The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-08-09
WITH THE EDITORS
CLASS RULE AND DEMOCRACY

Accepting the dictum Of the federal court in
North Dakota that stirring VI sclass against class
is not any offense against the law we cannot
fully share the enthusiasm of the Court in favor
of that method Of reform. j. w. .Brinton, general
manager Of the Consumers United Stores com.
pany, a Nonpartisan league enterprise, may have
as he pleases- and profit thereby, but that this is
necessarily q wholesome experience for any com
munity may be very fairly questioned. SOB
To compare, as the court seems TO, the Non.
partisan League, movement with the agitation
against slavery, seems to be begging the question.
That certainly was not q class movement in the
same sense that the Nonpartisan league movement
is asclass movement. In, what way did the agita-
|tion against slavery seek t., array class against
class? Perhaps to q limited extent the slave
against the free man, but back Of all that was q
great moral issue. It was not alone that the slave
class were the sufferers, but that the whole nation
was morally debased and THAT . great public wrong
was being committed, not only against the slave
but against free men everywhere, that gave force
and power to the agitation against slavery. To
call it a class movement is to limit telescope Of
Its moral contact far below the range which it
really took. We freed the slave to save the union.
We had found that it could not continue half slave
and half free" h
The Nonpartisan hague movement. on the other
hand, involves no such issue. It is q purely poll
Itico-economic movement, originated ostensibly for,
Though not actually BY, a certain industrial group
FLOR the purpose of correcting certain alleged eco
nomic wrongs and 5injustices. That group seeks
exclusive political control. \ Itrecognizes the rights
of no other group and denies to every other par
ticipation in the, organization and conduct Of the
government. In 50 doing, it is. directly antagon-
|istic to the principles Of democracy.
How this thing works out VIZ have had ample
demonstration in Russia in the past year. There
is distinctly class movement, the classes being the
workingmen and the soldiers, has demonstrated
what class movements accomplish. The salvation
Of Russia will come only through, the abandon
ment Of this class movement, the enlargement Of
political control to 9 democratic basis and aban-
%donnent Of class dictation. As the result Of class
rule in Russia, that country is a wreck industri-
ally, financially and in every other way. There is
no hope for the establishment of ordersexceptsby
the abandonment Of class rule and the adoption
Of their democracy, which contemplates protecr
ton Of the rights Of all, or autocracy, which rec
ognizes the rights of none. ! Is
And what has happened in Russia in q, modi.
fed degree will happen in North Dakota. Already
the effect Of class rule, the exercise of>it in q
measure, has damaged the financial credit Of that
state. It will not be restored until the Bolshevik
Nenpartisan league is supplanted by q return ia
democratic principles and a democratic form Of
government. The committal Of authority to the
unfit will accomplish no better results IN North
Dakota than it has produced in Russia.
The unfit are inevitably the selection of those
who elevate class interest above general interest
garchy differing in no vital respect from autoc.
racy.-Minneapolis Tribune.