The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-04-09
.NESTOS WILL
ABIDE BY ACT
OF CONVENTION.
In Letters to Press States His
Attitude Toward Guberna. !,
torial Situation
REsTATEs' HIS PLATFORM
Willing to Stand for Best Inter.
ests of State, Against Red
Menace %
REsTATEs HIS PLATFORM

r. A. Nestos ofMinot in letter
to the Fargo Forum has made clear
his attitude toward the gubernatorlal
situation. He suggests the calling VI
a convention by the l. " A. There. is
some objection to this procedure BY
those who believe that action should
be taken through members of the Re.
publican party opposed to Townley-
ism. The Tribune reprints Mr. Mes
tos' letter in full:
The Letter.
"A friend has just suggested that
possibly an answer was expected Of
me to the editorial in your paper OF
March 27 entitled His Cards on the
Table, In view of the statement
made in the opening paragraphs Of
my. announcement as to what my at.
titude had been. an answer now seems
necessary, but in order to avoid, the
possibility that the evident attempt
In some speeches and editorials to-
ignore my statement and to misrepre-
sent my position, may deceive some
good people who really wish to know
the truth and to view the present sit.
uation sanely and dispassionately, l
shall nevertheless make the request.
ed reply and statement.
1T would seem to me that ydur edi-
torials and Langers statement are
both unfair to other candidates, an.
rounced or prospective. You would
makelit appear that LANCER is the only
candidate who has volunteered to sub.
nit his candidacy to a proposed con-
vention. This is decidedly not true.
Ever since last fall when guberna-
tOrial possibilities commenced to be
considered In talk and press and
when friends commenced to ask ME 70
enter the race, declared in each in
stance that in my opinion the anti
Socialist forces of our state must seek
unity upon some common basis OF
principles and then arrange for some
statewide representative gathering
for the purpose of adopting q plat.
form embodying such principles, and
selecting the candidates to be sup.
.pafFteds By y ny these ~ united and organized
''t'''I was q delegate to the |. v. A. con.
yentiOn in Grand Forks and at that
representative meeting of about 900
members Of the Independent Votes
association from all over the state, a
plan OF procedure was unanimously
adopted, and this plan provided for a
state convention to be held in the
spring under the auspices of the asso-
citation for the purpose Of indorsins
candidates.
Send Word to Lanoer.
During the winter. after it be-
came known that might become
candidate, sent word to- LANCER by
a couple of his workers and close
friends suggesting that inasmuch as I
had refused to announce my candidacy
and declared that a representative
convention in the spring should by a
majority vote select the man who was
to represent the anti-Socialist forces
as candidate for governor. that he
should do the same and make puD-
lie declaration to the effect that he
would abide by such convention. The
information brought back to me was
that while LANCER himself favored
usch a course his close friends and
advisers were insisting that he must
under all circumstances be candi-
date and that therefore he could not
follow the suggestion made.
His Attitude.
when LANCER made his formal an
'nouncement and in it reaffirmed his
allegiance to the league platform oil
the last two campaigns, l felt that II
would then be wiser for all probable
candidates to enter the race, to per-
NIT the people to study their records
and platforms and then at the state
wide meeting later on. after careful
Continued on Page Two)