Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-07-07
IT DOESN'T RUN THE STATE.

The New York LINES, which has usually shown
a clearer understanding of political tenden
in North Dakota than have most of it's grea,
metropolitan contemporaries, falls into the alto
gcther too common error of mistaking the less fo
the greater. that is, of assuming that in the recent
North Dakota was interested chiefly il
nominating a Republican candidate for the senate
and not, as is the fact, in providing means to give
and symmetry to its present state govern
ment. Commenting on the defeat of Senate,
McCumber the Times says:
"There is no logical connection of it with
the result of the primaries in Indiana or Penn
sylvania, or even Iowa. The Nonpartisan
League had one senator. It is now to have
two. That is about all there is to it. Mr..
McCumber had everything against him in the
tact that he was the sitting, and therefore con-
sentative, member On the whole, he has been
a useful and an intelligent senator in the nearly
twenty-five years that he has served a state
whose social and economic conditions have
changed notably. He is too radical for the con-
servatives, too conservative for the radicals.
Two years ago he attracted the. injudicious
doubts of the friends of Senator Gronna. But
these local squabblings are unimportant.
Senator McCumber was subject to the old
objection. Somebody else wanted his Job.
The real trouble, however, was that the Non
partisan League runs the state. Senator Ladd's
election should have been sufficient notice to
Mr.. McCumber. The Nonpartisan League,
whose governor, recalled a few months ago, is
now the idol of North Dakota, represents what
North Dakota really wants. Mr.. McCumber has
tried to steer clear between two deadly op-
postes. He has been neither "for" nor
'"against." He has fallen between two stools.
The Nonpartisan League, which, in spite Of all
its economic theories, represents in certain d.
rections the settled and justiiable desire of the
majority Of the North Dakota primaries, wants
its own man."
Mach of this is quite accurate. Our election
was not even remotely related to those in Indiana
Pennsylvania or Iowa. Senator McCumber mad
tate his state as something which did not concerr
HIM. But it is not true, as stated, that "the Nonpar
tisan league runs the state" 1t is not true that tn,
league represents the settled and justi6able Tor un
justi6ahle) desire of the majority insNorth Dakota
As proof that these statements are, not true w,
have the fact that league majorities have been prog
ressiyeiy declining ever since the first success of tn.
organization at the polls. We have the fact tina
last year the league governor and his two associate:
hitherto unheard-of proceeding in American polite.
and an administration was; installed pledged to
policyof sane liberalism as contrasted with the reck
less radicalism of the old socialistic group. w,
have the fact that in the recent primary the governol
elected last fall has been endorsed by h4ving. his ma
jorityy more than doubled, and that with him Al,
nominated candidates for lother Positions equal,
opposed to- the policies and methods of the forn1e,
league administrator We have the fact that 50 "a,
have been made By the Independents III the nofnina
tson 81 legislative a1didatess
The nomination Fr1zier II an incident Of III,
czmpaign, but npt one 81 III major events, and I'll,
NoHppartisan Jssgune il most emphatically NOT run
mini the etatE gg1 -