The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-10-29
BLAKENORE SAYS
SOCIALIST PAPER
HIS
VIEWS ON DOYLE.
Gubernatorial Candidate
Also Comes With State
ment of I & r History
A Correction BY MIR. RIakemoro.

A Correction BY Mr.. RIakemora.
To the Public:
It has come to MY attention
that an article appeared in the
Courier News this :, morning
which is misleading. A reporter
for the Courier News came to me
and asked me in direct questions
what Mr.. Doyle and Mr.. Twitchell
did in the legislature in regard
to the referendum. I stated
what, to my best knowledge ac-
tually transpired. The reporter
embellished the article and as
sumed the liberty OF putting his
embellishments In quotation
marks. am not responsible for
such Establishments, especially
all vituperative personalities.
I wish it to be clearly under
stood that T am not connected
with the Nonpartisans League,
nor any faction whatsoever. t.
am running for the legislature
independently and purely on the
issue of municipal control Of
public utilities. If elected I shall
vote for or against any meas
ure solely upon its merits, and
regardless of its source or the
faction from which 1t derives its
support.
Signed.
Robt. B. Blakemore
The foregoing statement issued to-
day by r. b. Blakemore OF Fargo
Is in response to an attempt by the
morning Socialist paper to an alleg-
ed interview with Mr.. Blakemore
the vehicle for a bitter personal at
tack upon s. u. Doyle, Democratic
candidate for govern or. Il
Outside OF Mr.. Blakemore.s repud-
iation of the ellishments" and
'4vituperative personaIit Iites,'' the
most significant feature Of the state
ment is his action in disclaining
any connection with the Nonpartisan
league, which has been actively sup
porting Blakemore and two other
candidates for the legislature in the
Ninth district.
Statement BY Doyle.
Mr.. Blakemore's attempt to charge
S. J, Doyle with unfair dealingj in
connection with the handling Of the
initiative and referendum bill, which
was further twisted by The Courier
News into a bitter personal attack
on Mr.. Doyle as disclosed by the re-
pudiation signed by Mr.. Blakemore,
drew the following signed statement
today from S. j. Doyle:
when / was member OF the a-o,
session, r, B. Blakemore came to
me at Bismarck, stating that he rep
resented the North Dakota Direct
Legislation league; that they were
drafting an initiative and referendum
bill, and knowing that / was friend
ly to that kind of legislation, asked
me to introduce the bill in the legislt-
ture.
.This I agreed. to do, and this 1
did do when Mr.. Blakemore, at a
later date, appeared in Bismarck
with the bill which was afterwards
known as the Doyle -Ployhar BILL /
myself requested of Mr.. Ployhar per-
mission to use his name as / was
a minority member and felt that a
measure of this kind would have a
better change OF passing if con-
nected the name of member Of the
majority party as joint sponsor of
the bill. We introduced the bill and
secured its passage just as it was
brought to us. by Mr.. Blakemore,
who stated that it had been drawn
by committee representing the Di-
rect Legislation league Of North Da-
kota.
After the legislative session ad-
jounhed, both Mr.. Ployhar and my
self received letters from Judson
King, who has been speaking in
North Dakota for the Nonpartisan
league, in which he stated that he
had studied the measure sSlrefully,
and in his opinion it was re best
direct legislation bill in any legisla-
tare in this country"