The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-07-25
SUFFERING FOR OUR SINS

Magnus Johnson is the choice of Minnesota for senator.
With Shipstead Minnesota now has a full representation. For
Shipstead and Johnson are fairly representative of the composite
intelligence and political character of Minnesota. Minnesota says
so at the polls. 1t is the only conclusion to be made from the
returns.
Yet a very large proportion of Minnesota would privately
deny that conclusion. In a state of schools a man who dismisses
books cOntemptuously and scorns education would scarcely be the
selection of a majority as representative of the wisdom and in
teIigence of the state. That history is II bunk is not yet fully agreed
upon in Minnesota and in Montana.
We have separated politics and intelligence, created a Tom
Tinker's Ground between experience and intelligence, a place where
history is bunk and intelligence and training mere accomplish
building political towers of babel amid a multitude CT languages
which neither they nor those who labor with them understand,
out of all manner of materials mostly mud and straw. The blamed
thing will fall of its own weight of course but in the meantime
it disturbs and annOys those who desire to accomplish something
permanent and it checks true progress.
How have we done it? BY making politics a game. By Gull
tivating class prejudces and sowing distrust broadcast. By as
Stunning that all public service is corrupt and all public servants
are Self-seekng and Enthusiastically. Politics as a game of itself
would not be so serious if we had not made it a crooked game of
SANDER and falsehood wherein any advantage gained in any way
is to be taken in this game we have instituted. In short we have
prepared the soil and sowed the seed for the demagog to sprout
in and now complain because the crop has grown rank and strong.
The La Toilette leadership and the popular distrust of every
thing and everybody, a distrust which has it's Johnson and Wheeler
and BrOOkhart following are plain results of the continuous seed
ing of popular disrust of all who have won distinction or made
an extra dollar. We have appealed to preJudlces seeking the
German vote, the workers vote, the business vote, the labor vote,
the vote of all languages and classes and self desire. We have
voted not "for" but against men and issues. Our plans have
been not constructive but destructive. Like the frogs in the fable
we have demanded a new king. Our complaint, like that of the
frogs, is that we have been sent a stork to replace our frogs.
So Magnus and Burton and Smith and those of like in politics
are representative. They are representative OF the roots in the
political processes of campaigns and have been cultivated pr-
posefuny, not by one class or one party but all classes and all
parties. The benefciaries have been changed. That is about all
The rural population under the stress of financial distress has
listened to the voice of the charmers and run amuck politically in
Minnesota. @gaaFxN
The Magnuses and the La FoIettes and the Wheelers and the
BrOokharts ct id omne genus, are the penalties of our political
SnfUneSS, the sins of the political fathers inflicted uDOn political
children.
And it serves us right.