Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-10-06
THE NONPARTISANS AND REPUBLICANS.

THE NONPARTISANS AND REPUBLICANS.
The Great Falls Daily Leader is much exer-
cised over the recent announcement made IN
these columns of our conviction that vote Tor
Cox for president and Carl Riddick for congress
is an illogical vote because Congressman Rlddck
would do all he could to defeat the great national
policies for which Mr. Cox stands and MIR. Nc
Cusker has has said he would vote to sustain
these policies The Leader cannot possibly ov-
erlook or forget the fact that Mr.. McCusker has
pledged himself to support the Nonpartlsan
league program. That damns Mr.. McCusker IN
the Leaders eyes beyond redemption. Well this
newspaper does not like that fact either. "But
we suggest that it turn its eyes inward. For in
stance if it had proof that Carl Riddick was also
member of the Nonpartisan league and paid his
dues to that organization when he thought 1t
might be to his political advantage would the
Leader repudiate it's congressional candidate
and withdraw support from him. We do not as
sert that such proof exists or that such is fact.
Mr.. Riddick has denied that he ever joined the
league or gave Endorsement to it's political and
socastic program. Prominent members of the
Nonpartisan league organization have asserted
that he did. We have no access to the Nonpar-
tisan league records. We don't know who IS
telling the truth but we think the truth should
come out, and if the Nonpartisan league leaders
have proof of the fact that Mr.. Riddick gave his
Endorsement to their political program by join
ing the league they should produce it, because
people generally will have more respect for a
man who comes out in the open in Endorsement
of their program than they will for one who four
flushes and denies his acts. Besides it is due
Mr.. Riddick to clear up this matter by accepting
his word or dsproving it. Then there is Yelling
ton Rankin, Republican candidate for attorney
general who has been pretty we'll mixed up with
the Nonpartsan league program in the past.
We never heard it asserted that he Joined it and
paid his dues, but we do know that his rooms at
Helena during the last legislative session were
the headquarters of the Nonpartisan eaguers
and he was hand in glove with them during the
whole session That is no secret Every men,
Der of the last legislature knew it. The editor
Of the Leader, who was member Of that egis-
lature, knows that this statement is true. In a
recent affidavit published in the Billings Star,
J. A McGlynn, former organizer of the Nonpar-
tisan league, says that while he was attending
Nonpartisan league caucus in the office of We'll
lington Rankin, the latter asked him to go to
the Placer hotel to meet friend Of his and he
ushered him into a bed room where he met the
present Republican candidate for governor, Ex-
Senator Joseph Dixon, and that Mr.. Dixon tried
to impress on his mind that the Nonpartisan
league needed politician like himself to lead
their party. We have not observed that The
Daily Leader has made any wry faces about
swallowing Mr.. Wellington Rankin with all his
Nonpartisan associations as their candidate for
attorney general We think The Leader had
better turn its eyes inward. It might find the
white purity of it's anti-Socalistic virtue little
blotched here and there This newspaper is op-
posed to the Nonpartisan- Labor political pro-
gram. It does not propose to do anything to
help fasten it on the state or help make another
North Dakota out Of Montana. But it does not
see that the best way to prevent this is to swak
low the Republican ticket whole. There is too
much decayed political fruit hanging on the
branches Of that tree for our stomach. There
is for instance Mr.. Stewart for secretary of
state We do not see how any Democrat or self
respecting Republican either, who has read the
report of the Republican committee to investi-
gate the state house offices made to the last leg
islature can make up their mind to vote for him.
This article is also in partial redemption of our
promise to our readers to tell the truth about the
political situation in this state as we see it.
THE INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATIC CLUBS.
In many counties in the state Democrats who
are disgusted with the seizure of their party