The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-02-14
PEOPLES FORUM
CALLS hT 1LLOGIC

CALLS lT 1LLOGIC
Bismarck, N. D., Feb. 10, 1919.
Editor Tribune, l.
Dear Sir: Some remarks on address
delivered by J. W. Brinton ut the Bis
marck Auditorium last Saturday eve
ming :. ,EtE ,,*
The business Of logic is to help rs TO
think clearly and obJe:tiveiy. express
ourselves plainly and accurately, rea-
son correctly, and estimate alright the
statements and arguments 4 Others.
Judging Mr.. Brint6n' $. address, de-
livered in the Bismarck. Auditorium
Saturday evening" according to the
principles of logic it mast be said Of
sit that. it was full Of glaring logical
fallacics. In his Introductory remarks
he referred, to the fact that he and
other Nonpa rtisaf1 leaders have been
called "agitators" and hesproceeded TO-
show that 1t is compliment to be
called nm agitat0r. In that process Of
reasoning he committed his first logical
fallacy Jesus Christ, he said,, was
the first great, agitator. He was cruel
fed because the people lacked the Wis
ion to see that what he .agitated was
for their welfare He %AlsO named
George Washington, Abraham; Lincoln
and Theodore Roosevelt as great ,agi,
tators. He mentioned these -four as
great .agitatorss that had helped to
make the world better. Therefore, he
concluded, all agitators were good. and
it is compliment to be called an
agitatOr. We will agree that the Son
of God and the three great Americans
named were good "agitators," but 1t
does not follow from that that all agi-
tators are good. The major premise
is particular. It refers to four par
ticular individuals only. The rule of
logic is that from a particular premise
you can draw no conclusion. If the
ma jOr premise had been: All agita
tors are good, then the conclusion that
Mr.. Brinton and all other league agi-
tators are good would have been Il
valid conclusion. But no one can make
the assertion that all aXitatcrs IRE
good. Jesus Christ, an agitator, if lou
wish to use that term, was crucified
because other agitatOrs stirred the peG.
pie up to do so. The assassin's' bull
let found It's mark In Abraham Lincoln
because Of the. work OF, agitatOrs
There are good agitators and bad
agitatOrs. and whether or not it Is a
compliment to be called an agitator de-
ponds on which class the particular
agitator belongs to-
Apply the principles Of logic to the
addresses of the four "agltators" re.
ferred to and you will find that their
reasoning is sound. 1t rests on solid
bed rock That is a characteristic If
every good agitator" does not re-
sort to the tricks Of logic to confuse
his audience.
The next logical fallacy: The city
Of Bismarck was bonded for $4,000 IL
build an auditorium. The state school
fund was used to purchase the bonds.
Therefore, it is no more than right
that the bonds to be issued with which
to build the farmers terminal c!eva-
tors. packing plants. etc. should be
purchased by the state school funds.
The assertion that the farmer; guar
anteed these bonds was made.
In the case of the Bismarck bonds
the city of Bismarck has given secur-
ity to the state Of North Dakota for
the bonds. The city Of Bismarck clone
is responsible. II the auditorium should
be destroyed the people of Bismarck
would be the lOosers and not the state
If North Dakota. In the case Of state
bonds for state owned industries pur.
chased out of the state school fund.
the state of North Dakota gives secu-
rity to the state Of North Dakota. It
is not farmers undertaking. That
was simply an attempt to mislead. II
the venture is failure the state of
North Dakota would make good the
school funds to the state Of North Da-
kota or in other words the state (all
the peOple) would loose Just that
amount Of money. If a husband loans
his wife some money with which to
speculate and the wife makes a poor
investment Of what benefit would It
be to that family IL the husband let
| the wife have some more money to
pay himself back what she had bor-
rowed and lost? It would be lust that
must money lost to that family. While
II be had loaned the neighl,or money