The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1920-04-09

Republicans of Montana will be in.
terested to learn that eight candidates
for delegates to the national republi-
can convention at Chicago, whose petit
tons have been filed with the secre-
tary of state by a man "who claims to
be a republican," but who was a Ma
tional party man in Montana last cam
paign, and who met with the 48 "Na-
tional party leaders" at st. Louis this
year, all have names that begin with
the first letter of the alphabet, five
with the letter A, two with B and one
with~D.
1t is plain that in placing these can
didates in the field-they are totally
unknown in public life-their sponsor
Calculated" that their anne will be
at the head of the ticket, and that the
republican voters of the state will be
so indifferent or foolish or ignorant as
to vote the first names they come to,
and therefore will elect them.
The Record-Herald in calling atten-
ton to this transparent plan to fool
the voters, desires to express the opin-
ion that the republican electorate of
this state will not show itself so lack
ing in intelligence, so lazy, so %uninter-
ested, so imbecile as to show no dis
elimination in selecting men and wom-
en- for the responsible offices of dele
gates to the national republican con
~vention that will nominate national
standard bearers for the party.
We are sure they will not be SO
stupid as to suppose that all the as
pirants are equally qualified for this
very important function, or that they
will make no inquiries relative to those
they do not know; or that they will
know nothing and are nothing about
those they vote for; or that they will
vote for the first names they reach,
in short, vote with their eyes closed.
The candidates referred to have ley
err had any experience in public affairs
that would qualify them as delegates,
so far as we can learn, their sole and
exclusive call for consideration being
that their initials begin with A, B and
D. Furthermore, they are apparent
ly so ignorant Of the responsibilities
imposed upon delegates from Mon
tana to national conventions that they
contemplate a violation of the stat
ute, according to statements in their
petitions.
The petitions request the secretary
of state to print after their names
a pledge that the law forbids them to
keep, the pledge eff elected I will vote
for Hiram Johnson for president" The
presidential preferential law, para
graph four, says: g. . . Every such
delegate to a national convention to
nominate candidates for president and
vice president shall subscribe to an
oath of office that he will uphold the
constitution and the laws of the Unit
ed States and of the state of Mon
tana, and that he will, as such officer
and delegate, to the best of his judg-
ment and ability, faithfully carry out
the wishes of his political party as
expressed by it's voters at the time Of
| the election"
The oath of office here quoted binds
the delegates elected to the republican
national convention to vote for the
presidential and vice presidential can
didate who gets the most votes in the
state. If Hiram Johnson does not get
the majority of the republicans in
Montana, these candidates with the in
itials A. B. and D, if elected, cannot
keep their pledge to vote for him with
out violating their oath of office.
To further indicate their ineptness
and unfitness for the important politi-
cal function proposed for them, it is
only necessary to identify n of their
number as an example, Miss A. M.
Anderson of Helena, Montana. Miss
Anderson is a very estimable young
lady, probably 81 Or % years old, en-
ployed at the newsstand near the post
office and is apparently altogether
lacking in acquaintance with public
affairs.
In view of the equal %obscurity of
the other seven candidates it is fair
to assume that they are equally lack
ing in those special and general quail
ifications requisite in a delegate to a
national convention-such qualifica-
tions as long and active service in the
party, wide knowledge of public is
sues and affairs, some prominence in
economic, political and practical bust
ness, known ability to discharge the
duties and obligations of a delegate
with a full appreciation of all the fac
tors that enter the wise and careful
selection of the national candidates
of a party.
1t is possible the erstwhile Nation
al party man who filed these petitions
has the notion that, if they
are elected, he will get himself elect
ed republican national committeeman
n