Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-14
THE DEFEAT

IA Cdlllo.
THE CUM DEFEAT
WHEN the primary election re-
w turns from North Dakota which
showed the defeat of Senator Nc
Cumber for nomination in the re-
publican primaries of that state
first came in, this newspaper ex-
pressed itself as surprised and on
siderably mystified owe the result.
The senator had been twenty-three
years in the upper branch of con-
sress. He was chairman of the fl
nance committee, a man OF rather
conspicuous ability, with a record
free from scandal, a member OF the
agricultural bloc, and a regular re-
publican in every way, with the ex-
ception that he opposed his party
in a few votes, where the agricul-
tural interests Or supposed inter-
ests were at stake. He was the
leading champion of the soldiers
bonus bill in the senate, and IN
charge of the administration tariff
bill as modified by the agricultural
bloc. He voted to seat Newberry,
the Doodle candidate from Mich
igan.
If il were not for the fact that
Governor Nestos, the republican
candidate for governor defeated
the Nonpartisan league candidate
for the same office in the same
primaries by an overwhelming vote,
one could explain the defeat OF
Senator McCumber by the former
Nonpartisan league leader, as being
due to a revival or comeback OF
N%onpartisan league popularity. AS
the facts of the primary are reveal
ed, we are compelled to look to
some other explanation.
Time enough has elapsed since
the results are known to note the
comment of North Dakota news
papers, those of the Twin Cities,
and the conclusions of outside cor
respondents representing outside
metropolitan newspapers. A study
Of these comments and explanations
leaves one as much in the dark as
ever. because they account for the
result in so many different and con-
Trajectory ways, depending on their
own political point of view. The
democratic press generally. says II
was due to the unpopularity OF the
administration, the tariff law, anc
the Newberry vote of McCumber
The stalwart republican press say
that national politics had nothing
to do with it, and that MoCumber's
defeat was due to the fact that ne
staid in Washington and made nc
adequate campaign. or to the tao
that independent republicans re
sented the fact that he got on thu
fence and gave them no aid IN then
successful campaign to recall Gov
ernor Frazier who has now defeat
ed him for the senatorial nom'na
ton. Some other republican news
papers say it was due to the fac'
that democrats voted in the repuo
lican primary for Frazier, in ordel
to give the democratic senator
weaker mar than McCumber to rur
against. The Nonpartisan league
newspapers and the labor-farme'
politicians say it was because Nc
Cumber was too friendly to Wal
Street interests and voted for thu
;, Cummins-E sch railroad bill. II
fact, there is no agreement as II
: Just why the distinguished repre-
s sentative of North Dakota in thu
senate lost his sea- to the forme'
:. Nonpartisan league governor OF thu
: state, who only a short time agt
, was ousted from his office by
, majority of the voters of the state
] But while there is no genera
agreement as to the exact cause
which produced the effect noted |,
the North Dakota primary. there !
general agreement that the result
was received by the administration
leaders in Wa.hingtdm With pro