Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-11-10

~ NeN f" a., ~ SA0AANS- AohAAS' & AA\
signals were sent and received successfully, and the
operation of the little plant was quite satisfactory
up to a distance Of ten miles.
WHO'S AFRAID?
In the late election. there were two sets of can
didates, each set representing certain principles and
policies. The names Of these candidates were dis
tributed in three separate columns on the ballot.
The candidates whose names appeared in the Re-
publican column had an advantage because of that
tact, because by a very large majority the voters Of
North Dakota consider themselves Republicans, and
many of them are averse to voting for any candi-
dates not of their own party. Anyone who has OBJ
served the counting of the ballots at almost any cleo
ton precinct, not only this year, but in former years,
is familiar with the fact that voter after voter marks
his ballot straight down the party column, regard
less of everything except the supposed party align
ment of the candidates.
If the names Of the candidates in the late election
had been printed on the ballot grouped by offices,
without party designation, Mr.. Frazier would not
have received nearly as many votes as he did. That
statement is indisputable. In all probability, Fraz-
Ter would not have been beaten as badly as Lelnke
was, but he would have been beaten so badly that
from the beginning the result would not for a NOM
ent have been in doubt. The listing of candidates
for federal offices, however, is probably not feasible,
so that we may dismiss that feature of the case for
the present.
Passing to the state ticket, if party designations
had been eliminated, Nestos and Lenke would had
no advantage of position or party preference over
each other. The question before the voter would
then have been which of the two men he considered
best fitted to be governor of North Dakota. Lemke
would have picked up a few votes, and Nestos would
have lost a few. The Herald is confident that Nestos
would still have been elected by a sweeping ma
jority. Some of the leaguers dispute this, and are
undertaking to explain Lemke's defeat on the
ground that because of the position of his name on
the ballot it was difficult to find. There may be a
SIt11il9r Hifferenca nf' 0oSrso,, with roforonco %~ o+1o -
candidates. We may argue about it, but there is no
way o'deterrnine. Why not remove all possibility
of confusion on this score before another election?
Six years ago the Nonpartisan league declared
definitely i'll favor OF extending our non-partisan
election law to all state offices. In the house the
following winter a bill was passed, largely by league
votes, making this provision. The Independent
members of the senate, who were in the majority,
defeated the bill: By the time of the next session
each faction had seen new light. The Independents
proposed such a measure and the leaguers rejected
it. A similar bill submitted to the voters at large,
was defeated largely by league, votes. The present
system has operated i'll the present case, in such
la manner that both groups profess dissatisfaction
with the results. NWhy not change it at the coming
session of the legislature?
Is there a faction in North Dakota which is so
doubtful of the strength Of it's position and the merit
of its cause that it dare not go before the voters on
the straight issue of the soundness of it's position and
the fitness of its candidates? The party that is fear
full of its fate in such a contest will quite logically
seek tor all the advantage that it may gain by the
use of the party label and from preferred position
on the ballot. But the party that is confident of the
righteousness OF its cause and the merit of its candi-
dates surely has nothing to fear from submitting its
case to the voters without complications of any kind.
If we feel that we are right, why not demon
strate it by preparing hereafter to go before the peo-
pie on a simple and understandable issue without
anything to distract the voters attention. Who's
afraid? "
VOTING IT STRAIGHT.
In one Grand Forks precinct on Tuesday five
lper cent of the voters Stated at the top of the Re-
publican column on the ballot and voted for every
candidate whose name appeared in that column, as
far down as they went. Three or four of them
stopped before they got quite to the bottom. Two
placed,crosses in the space at the top of the column,
thus voting for every candidate clear to the bottom.
Of.course those voters threw their votes away.
They voted for exact opposites, for Frazier and
Nestos, for Hall, Poindexter, and So. on all down
the line, regardless of what the candidate represent
That sort Of voting is, of course, not intelligent.
II the ticket appearing in the Republican column,
or tbe Democratic column, or the Socialist column,
if there had been one, had been made up OF men
who stood for the same policies on matters which
were, at issue, there would have been some sense in
voting the straight ticket. But with the tickets
made up as they were, and as they must be under
our system, the straight vote merely kills itself off.
Five Fly. per cent Of the total vote is not a large
proportion. But if the practice followed in that one
precinct had been followed generally-and it was
undoubtedly followed to some extent almost every-
lwhere--the resultant Ave per cent might have given
some candidate the comfortable majority 81 0,0o0.
BARBER SHOP GOSSIP
While they were waiting fora shave, one citizen ciittisI
I'm q barber shop asked :s@ %$5s
"How does II come that at the tail end sof the
election Ietirns the counties Of the state that have