The Minnesota fiery cross. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1924-19??, 1924-03-07

don't know which end they're stand
ing on, and they duck every time
anyone says Khan They're scared,
terrified, paralyzed, buffaloed, lick
ed!"
This is quite true. Thousands of
them are in a state such that if the
Khan offers them salvation on any
terms they will seize it gratefully.
There is, for instance, the case of a
man who for a generation has ruled
half state by the good old system
of controlling nominations in both
parties, and then allowing the voters
to worry about which of his pets
they shall elect. Last fall he woke
up the day after election to find that
both of his hand-picked beauties had
been showed under by man whose
name he had not even heard. His
bewilderment and distress were pit
eous. He is still in a daze, as if the
sun had risen in the west, the u. S.
government had gone bankrupt and
fire had turned cold all at once. He
will listen very, very carefully to
such advice and hints as the Khan
will presently give him about dele
gates to the national conventions and
next falls candidates. He is one of
the great host.
The Khan system is just as effective
where there are rival bosses or un-
bossed rival candidates, either in the
election or the primaries. Each
knows that to win he must have a
few dozen or hundred or thousand
@Aza L. I'D q ~
strength, and hold all that strength
To each of these the Khan goes, say
ing in effect: .
ave control large number of
votes. We won't tell you how many;
you can do your own guessing. But
some of them you have counted in
your own support and some are
against you. We can throw the
whole block either way. We also
know many things about your private
affairs, and have influenc with many
Of your business customers and asso-
ciates. Here, then is a pledge that
will satisfy us. Sign on the dotted
line"
How many will dare refuse? And
of those who do dare, how many will
the Khan be able to beat? These are
the questions that must be answered
before one can estimate the Klan's
chances Of victory this fall.
Only a partial answer is possible
now. In local elections where the
party loalty is weak and national
issues do not enter, the system
should work almost perfectly, for
the reasons already given, until or
unless the opposition not only unites
but finds out what to do. This sys-
TEN has resulted in the thousands of
victories already mentioned, and will
undoubtedly win thousands more.
Nationally, it will work far less
perfectly. Insofar as the Khan can
work in the primaries and conven-
tions of both parties, and succeed in
choosing both candidates, it will sue
coed completely. This will happen
in good many cases. 1t will Ger
tainly put a good many Khan candi-
dates into congress. 1t may even
win the power to choose who shall
run for president on both tickets, or
at least to say who shall not run. Its
chance of doing this is best in the
democratic convention, where third
of the delegates can prevent the nom
nation of any particular man.
But If il wins only half success in
the primaries and can nominate men
who are satisfactory on and not
on both tickets either for con-
gress or the presidency, further sue
cess will be more doubtful. To win
then it would have to induce a vast
number of men and women to break
their old party ties, which would be
one of the greatest feats in political
history. 1t probably could win a
lose election; II could hardly do so
If the issues or the candidates got
any great grip on the public. Still
people are not voting as regularly as
they used to, and good many of the
kluxers are one-time Progressives,
who have learned how TO bolt.
These are the factors in a problem
that Is making grey hair for ma
tional leaders In both parties. They
know that the alien groups have lit
tie party loyalty, and will swing en-
masse behind plank attacking the
Khan, Thav know that iba Il Inns,,,,,