The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-02-17
NONPARTISAN
IDEALS TOLD
IN ADDRESS
Senator Gross of Grant COun
ty Discussed Them Before
Convention

Speaking, he said, as a. 'layman
from the farm" Senator o. C.
Gross of Grant county, talked up
on "Nonpartisan Ideals" before
the Nonpartisan women's auxiliary
convention here. Senator Gross
said:
"Nonpartisans are idealists and
for me to speak to you of idealists
is like carrying Goals to New
Castle. I wish to- be considered as
speaking from the viewpoint of
layman from the farm.
"The people of the United States
have permitted their share in the
!. government to be largely taken
away from them by business in
terests. We desire to take back
again our proportionate share i
that government. In this we are
actuated by the ideal of the found
ers of this Republic which is a
'truly representative government"
"a comparatively few people in
this country have been able to levy
a very heavy tribute upon the
many. Farmers and producing la
, borers are not receiving their.full
share for the products of their
labor We are banded together in
an effort to correct this injustice
and cur ideal is "the eternal ideal
Of justice to all
"Our industrial program is
merely an immediate objective and
is local in character. Our ideals
unite us with the progressives of
the entire country and also with
many in the opposing party who,
/. like us, believe in "truly repre-
sentative government" and in the
establishment of justice through
out the world
Subject to Influences
"Man is subject to three great
influences; heredity, the influence
of the past; environment, the in
fuence Of the present; and the lure
of the ideal, the influence from the
future. In this latter field, man
stretches out his hand toward the
infinite and is lifted up and
strengthened.
"a once stood on the deck of the
Great Lakes steamship North
land" as it was steaming up the
rapids in the st. Mary's river. The
river was about seventeen feet
deep and the steamer drew about
seventeen feet of water. The cur
ret was very swift and strong and
we proceeded very slowly. We
came to a stop. The steamer was
aground with the engine still rum
ming. The whistle blew and from
. somewhere up the, river came a
..L oft RI
our bow. Our propeller stopped
and the little tug began to pull
and we began to move slowly up
the river. | did not understand and
went to- ships officer and asked,
How Is it that our own powerful
engines could not push us and
that little tug can pull US up the
river? He said, You see when our
propellers were running they were
lowering the water around us and
we were ground. When the tug
began to pull her propeller was
pling up the water around us and
we were afloat. \
1.-THE Nonpartisan League load
ed with the industrial program is
in the position Of that ship in st.
Mary's river, and it is attached to
ideals which are abundantly able
to take it up the river.
'. "There needs to be definite re-
lation between the ideals of a
progressive party and the ideals
of the Individual members of that
party. The ideals of the members
should be in advance of the ideals
of the party. We cannot advance
toward democracy by autocratic
methods If we would lift any
thing from the mire we ourselves
must stand on firmer ground. A
stern wheeler cannot make the
rapids.
z What Are Ideals
"What then are the ideals which
are required of the soldiers in the
army of human progress? The
earth is testing laboratory. In
every deal between men we are
brought face to face with deci-
sion between justice and injustice,
between protection and oppression,
between right and wrong. If we
stand the preliminary tests we
will finally be taken up into a high
mountain by the power of the
Great Prince who will bid for our
allegiance by the offer of material
reward. If we refuse to bow down
to Him our eyes will be opened and
we will see standing near another
Prince who offers no inducement
but who holds up the banner of
service, and the soldiers of any
true reform movement will one
by one separate themselves from
4 their fellows and move over beside
v that silent Prince and there swear
their allegiance, and the soldiers