because while
chairman he is not member of the
committee, while Macarthur has announ-
ced his candidacy independent of the
committee.
The national ticket including the sena
torial and congressional delegations will
doubtless be voted pretty straight which
means that North Dakota will go lie.
publican by large majority.
AS to state candidates the state will
60 Nonpartisan-republlcan, or Republi-
can-nonpartlsan as will appear later.
But for truth state politics were
never so muddled as at present in both
of the leading political parties.