Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-28
DIVIDE III E

IL them. That is a principle OF
military strategy as old as Carthage
and perhaps old Hannibal used 1t.
Caesar used it, Napoleon used it,
other great generals used 1t. OF
course the wary general tries to
prevent any diversion of his forces
so that they are beaten by superior
force in defeat. Sometimes he can't
help himself. The same principles
of military strategy apply to polit-
ical battles, and the same results
ensue. The primary election law
has vastly aided the political STRAIT
egist in dividing the enemy. The
politician who has back of him a
solid bloc of support, even if it be
much smaller than the opposition
vote, can often win victory against
superior numbers by dividing this
opposition vote into different seq
rnents. This is particularly easy to
do in a primary nominating cleo
ton. By f~lattering the variety of
local politicians they can generally
be induced to become candidates
for some honorable office, and the
sum total of their votes leads to
the success of the man with a solid
bloc behind him, even when a ma
jority of the voters are not favor
able to his candidacy. The opposi-
ton is so divided that it is defeat
ed in its object.
That was what happened in
Michigan when Senator Townsend
was renominated in the republican
primary in spite of the fact that he
voted to seat Senator Newberry,
and his action in that respect was
made an issue in the republican pri-
mary. Back of Townsend was the
solid vote of the Harding admins
tration supporters. But the oppo-
sition to him was divided into three
sections represented by three diff
ferent candidates. All three de-
nounced the Newberry bribery and
the action of Townsend in voting
to condone it, and the vote of the
three combined vas much greater
than the vote for Senator Town
send, but the latter had a plurality
over any one of the other three
and so won the fight for the re-
publican nomination. The Wash
ington correspondent of the Port
land Press Herald thus presents
the facts:
Strange to relate, it appears to
have been Senator Townsend's
vote to keep Senator Truman H.
Newberry in the senate that
brought about his denomination and
this, too, in spite of the fact that a
majority of the voters of the state
undoubtedly were opposed to what
has come to be called 'Newberry-
ism
"All the other three candidates
against Townsend were opposed to
the seating of Newberry. They
divided the anti-Newberry vote
among them and Townsend, with
the support of the regular organi-
cation and the few followers of
Newberry left in Michigan, romp-
ed off with the prize. Although
he failed by far to met a majority
of the votes cast.
"Also, in the victory of Mr..
Townsend might be read a victory
for the anti-bonus sentiment, even
though Townsend voted for the bo-
nus bill. This deduction follows
the fact that Townsend some time
ago was opposed to the bonus, but
switched. However, he got very
few of the soldier votes, it was ad-
mitted, because John G. Emery,
former commander of the Ameri-
can Legion, ran on a straight-out
soldier vote ticket and Kelley and
Baker were % far behind him
with their bids. Probably all the
anti bonus vote went to Townsend
because, of the four candidates, he
appeared to be about the only one
who opposed it at heart, even
though he voted for it for politi-
cal purposes.
I'm getting himself elected, Mr..
Townsend will have fully as diff
cult a time as he had in the pri-
maries. He will be opposed by
former Governor Woodbridge N.
Ferris, a mar who has never been
defeated in a political contest in
Michigan and who will get thou
sands of republican votes. Many
of the anti-Newberry votes will go
to Ferris and the only question
will be as to how many of them
will throw over the republican