The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-07-03
Other Mems Views

The New York Evening Post:
The Nonpartisan league, which suddenly loom
ed in North Dakota two years ago as new
political factor, has just been through two pat
ties The first, in Minnesota, it lost when It's
candidate for the Republican nomination for
governor was defeated by the present incum-
bent of the office. The other in the state OF It's
origin, it has won. Its candidate for renom1na-
ton Gov. Frazier, swept the boards In 1915
receiving more than four times as many votes
as his Democratic opponent. The power OF the
League was further shown by the plurality Of
II 900 for Senator NIcCunber, and striking
ly by the plurality Of LOO for Wilson, whom 1t
supported secretly while processing no interest
in the national contest, with the exception OF
McCurnber's run for reelection to the senate. No
such plurality Frazier received had ever been
seen in the state His opponent polled only half
Of the normal Democratic vote. The outcome
Of this weeks primaries is to present the voters
squarely with the choice between retaining the
League in power and ousting it, since the DEM
ocrats gave their nomination for governor to a
candidate who was opposed to the candidate
Of the League
Gov Frazier's immense plurality in 1916 will
allow him to lose more than a third Of his vote
and vet be reelected. At the same time, the fact
that he denomination only after more Wig
orous opposition than he had when the League
arose will make observers slow to predict a
repetition Of 1916. Why, they will ask should
not events have moved in the opposite direction?
W11v should not the farmers have displayed
greater ease in retaining power than they showed
in winning it? Instead Of several candidates
in the primaries in 1916 when the League
candidates obtained more votes than all the
rest put together, there were just two Republt-
candidates
time and the issue between them was the
League. So far the officers Of the League
from overconfidence that they brought speak
erB Of prominence into the state to assist in the
contest. AS it turned out some of these had
better have been left at home, the questioning
Of their loyalty operated against the success OF
the League The Leagues failure in Minnesota
also worked against it. 1t was as If North Da-
kota voters said, IF other States do not want
the League, perhaps it is not SO fine thing as
thought"
1t would be premature to forecast the imme-
date dissolution Of the Nonpartisan league but
its fight for life two years after it born
begins to plot the curve of many minor party
in our history. very few. like the Prohibition
party, figure in every presidential election for
generation. Most Of them begin spectaculary,
are hailed as successors to one Of the two old
parties, and expire as suddenly as they were
born. Their success is in inverse ratio to their
longevity. The Progressives polled four times
as many electoral votes the only other minor
party since 1850 that has polled any electoral
votes at all for president-and the ProgressiVes
died the year they were born, although it took
them four years to find out the sad fact The
other party to cast electoral votes for presi-
dent was that Of the Populists. It's % votes for
Weaver In 1892 were just fourth Of the SO that
the Progressives gave Roosevelt twenty years
later, but the Populists figured in just four times
as many national contests as the Progressives
The Greenbackers began modestly with $4,000
votes in 1875, the same year that the Prohibit
uonists, as being destined to outlast them, began
with only 5000. Four years later they grew to
100000, and in 1884, under Ben" Butler, fright
ened New York Democrats who feared that thew
would draw away votes from Cleveland
than he would gain from Blaine. In November
Butler polled only half Of the Greenback vote of
four years previous
Who remembers the Anti Masonic party or
has more than the vaguest idea of the Know
Nothings" Native American party? Yet the
former their electoral ticket endorsed in 1892
by the supporters of Clay in New York Ohio
and other states, and won Vermonts seven cleo
toral votes, while the latter absorbed the Wing
strength in the South and in 1856 carried Mary
land for Fillmore and gave him more than a fifth
Of the entire popular vote. A similar ratio would
have given the Socialists 100000 votes in 1916
This party, distinct from the Socialist Dor
party, has figured in five national campaigns
definitely displacing the Prohibttionists as the
third party The record Of mortality, one would
think, is enough to discourage new parties from
entering the LISTS The trouble with them Is that
they either seize upon passing feeling, which
speedily leaves them stranded or raise an is
sue which is forcibly annexed by one OF their
older rivals. The Nonpartisan league made cap
ital but OF the dissatisfaction over the refusal
Of the government OF North Dakota to give effect
to constitutional amendment, twice adopted
permitting the state TO build grain elevators But
expansion Of this issue into platform that win
endure the changes of time is not easy When
Gov. johnson saw the end Of Progressivism ap-
preaching, he avowed himself Republican; Gov
Frazier was Republican before he was a
Lacquer, and can become one again lie the ext
genctes Of politics require. Even so, the League
viii have a longer existence than the Anti
Monopoly party Of 1884, Of which IL is recorded
'Tha party had no prior nor subsequent his
tory"