The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1916-10-26
NONRAR7ISAN

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The declared polic <e Of the Farmers Non
partisan League announ>ss,at the Fargo Con-
vention is that the League 81 saot take part in
National county politics. Ne~ sneless in county
matters the attempt has been made by people who
not members of the League to draw the
League into partisan politics. In order to clear
up the attitude of the League it may be we'll to
discover what nonpartisanship stands for.
Nonpartisan means not partisan party
voter.
Members of the Nonpartsan League to be
true to their principles and to cooperate with
their fellow members of the League must refuse
to be bound by party ties.
Vote for the best man, be he nominee under
the republican, the democratic, the socialist, the
prohibition or any other ticket of political party
or as an independent
Under our party law there are certain methods
by which nominees may be selected, The Non
partisan League ignores party affiliations 1t is
nonpartisan. Nevertheless it compelled to
make it's nominations this year thru the instru-
mentality of the recognized political parties
If you vote ticket straight you thereby,
whether Intentionally otherwise perpetuate
party solidarity.
1t happens this year, whether by accident or
otherwise, that more republicans than members
of other parties have received the endorsement of
the league. Does this that the Nonpartisan
League is an adjunct of the Republican party7
You have been urged to Don't forget Casey" for
reason. The reason is to prove that you are not
committed to the Republican party and the Re-
publican ticket to the exclusion of other parties
and other tickets
.,-- For the same reason don't forget your demo
cratic socialist candidates any more than the
republican candidates the County ticket.
The future of the Nonpartisan league in Bot
tineau County depends upon your action by your
votes at the forthcoming election. If you elect
straight party ticket you defeat nonpartisanship.
Pick out as your county candidate the who
most helpful to the organization of the
League from it's beginning in the county, other
qualifications being equal. Permit no party feel
ings to influence you socialist, democratic, re-
publican, prohibition-they are all the same to
you-if you nonpartisan
If you are nonpartisan, be a nonpartisan.
Furthermore, not be nonpartisan
and partisan at the time. Members OF the
Nonpartsan League who were known and re:
cognized as such prior to the primaries have been
elected committeeman from their several pre-.
cincts on party tickets. Each of those who have
fit to unite with, organize and promote the
interests of the republican party thru the instru
mentality of the Republican County Central Com
mittee, with any other party thru the instru~
mentality of it's Committee. has thereby, by his
own act, ceased to be nonpartsan and has be-
come partisan
Can you consistently follow the advice and
leadership of known and acknowledged partisans
when you claim to be nonpartisan?
These men are all estimable men. The point
is they have ceased to be nonpartisans and are
partisans.
Get the term nonpartisan firmly fixed in your
mind. That is the essential thing.
IF there appears to be generous demand on
part of the nonpartsans that the names of the
severalCounty Committees be published, they can
be published next week.
It might be we'll if the several County Com
mittees who are primarily and essentially
partisan in their sympathies resigned from parti-
san COMMITTEES. thereby announcing to their
fellow members of the League that the success of
the league is paramount to the success Of any
political party political candidate such.