The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-10-25
PATRIOTISM OR POLITICS

Kalispel Inter Lake-1n a speech at
Bozeman on Monday evening before
an audience. which the Democratic
press Of the state admits packed the
Municipal theater to the doors" Gov
ernor Stewart opened the campaign
with a speech in which he charged
that DR.. Lanstrum, Republican candi-
date for United States senator, has
been flirting with A. G. Fownley.
head Of the Nonpartisan league. He
also makes the statement that DR..
Lanstrum is unstable and vacillating
in character, simply because there
have been personal and political diff
ferences between him and Frank J.
Edwards, and the newspaper in which
DR.. Lanstrum is a stockholder, at one
time antagonized Edwards.
The governor then goes on to say
that this is no time for politics, that
politics should be adjourned, and he
appeals to the public to elect Demo-
Gratis to congress for the reason that
our enemies may take it al an indica-
ton of d~issension among the Ameri-
can people and a reputation of the
president and his policies if the coun-
try does not ga solidly Democratic at
the coming election.
We are somewhat surprised that
Governor Stewart should have made
such a speech-in fact, surprised that
he should have made a speech at all
at a time when such a disastrous cpl
demic as Spanish influenza is sweep
ing over the state and daily taking
its toll of death.
The charge that DR.. Lanstrum has
made overtures to Townley and the
Nonpartisan league is too ridiculous
and preposterous to be given consid-
GRAFTON by any person with an ounce
of horse ems In his announcement
DR.. Lanstrum stated that while he ia
vored and pledged himself to work
for legislation in the interests of the
farmers Of the state, he denounced the
methods Of Townleyism and the
league, and these principles were in
corporated in the Republican plat
form.
However, DR.. Lanstrum makes a
flat denial that he knows Townley or
has ever seen him, or has approached
him either directly or through a rep
resentative on any matter whatever
The people of the state well know
that Jeanette Rankin, who was the
Nonpartisan league candidate TO,
United States senator, was DR.. Lam
strum's closest competitor, and the
hardest fight possible was put against
her by the Republicans of the state
The statement that DR.. Lanstrum
is "vacillating" simply because he at
one time politically opposed Frank j.
Edwards, is also decidedly far fetch.
ed. 1t is also to be recalled that there
have been factions in the Democratic
party also, and one has only to turr
back the pages Of history about {
week to find that there is a differ
ence of opinion between Senators My
ers and Walsh relative to the appoint
ment of one B. X. Wheeler. Governor
Stewart lauds Senator Walsh to tn
skies, and we admit that he is an abb
man, but at the same time we SHOULD
like to see Senator Walsh "adjourl
politics" long enough to put Wheele,
!, in the discard on the strength of tn
record he has made as a public off
cial.
We also do not think that the fact
will support the governors statemen
. that only Democrats should be elect
ed to congress for purely patriot
reasons: AS a matter of cold fact
more Republicans than Democrats i
congress have supported the presiden
in his war measures. The record
show this. Again, President Wilso'
has been given more power than an,
II monarch on earth, and during tn
course of the war this is as it shout
be. But in a republic M part act
as a check on the other, and thu
keeps it within bounds. We believ
: that President Wilson has made mi!
takes; he would not be human if h
had not. For instance, there is tn
II matter of fixing the price of whes
: and flour, but no regulation on subst
tutes, other foodstuffs, or the thing
which the farmer must buy. The
again, cotton prices are soaring, an