Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-05
HI CASE OF MR..
WHEELER

i elected to the United States
senate at next Tuesdays election
land The Tribune believes that
he will be-this victory can be at
tributed more to reaction Of Mon
tana voters against the anne of
campaign conducted against him
when he ran for governor two
years ago, than to any other cause.
It may be that the unpopularity
of the Harding administration in
Montana is enough this year to
have assured the election Of any
democratic candidate for the
United States senate. 1t may be
that the dislike for the present re-
publican senatorial candidate
which, during the last two weeks,
has developed into disgust, is suffi-
cient to have made SUI the cleo
ton Of his democratic opponent,
who ever he may have been. Ger
tainly, these are contributing much
to the majority that Wheeler is
piling up for next Tuesday.
But it is our opinion that a cool
analysis after election will show
that the foundation of Wheeler's
successful race for the senate was
laid in 1920 when advantage was
taken of the last remnants OF war
time hysteria, and mud batteries
Of the r~ottenest sort were trained
upon him. Two years have done
much to prove that the charges OF
disloyalty and dishonesty against
Wheeler were without tenable
foundation. An eleventh hour eft
fort to repeat that kind of a am
paign against Wheeler this year,
in The Tribune's judgment, is de-
'veloping a political "dud," and
nothing more.
The Tribune did not support
Wheeler for governor in 1920. 1t
is probable that if the same con-
ditions and circumstances again
prevailed we would not support
him for governor. The withhold
ing of our support was not based
on any Of the charges against
Wheeler's character or ability or
lack ~of patriotism. We failed to
support him because we believed
his election would be interpreted
in eastern financial circles, where
the Montana commonwealth and
Montana people are large borrow
ers, to mean that Montana had
passed into nonpartisan league con-
troll, and would go the way OF
North Dakota. .
In the same campaign when The
Tribune failed to support Wheeler
for governor, we were supporting
for member of congress a candi-
date who had obtained the demo-
cratic nomination, and whom we
had every reason to believe held as
radical, if not more radical, views
than Wheeler. The Tribune sup
ported McKusker for congress be-
we knew that if he were
elected he either would have to
work with the democratic party in
Washington or he would have to
work alone, and he had pledged
himself to support the democratic
policies. IN any event he could not
have done any worse than his sue
cessful opponent has done during
teh last two years.
So, ever if The Tribune consid-
cred Wheeler a radical now, which
it does not, il could consistently
support him for the United States
senate, so far as precedent is con-
cerned. But we believe that his
alleged radical tendencies are more
imagined in the minds of his de-
tractors than they are in actuality
Two years ago Wheeler entered
the democratic primaries as the
endorsed candidate Of the nonpar,
tisan league and won the nomina'
ton from a regularly endorsed
democrat. Thousands of demo
Gratis who could not c~ouatenancs
the nonpartisan league felt tina
that they could not consistently
support him for governor.
This year, before becoming
candidate for the nomination tol
United States senator, Wheeler
served notice on the people OF the
state that if he sought the nornina
ton it would be as a democra'
running on a democratic platform
With a field of three excellen'
democrats against him he wa
given the nomination by a majority
over all three Of his opponents.
Nothing could more conclusivelJ
prove that Wheeler is one Of thu