Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-01-29
PURIFYING THE h

more or less eminent, have undertake
en- the task of purifying the Repub-
lican party, and as a means to that
end have undertaken 10 read out OF it
a number Of men who have been
more or less closely affiliated with it
for a good many years: The Herald
comes in for it's share Of the castiga-
ton administered by these rcformers
Of our politics, and the paper ap-
pears to be in very bad standing with
thems For a good many years the
Herald has believed itself to be a
Republican paper. 1t has done what
it could to contribute to the good
standing Of tho party in this state.
and to the proper development OF its
activity for the furtherance of the
public interest. AS a part of that CT
fort this paper has opposed to the
extent Of its ability the capture of the
Republican state organization by
professional Socialists, many of whom
had never been previously allied with
the party, and who cspoused princi-
pies so utterly repugnant to the en-
tire history of Republicanism THAT it
became a %grotesque mockcry to use
the word Republican as descriptive
of an organization in which those
men welded an influence.
That attitude the Herald has main
tanned consistently and it maintains
1t now. That the efforts which it
and Others nkeminded put forth to
cause the title of the party to mean
what it said were not successful has
been due in part to the fact that some
men connected with the party have
preferred a temporary personal or
political advantage to consistency in
the maintenance of a principle, and
the unfortunate fact is that the state
organization is now controlled by
men, a majority Of whom are not in
any n Republicans.
A convention, so called, has been In
session at Bismarck. and because GER
tain individuals who did not believe
in playing petty politics with the par
ty organization neglected to attend
sthat convention they are now to suf-
fer expulsion. 1t would be interest
ing to know by what right n in
dividual undertakes to require the at
tendance OF any other individual at
a gathering which can only by
courtesy be called a party convcn-
ton. W if it were really representa-
tive Of the party. Officially there is
no longer any SUCH thing as a poll
teal party convention in North Da-
kota-
Any number of men belonging,
or protesting to belong, to n party
can assemble themselves on any pre-
text and under n conditions call
themselves a party convention, and
take such action as they may deem
proper. But that action. no matter
by whom taken, is binding on no one,
! for it has been decreed In the laws OF
the state hat the party machinery
shall be created through the pri-
mary, and that party candidates OF
all kinds shall there be elected. II
has remained for Mr.. Shea to
prumulgate a different doctrine. Ji,n
has for year. been a sort of handy
man for the running OF political err
rands. In that capacity he may in
some have been useful to those
who employed him. but Jim Shea az
the errand boy and Jim Shea as the
political boss are two entirely differ.
ent and irreconcilable things. Posi-,
bly, Jim has been trying on the shoes
Of some other man. and is expert.
menting with them to see how the.
fit, but he will find to his dismay thai
he will be lost in n pair of shoes
built>for a politician Of man size.