Grand Forks herald., 1917-03-21
(By Geo. b. Winship.)


National City, Calf, March III
have just read in The Herald the
scathing and justly merited censure
by several hundred citizens Of Grand
Forks, Of the recent filibustering tao
tics Of Senator Gronna in the United
States senate, and regret that was
not on the spot at the time to add my
name to the list. Gronnas conduct
can only be explained on the hypoth-
esis that he was so completely under
the sinister influence of LaFollette
that he was incapable of exercising
ordinary judgment. Anyway. no mat
ter what his reasons were, it was an
evil endeavor, in which no loyal
American would have engaged. dan
gerous to the country, a humiliation
to the people, shameful, disgraceful,
detestable.
And while you people were in the
censure business it would not have
been unmerited If the representative
from the first district, Mr.. Helgesen,
had been given lash or two from
the whip Of popular condemnation. It
Is true that his offense was not as
heinous as that Of Gronna's. but it
was bad enough to have merited YER
bal chastisement from his indignant
constituents. and he should not have
been overlooked.
There are occasions in the admin
istration Of this government by, of
and for the people, when it would be
good for us IL we could invoke the
aid of the English system, modified in
some degree, in order to obtain the
latest phase Of public sentiment con-
cerning questions of grave and
critical import. When a bunch of
statesmen. duly intrusted by the peo-
pie to represent and act for them, get
off their trolley and run amuck down
the line under the pretext that they
know more than the dear peepul,"
1t would be proper to have the ques,
tions they raise tested at the earliest
possible moment. OF course in some
states the "recall' provides for an eX-
preston Of the kind suggested, but
that plan is too circumlocutary and
discoursive in cases where a prompt
and emphatic expression of public
sentiment is imperative for the we'll
being and safety Of the government.
In ordinary circumstances. when per-
the evil conduct of wilful coterie Of
alleged statesmen might be deferred
for more deliberate consideration;
but in cases where dire calamity
threatens, prompt, swift and retribu-
tive Justice should be dealt out to the
guilty. without a moments loss OF
time. Censure hy public meetings.
effigy burning, and other passionate
methods Of expressing wholesome in.
dignation, have a Christening effect,
but what the offender really needs is
complete and speedy suspension of
his official career. In the case of the
two offending misrepresentation. un-
der our present system, two and three
years must. pass before q definite
sentence can be passed, and by that
time the damage they might do the
country would be beyond computa-
ton.
. ~<
These are times when those whose
memories carry them back to the
national crisis OF 1861, may wildly
recall the activity of the ''pacifist" of
that psrtod. He was as detestable a
buUA6od4 ma ~ tireless an agitator
then ~ - = now. He was for peace
ct anyso5d priee. No matter how un-
just o. oN1mprGcticable were the de-
manAe o. m escsders, he would con-
cede eSotythipE rather than stand up
and AGAlSzora principle involving the
welker1 S0f humanity. Peace commits
stontrs anA peace parties were organ
iSSd, Ana tbs country was prolific Of
". y. Bryens, Henry Fords and Jane
fA66omee1. Abraham Lincoln was
h0unded almost TO distraction By tho
60nooloes lmp0rtnniti6o eof theee we'll
Sn4aniA1 but utterly jii-bAlaneed asi-
~ aaeees1s1 ~ an5sctin0