The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-11-21
ence cannot be brought together with
in the time limit set.

in the time limit set.
From the time when the results OF
the election became known, the coun-
try has been trying to interpret the
swing against the party of the presi-
dent. Several facts stand out in the
explanations. The president made a
partisan appeal Immediately preced-
ing the election and refused to take
the voters into his confidence as to
the issues involved. Instead Of max
ing call for help against our imper-
ialist and plunderbund elements, which
have more than small voice in the
democratic as we'll as the republican
party councils, he asked for the cleo
ton of democrats regardless of their
position.
His,ycall should have been more
along the line of the speech of Sec
retary Daniels at Providence, where
Daniels said:
"These men of the plunderbund are
not thinking about patriotism, but
pay-triotism. They are not thinking
about securing permanent peace or
even about the war. They are think
ing about after the war and they are
straining every nerve to secure a con-
gress that will repeal or destroy the
wholesome legislation and progressive
steps which have marked Wilson's ad-
ministration.
A second important reason is the
failure of the democratic congress to
interfere with special privilege as it
should and the only way the voters
could protest was to vote for the op-
position party. This congress saddled
fixed wheat price on the normally
republican but radical northwest, and
allowed profiteering to run rampant
in practically everything else. 1t
wasted over year and half in get
ting a war profits tax approaching
decency. The republicans probably
would have been just as bad, but the
voters had right to expect more from
the democrats.
Another element against Wilson
democrats was the intense feeling of
the prosecuted radicals who had helped
to elect him in 1916. On the plea
that they were pro-german, the spe-
cial interests who live in dread of the
growth of radicalism were allowed
practically a free hand in suppressing
papers which they did not like and
in dealing out grotesquely long prison
sentences. While not agreeing per-
haps With tFe suppressed papers and
the convicted radicals, large numbers
Of voters knew that these radica.,,-- de-
clared hostility to the kaiser long be-
fore the government did and that their
pacifism, where they were pacifist,
was genuine. The Wilson admins
tration never gave any public reason
why sincere radicals had to be treated
much more harshly here than in Eu-
rope, where the war situation was
more intense. The American public
where it knows the facts, demands a
square deal, even for those it does not
agree with. The return Of Victor
Berger to congress from the Milwau-
kee district, although he was under
indictment, is probably due to this
fact.
The increased strength of the Nom
partisan League and labor in congress
is not at all pleasant to the reaction
aries at Washington. North Dakota
sends three League congressman in
stead Of one; Minnesota returns a
league and labor congressman in
place Of the reactionary Miller from
the Duluth district.
Idaho sends in two senator's, BorahI
and Nugent, endorsed by the League
and labor. The second great state
wide victory in North Dakota, includ-
ing the passing Of the constitutional
amendments which make important re-
forms possible, and the legislative
candidates elected in six other states
adds to the fear Of the reacticnaries1
and the hopes Of the s1essiyes ev-I
erywhere. q,