Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-10-11
SIDESTEPPING THE FACTS.

support to Mr.. McCusker instead Of Carl R1ddlcF
as congressman for this district. The Leader
has bad habit of substituting it's own deduc
tons for what The Tribune says in these col
umns and printing those deductions as what this
newspaper said In order that no person may
think we have copied that disreputable style Of
argument we print herewith verbatlon:
"The Great Falls Tribune comes forward te
the defense of the Townley congressional candl-
date in this district, the wild man from Wolf
Point, and as clnching argument asserts that
Carl Riddick Republican candidate for congress
once upon time was accused of belonging to the
Nonpartsan league, that Wellington D. Rankin
Republican candidate for attorney general, was
friendly with the Nonpartisan members of the
last legislature, and that Joe Dixon, Republican
candidate for governor, has been accused by
Mickey McGlynn, one of the Townley employees,
of having spoken pleasantly to him In his room
in the Placer hotel last summer. OF course that
is only sidestepping the facts, like the little boy
who, when caught in Whopper, declares IN ex-
tenuation, you're another-youre another!'
The facts are that Mr.. Riddick is NOT running
upon the Townley ticket, while the wild man
from Wolf Point is the Townley candidate and is
running upon the Townley platform; that Mr..
Riddick has made one Of the best congressman
ever had in Washington, and that he has been
for ALL of the people all of the time, Republi-
cans, Democrats, Nonpartisans and all alike.
When he is reelected he will be for the interests
of ALL the people Of the state, and of the dis
trct'
Now for a sidestepping performance that ar
tice surely takes the cake. Besides it is full of
Misrepresentation about what The Tribune real
ly said We asked The Leader if it would repu-
date it's candidate Mr.. Carl Riddick if it was
proved that he gave his Endorsement to the Non
partisan League program by joining that organ
ization and paying his dues to it? The Leader
sidesteps the question. Since we printed that ar
ticle we have received lot of additional lnfor-
nation about that matter. One reputable cltl-
zen telegraphs us that he KNOWS that he did
join because he had personally seen his member
ship card and because Carl Riddck admitted to
him in the presence of witnesses that he had
Joined the organization, moreover the date OF
this admission is quite recent we are told. This
newspaper did not say that "once upon time
Carl Riddick, Republican candidate for congress,
was accused of belonging to the Nonpartisan
League and that Wellington D. Rankin, Re
publican candidate for attorney general was
friendly with the Nonpartisan members of the
last legislature, and that Joe Dixon, Republican
candidate for governor has been accused by
Mickey McGlynn of having spoken pleasantly to
him in his rooms at the Placer Hotel in Helena"
1t said something very different What this
newspaper said was that many of the leaders of
the Nonpartsan League asserted and continue
to assert up to the present moment that Carl
Riddck fully Endorsed their platform two years
ago by joining the league and paying his dues to
the league and that he afterwards sought to de-
ceive the Republican voters by declaring that
this was not fact. We said that if this was
true we much preferred man like Mr.. McCusk-
err who openly avows his political principles to
four-flusher who denies them to one crowd and
asserts them to another, and plays fast and loose
as the times change and he sees votes to be
gained or lost by his attitude And that is just
the sort of man we believe Carl Riddick to be.
Merely comparing the personal character of the
two men we much prefer Mr.. McCusker When
to that is added the fact that he is in favor of
the policies of Mr. Cox our presidential candidate
and Mr. Riddck is not in favor Of any Of them,
we see no reason why any Democrat, who is 60
ing to vote for Cox and Roosevelt should hesitate
about giving him their vote, even though it be
true as it surely is, that some portion of his po-
litical principles as set forth in the Labor-Non-
partisan League platform has not our approval.
And as to Wellington Rankin we did not say
that he was accused of being friendly with Nom
partisan League members. We said he was hand
in glove with them and to all intents and pur-
noses one of them. We said the editor of The
leader knew that charge to be true as did every