The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-03-27


Our parties, Republican and DEM
ocratic, accept the government we
have, and differ, where they do diff
fer, only on things which that gov
eminent shall do.
We have no monarchists; our
communists and anarchists are
negligible, and the revolutionary
part Of our socialists is inconsid-
cradle.
All this makes our issues at times
invisible.
1t may make our politics stupid.
But better dull and safe than in
teresting and dangerous.
Now that the flareup over the
manner of Dawes saying it has died
down, the question recurs on the
thing he said it about. And that is
whether the rights Of the Senate or
of senator are paramount.
Or, even clearer, whether the rep
resentatives of the whole nation
shall be subject to the within Of an
individual who may not. in this in
stance, represent even his own state.
The Senate, additionally, has con-
fused the two. The dignity of the
Senate" has meant the dignity OF
the individual senator, even when
he himself showed no respect for
the dignity of the Senate ITSELF
Vice President Dawes has at leas;
got the issue clearly before the peo-
pie.
And there can be no question
where the people stand. With the
spectacle of every other Legislative
body in the world, including all GU:
state legislatures and the other
House of the national Congress, able
to record and act on its decision
when it reaches it, the people will no
longer tolerate the pretended in
ability Of the Senate to act merely
because some senator, or small
group of senators, prevents.
We Preach 1t But Don't Believe It
81 believe in individualism; in
unhampered competitive initiative"
says the business man.
But does he? The automobile is
about the most individual thing
there is. That is why we like it.
Other forms of transportation are
cheaper. and often more efficient.
But the automobile is personal.
So, in things personal, we pre-
fer it,
But when even the automobile
goes into business. we insist on re-
moving it from competitive ndivid-
ualism.
When the "jitneys' started to
swarm our streets, we insisted that
they either quit or form monopo-
listic trust.
We imposed that course by law on
the motor stages.
And when, in New York. few
spectacular crimes by criminals pos
ing as taxicab drivers excited public
attention, the business mans re-
action was. first himself always to
patronize the cabs of the "responsi-
BILE" big companies, and, second, to
advocate laws giving these compan-
les the monopolies and Sitting in
dividual opportunity and COMPETE
ton.
Our fathers would have chung to
the theory of individual opportunity
and competition, even at the ex-
pense of economy. efficiency and
safety.
They really believed the theory.
we merely preach it.
Short Ballot the Only Solution
They are trying, in a few states,
to revise the primary laws to elm
mate judicial and minor administra-
tive offices from them.
Why stop at the primary? If there
are offices (and there are) for
which the people cannot nominate
their candidates intelligently at the
primary, these are the offices to
which they can also not choose them
intelligently at the election.
A fair test is to take a cross-sec-
ton of the most. intelligent of the
community-say, the leading bust
ness and professional men, the Of
ficers of the women's clubs and the
heads of the labor unions, picking
those who take the most active in
terest in public affairs, and ask them
on which offices they are unable to
vote intelligently.
1t is not likely that the rest of
the community can vote any more
intelligently on them. These should
be eliminated not only from the
primary, but from the election.
The true remedy is not a retreat
from the primary, but the short
ballot.