Grand Forks herald., 1922-06-02
MODEST, BUT !, WHAT Il i. a FEiLLER, ,,i


MODEST. BUT WHAT a FELLER.
Doubtless most Of the voters Of the state have
received copies of the leaflets now being circulated
;extolling Senator McCumber and explaining why
he should be returned to the senate One of these
leaflets gives "a brief record of few Of the i'm
portant measures as they relate to North Dakota"
as they were advocated by Senator McCumber.
1t is not stated which of these measures were
originated by Senator McCumber, but the inference
IS that his advocacy of them was sufficiently COM
peng to demonstrate his transcendcnt ability as in
advocate, and to earn for him the gratitude of his
constituents. When one looks the list and re-
fleets that it represents but a small part of Mr.
McCumber's activities one wonders why it is neces-
sary to have so many senator's Mr. McCumber,
with the assistance Of possibly one or two others,
could handle the whole job
One of the measures listed "as relating to North
Dakota, and advocated by the senator is that to
prevent the sale Of Intoxicating liquor in public
buildings. The connection of this particular piece
(of legislation is. presumably that the abolition of
the bars in the capitol induced sobriey and industry
on the part of North Dakota's senator's and repre-
|sentatives. F..@
Mr.. McCumber is modest man. His publicity
matter makes candid admission Of that fact He is
so modest that the biographical sketch which he
has supplied to the Congressional Record contains
only eighteen words, and it is necessary for him to
make up for its deficiencies by celebrating on his
virtues at this time.
rejection of the reciprocity measure by the Can
adams in 1911 was due in no small measure to SEN
ator McCumber His opposition to the bill was fruit
less so far as the American congress concerned
but we told that "after it passed Tin congress)
he used his efforts in Canada and helped secure its
defeat there lnasmuch the fate of the recproc-
ity bill in Canada was decided in Canadian general
election MIR. McCumber must have covered his
tracks with great skill to prevent the fact from leak
ing out that he wasone of the controlling influences
in that election Apparently he was more influential
in Canada than in the United States
Again, another lcaflet tells US that Senator Nc
Cumber "stood back of veterans service BILL and
would have put it through the senate last summer
had not higher authority advised to the contrary"
Again we have exhibition of charming modcsty
and perfect self-restraint McCumbcr would have
done the job had not an obstructionist president
stood in the way
A bit of state history is revived in the statement
that at the time of his first election he was picked
by he Republican leaders, doomed for United States
SENATOR and elected by the legislature This state
nent is slightly inaccurate Porter was "picked" it
is true, but not by all the Republican leaders He
was picked by Senator Jud LaMoure, who was at
prestige and patronage. For time it seemed that
Mckenzie would have the naming of the next SEN
ator but LaMoure, by the exercise of strategy for
which he was famous, worked little con1bina-
ton OF his own, sprung dark horse candidate in
the person of A1cCumber, and put him over. Need
less to say, there was no booming not where the
senator from Pembina was concerned.
After reading these bits Of campaign literature
we are rather inclined to agree with Theodore Nell
son in the opinion which he expressed in the letter
over which the friends of Senator McCumber and
the opponents of the independent state ticket are so
greatly exercised-that personal laudaton of the
senator is not in the interest of his candidacy.