Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-11
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

!
This is the second of a series of dis
patches Anayzing political sentiment in
western states visited by Gov. Cox
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
! FARGO. N. D.. September 11.-Po-
Htically speaking, North Dakota is a
paradox. Nothing like it will be found
anywhere else in the Union. Here old
line democrats and old-line republi-
cans, conservatives all, have formed
a combination known as the Inde-
object of which is to break the Nom
PARTISAN Leagues hold on North Da-
| kota.
The fight over state Offices is Bit
ter. Neither side cares a whole lot
about Harding or Cox. National poll
tics is talked about only as it relates
to the use of funds to boost state
officers, and therein lies the chance
! for laundering
The Non-Partisan League doesn't
have as many state offices as it used
to have. and the Independent Voters
Association is this time determined
to wrest control from the Nom Partisan
! League, even if it means electing a
democrat--J. F. T. o'Connor-governor
to succeed Gov. Frazier. the Non Parti-
san League candidate.
i The names republican and democrat
mean little hereabouts. The Inde-
pendent Voters Association pledged
itself to support democrats if, >in the
republican primaries, nominations on
J the regular republican ticket were
won by n-Partisan Leaguers. Thus
because Gov. Frazier's name appears
on the ballot as the successful re-
publican nominee in the primaries, it
| doesn't mean that he will get the old
time republican vote Then there are
plenty of names in the independent
column. put there by the Non-Partisan
League men who lost the regular re-
publican nominations and by Inde-
pendent Voters Association men who
were beaten for the regular republican
nominations.
Thus the voter in North Dakota will
have to scratch his ballot consider
ably to express his preference. All
this affects Senator Harding Indirectly,
for the Non-Partisan League leaders
say they are\the legally elected re-
as such are entitled to funds from the
national committee just like any other
state committee. On the other hand,
the Independent Voters Association
claims to be the real offspring Of re-
publicanism In this state, even though
| they constitute an insurgent move-
| ment, They want recognition by the
national republican .committee. ...ss:.ss.3
Harding ahA Coolidge Indor.eA.
It Ii trne that the regular repub-
lican state Central committee .indorsod
Harding and CooIidgal TIT this. ..af
record straight for political deyiiry
| later 9on II the republican national
| organization dared to recognize any
other organization as the branch Of
For the Non-Partisan Leaguers Sdon't
want to see any money given to the In
| dependent Voters Association. The
argument Is that the latter: would
use it for state purposes and that
among those purposes is the effort to
governor in opposition to Gov.
For the moment the Non-Partisan
pers nsasoe are dsp,ayns net Gov coas
speeches about republican slasn
praising the Ohio governors refer
ences to big business; sa,a;ns ana the he
Non-Partisan League are uninten-
! tionally, perhaps. helping Cox by in
! sfsting that his speeches are Nom
Partisan League doctrine. ,sn OF course;
that, too, for the foes of the Non
Partisan League think they have the
INNER hand this year and that they
are delivering blow at Cox az tne
! same time that they are hentA's e'e
! radicals ,a
ers she here are pleased both by the kind
of denunciation given Cox. ana tne
nraise bestowed by non-partisan
/ league newspapers. The frlenos OF
! Cox believe the non-partisan leAe
is still the dominant political force IN
this state and say that ,1 WnoevSr ,vir s,s tbs
the leagues support Will WIN the
electoral vote of North Dakota.
Just now it looks as II the non-par-
tisan league was leaning toward Cox
though whether the purpose Is TO
| compel the republican natlonai CON-
| mittee to send funds here 10 lhe non
partisan leagues membership on .ne
republican state centra, emnnrats .
or whether, as so many aeMocra a.s :
think. It is the natural amliation OF
radicals with Cox. a closer friend OF
the non.partisan league doctrine
than is Harding's philosophy of gov
ernment, is difficult to CONJECTURE;
! Even the natives profess iHaDiiey
| to forecast just what the non -parusah
league will do this year. The leaders
~ the non-partisan league told the
writer the state would go for Hard
| inc unless the republican national
cn1,r,ittee "blundered," which is an
other way of saying that any funds
sent to North Dakota must be dis
pensed by the regular repuDhcan
state central committee, which is
contro,Ied by the league. or there
viii he a resentment vote against
Harding. which. together with the
democratic strength. would SHIFT the
electoral vote to Cox:
Tnside the democratic organization
are two wings, both united on Cox.
but one less friendly " snan nan the other sinn,o TO
,neans that conservatives and radi-
! Gals have bored within all organiza-
| t;nns in North Dakota and managed
to confuse the issues.
Calls for Diplomacy.
Tn a nutshell. the best information
available from friends of Gov. Cox
offended by the republican national
committee, the state will go for
A good deal of uncertainty pre-
walls about the woman vote. Women
have never voted for presidential
e1ectors before. In the rural dis
tricts it is doubted whether the Ger
mans and Russians and other for
ai0ners will allow their wives to vote.
as they have always been more or
less hostile to general suffrage. Also.
many Of the women in the country
will not be able to travel to the polls
II their husbands want to go away to
vote.
will get the bulk Of the rural vote
and the majority of masculine votes
in the state. but that the towns and
cities will go for Harding. and that
the city women will be able to get
to the polls and double the republican
| vote. Here's one state where the
democrats would have preferred to
see the suffrage aemndment go un-
ratified until after the election.
though some of their number insist
that the campaign on the league Of
nations will bring out the feminine
vote. The inclination of the state is
| ..-,.~S uordinR