New-York tribune., 1921-09-19
Leagues Fate Depends ON
Election Oct. 28 Called
by 10000 to Dust 3
Chief State Officers
Socialist Works
Prove Failures
Coalitionists Expect to
Make Clean Sweep of
Party Now i'm Control
Speeia, Dispatch to The r,;1uns

o"1H"Oh, N. ~, Sept. 1S.-The
Nonpartisan League has decided to
stake its power in this state on the re-
call election of October 2s demanded bv
'os opponents. known as the Coalition
party, and announced to-day his plans
1or the campaign. This announcement
makes 1t certain that the leaguers have
abandoned any intention they may have
had of challenging in tho courts the
right Of the. .Coalitionists to demand
recall election.
The very keystone of the leagues
political structure in this state is i'm
periled in the election, the officials
whose recall is sought being Governor
Frazier, Attorney General William
Lcmke and J. N. Hagan, Commissioner
Of Agriculture and Labor This tri-
umvlrate constitutes the State Indus
trial Commission and has absolute con-
troll over the socialized industries Of
North Dakota, which once were the
boast Of the leaguers and recently have
proved source of some embarrass-
ment.
$4,000 Sign Recall Petition
Until the Coalition forces announced
last week that more than 5000 sddi-
tional signatures to the recall petition
the leaguers might challenge the valid
ity OF the petition in the courts. The
addition Of these names to the list of
signers, however, gives the Coalition
lists more than $4,000 petitioners, about
$4,000 more than required by law.
The league leaders are believed to have
reached the decision that any effort
to prove 1900 signatures fraudulent
would be vain.
Such move not only would be al
most hopeless from the outset, but
would delay the election until winter,
and winter election is something the
Non-Partisan League desires most par
ticutariy 60 avoid. Their strength lies
in the remote agricultural districts,
and the vote in those districts would
be difficult, if not impossible, to get to
the polls in the dead of winter.
The issue Of Nonpartisan or Coali-
tion controi OF the state is to be de-
cided, therefore, by popular vote on
October 20, and within twenty days
after that, when the official canvass is
complete, the triumvirate of the league
will be unseated or will have received
renewed evidence of the confidence of
the majority Of the voters.
Coalition Campaign Opens To-day
r. A. Nestos is the Coalition candi-
date for Governor. Sveinbjorn John
son is the Coalition candidate for At
torney General, and Joseph A. Kitchen
is coalition candidate for Commits
sioner Of Agriculture and Labor. Mr..
Nestos will take the stump tomorrow.
will be in the field within few days.
The Nonpsrtisan Leagues campaign
will be assisted by John SHELTON Will
liams, former Comptroller of Currency
Of the United States. Another speaker
whom the league has engaged in behalf
of the Big Three is John Lind, former
Governor of Minnesota.
Opponents of the league believe that
they have that organization on the
run in this state. Certainly never
before since it came into power has
the Nonpartisan League been in so vul-
nerable a position.
1t is being attacked not by rabid foes
of the principles it upholds but by
elected to give league projects in which
state funds have been sunk fair
chance to survive if they can.
The Coalition candidates favor legis-
lation to wipe out party lines in cleo
tions to state and county Offices, thus
carrying the non-party ballot step
beyond that in use in any state at
present. They promise to complete the
construction of the state mill and ele-
vators at Grand FORKS, to place the
plant under efficient management and
give it thorough test. The league
already has sunk $1,000,000 in this
project and the plant stands idle
to-day
This project is only one of the weak
spots in the leagues defenses, accord
ing to J. f. T. O'Connor, of Grand
Forks, Independent nominee for Gov
ernor at the last election, who asserts
that the league IS going to be defeated
(continuet On naxt psss)