The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1918-10-26
the SELECTION OF A CONGRESSMAN

fairs, public lands, and irrigation of
arid lands Should he be reelected,
he will stand about third in position
on two of these committees, with a
strong probability that he will be
chairman of the irrigation committee.
To lose his standing on these COM
mittees is simply to lose the possibil-
ity of this district getting any more
legislation along these lines for years,
for congress would be right in taking
the stand that the district which
failed to reflect its ranking member
on these committees was not DESTROYS
of anything in that line. The man
who opened the Colville reservation
after all predecessors had failed,
stands some chance of getting legis-
lation when it is wanted. Present
matters now before the departments
mean thousands of dollars to our tax
payers. Shall we lose it?
Exploitation of the farmers was a
pleasant business diversion of finan-
cial interests in the cities for years.
Finally the farmers commenced to or
ganize, and the Washington State
Grange and the Farmers Union are
the results of their organization.
That venerable leader c. B. Kegley,
now deceased, was for more than a
decade the grange leader in this state.
No abuse was too great, no falsehood
was too big, no Misrepresentation was
too much for the vested interests
of the state to hurl against him, his
work, and the efforts of his state or
ganization. The same interests,
newspaper and financial, which Op-
posed Kegley and the grange are now
opposed to Dill, who helped pass the
farm loan act, the federal reserve law,
and other measures which help to
protect the farmer and his earnings.
These same interests, financial and
newspaper, now have candidate for
congress opposed to Dill. 1t is not
surprising that the farmers are look
ing askance at the men in their COM
munities who favor the candidate of
these financial interests. 1t is not
strange that these farmers are suspi-
cious of the men who are boosting for
the chosen candidate of their enemies.
The grange has been the most benef-
icient influence in country life in this
state. A congressional candidate
supported by it's enemies can hardly
appeal to these grange members, who
have right to vote for congress-
man who has been their friend and
who is pledged to their interests. 1t
is dangerous business for any business
man in our small communities to i'm
mediately take up with the avowed
enemies of the farmers organization,
and this paper will have none of it.
Whatever his faults, Dill has never
been charged with being tool in the
hands of predatory wealth. Farmers
can not be expected to step out and
vote against him, at the request of
those who in the past have used every
means to despoil the producer.
A Question of Patriotism
The talk about defeating Dill "be-
cause he was unpatriotic" is simply
bunk. If any one dislikes Dill, or
politically differs with him, or for
any other kind of reason doesn't want
to see him elected, that person has a
good American right to say so, and to
get out and work against him. But
he should be honest enough to state
the facts on which he bases his oppo-
sition, and not PROFOUND arguments
which will not stand the light of in
vestigation. Congressman Dill is re-
garded as patriotic by the president
of this nation, by the democratic ad-
ministration in full charge of the war,
by the congressional majority in
congress, and by the national demo-
cratic campaign committee. Mr..
Dill spent many weeks this summer
making addresses through the east,
accompanied by Mrs. Newton D..
Baker, wife of the secretary of war,
who sang at his meetings. Some of
the above mentioned personages, at
least, are classed as patriotic. Ger
tainly they are in the best position
to know what is needed in the way of
congressional material. A test of a
mans patriotism ought to be partly
left to the people who are actively
conducting the war. If not, why
not?
Right along this line of patriotism,
it might be noted that Mr.. Dill has
been and is being opposed by the
Spokesman Review, whose editorial
page during the last year has earned
for itself the reputation of being the
most unpatriotic in the northwest.
And this same paper is supporting
Mr.. Dill's opponent! The conduct of
the war, the men who are conducting
the war, and the methods of winning
the war, have all come in for their