American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-04-26
no BIPARTISAN TICKET
IN IDAHO, SAYS TAYLOR.
Chairman OF Republican State Cen
trail Committee Declares That Fu-
sion Means Political Confusion.

trail Committee Declares That Fu-
sion Means Political Confusion.
There will be no bipartisan ticket
in Idaho in the campaign of 1918" So
says S. d. Taylor, chairman Of the Re
publican state central committee, in
reply to overtures open and secretive
which the bOurbons of the state have
been making since they conceived Of
the idea Of putting up a BorahNugenr
ticket in order to avoid a senatorial
contest this year.
"A bipartisan ticket would not be
practicable" says Mr. Taylor. even
if it We're desirable. A fusion ticket,
in its final analysis, would necessar-
ily be a 'hand-picked' ticket selected
by few pOlicitians. 1t is unthink-
able that the people of Idaho would
stand for such a thing The history
Of political fusion has been political
confusion.
SeriOus-If True.
The bipartisan idea as advanced
is always coupled with the observation
that a political campaign would di-
vert our energies and our attention
from war preparations. This would
be serious if true. but in fact it does
not require any great amount of ener-
gy TO go to the polls and cast your
ballot and have your vote recorded,
and instead of diverting attention
from war preparations, it is more like
t. to direct attention to them
The claim that there should be no
politics during the period of the war
is fundamentally wrong The laws
of the land and the spirit of our free
institutions enjOin certain political
duties on every citizen, war or no
war, and the citizen who fails to per-
form those duties is not conserving
good government. Good government
/ is an essential toward winning the
war. If good government is best ad-
vanced by having 'hand-picked gov
/ ernors, congressman and United States
senator's. then the whole American
idea of representative government is
wrong. BY the way, what has become
of the political slogan that used to be
advanced with such fury-'Let the
People Rule?
Is Political CamOuflage.
There may be some simple-minded
persons who honestly believe in a BIZ
partisan ticket, but there is much evil
dence that the idea is principally sup
ported for political camouflage to put
some fellow over who could not be
elected upon his merits nor the merits
} of his party. No man who believes
in himself and his party would be
afraid to come before the whole peo-
pie of the state of Idaho.
, Let no one be deceived for a min
ute that this fusion idea is a matter
e. Of patriotism, so far as it applies to
= its big push 1t is politics of the
most subtle kind-the very thing that
) ( it processes to wish to avoid. If there
? were no senatorial situation in Idaho.
: some people now urging fusion would
) scorn it. Idaho is a Republican state.
) There are two United States senators
to elect, and BOrah is conceded to be
] over the top. By what process of
p reasoning does the great personal and
political popularity Of Senator Borah
] Republican. entitle the Democrats
to the other senator?
r What About Solid South!
j When did the Democrats cease tC
e. be partisan? II certainly must have
r Leen since April >, the date of the
: Wisconsin election It has not beer
4 observed that they are cOnceding any
D senator's to Republicans in Democratic
= states-the war situation does not re
{ Quire a bipartisan ticket in sucl
p states, Democrats are not at al
e afraid that political campaigns il
r. Democratic states will divert our en-
r. ergies and our attention from wa
preparations, but their sOlicitude 70
c Idaho is sublime-nerve
y The best thing that can happen 70
2 Idaho-and the thing that will hap
p pen-and the course that will max
l. Idaho strongest to concentrate and eX
ert her war energies, so far as poll
tics is concerned. is to hold our elec
4 tion in the usual way, each part
" nominating its strongest men. upo
the platform Of its choosing. and wit
N their records of achievements an
failures. submit the cause to the Who'll
people The best wins"