Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-10-16
Townleyite. Will Accomplish
Nothing And Harm Them
selves If They Win Case;
Would Mean SaddIing OF.
Several thousand Dollar
Debt On Taxpayers.

Bismarck. N. D.. Oct 16.-The4 4su-
preme court today issued an order
temporarily restraining the printing
OF the three column ballot objected to
by representatives Of the Nonpartisan
league and set the matter for a hear
ing Monday at 10 a. m.
The petition on behalf Of the LEAGUE
alleged that socialists and some Nom
partisan league candidates were fraud
ulently being put in one column under
the heading Individual Nomina-
tons"
While the Nonpartisan league lead
ers have seized upon the situation to
has been hatched up to hurt the league
there are many anti-Towniey people
who hope the supreme court will up
hold the contention. A four-column
ballot, If anything, would cause diff
Guilty to the league voters in finding
their Independent candidates, they
hold. Notwithstanding the fact that In
the four-column ballot the name
"Nonpartisan league" has been print
ed in black type under the name Of
each candidate. The Socialists, how
ever, have the name Socialist on the
ballot but once.
Will Cost Thousands.
If the Nonpartisan league wins in its
contention. its leaders. the .1nti-Town-
ley men feel. will not only have ac-
complished nothing and perhaps hurt
themselves, but they will have to
stand the odium of saddling several
thousand dollars additional. expense
upon the taxpayers
As the matter now stands, three
column ballots are being printed by
some contractors and four-column bal
lots iby others. In Kidder county, how
ever. where independent anti-Townley
men have filed for the legislature there
will have to be fve-column ballots, II
the league contention is upheld.
1t is pointed out that under the
league contention, If the prohibition
electors had been filed, the farmer-la-
Dor electors and other political parties
there probably would have been NJ,
eight or nine column ballot. which
would cost the state a huge sum OF
money.
| Attorney General LANCER rendered
formal opinion today on the ques-
tion to Secretary Of State Hall. who
/. asked for advice.
AT the. present time there are but
4 two POLITICAL parties entitled tosrecos-
| milton as such uponsptAes E4Aefal ,aal-.
I lot said ahe attorney general r. ss.e1Ti issse
are the RepublicansEand Democratic
parties. No other party cast suffi-
cient number of votes at the last gen
! Ci al eiectlOH IN lnlS state ito ma tnta In
its identity. 1t must therefore follow.
under our statutes. that only the re-
publican and democratic parties are
entitled to party columns on the gen
eral ballot
| Two Ways For Printing.
There are two ways under existing
statutes in which candidates may have
their names printed upon the general
ballot. Oneais through a party. nonlina-
tton. and the other is by means Of a
petition for an individual nomination,
the latter method being provided for
in section sol OF the Revised Codes of
1899, which section was held to be in
full force and effect by the supreme
(. court of this state in a decision rem
dered some years ago. ,-.s,, tIs,s
5 The records in your Office (secre-
tary of statc) show that nominating
petitions have been filed designating
FIVE presidential electors representing
4 the national candidate of the socialist
party for the presidency az the United
States In view of the fact that the
socialist party has lost it's identity in
the state of North Dakota, unouestion-
ably the names of such candidates for
presidential electors should be placed
IN the column set aside and DESIGNATED
individual Nominations Your rec
ords further show that nominating pe-
titions have been filed, under the pro