The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-07-06
Editorial Comment
Texas Circus Primary
Minneapolis Tribune)

Texas present political campaign, like good
rodeo succeeds in being eminently rough with a
minimum Of broken necks ma" Ferguson and
husband Jim are squirting the good nag politics to
eccentric gyrations which may or may not land
them at some distance from the arena. Dan Moody,
attorney general and gubernatoral candidate, curls
a contemptuous lip in the direction of the Ferguson
tandem and lassoes vague nothings out of the air
to the accompaniment of beacher shouts. Lynch Da.
wilson, financer and lumberman who has rather
primitive conviction that any man, and Mr.. David.
SON in particular. could govern Texas as capably
as "Ma," circles bodily about, emitting sound and
fury quite significant of nothing everything,
according to the auditor.
All in all it is rugged, two-fisted spectacle
which testfies not too forciby to the serene hand
which the gentlewoman is alleged to lay upon the
fevered brow of politics. For the moment interest
centers chiefly upon the challenge boldly flung by
Mrs. Ferguson and as boldly Numbered back by Mr..
Moody. Under the original terms of the def, the
attorney general was to resign his office immedi-
ately if the embattled ma" led him by $4,000 votes
or more at the primaries in July; Mrs. Ferguson,
on the other hand, agreed to abdicate as governor
If Mr.. Moody led her by single vote. Latest re-
ports have it that Mr. Moody has waived the Is 0O0-
vote margin and has chivarously consented to step
from the attorney generalship il defeated by one
vote.
One may bear with Mr.. Davidson catching avidly
ut the fmsiest straw in the engulfing tide of pub
city, if he chooses to eonstruc the Ferguson Moody
agreement as political "crap" game wherein the
states highest offices "are insulted and dseraced
by their incumbents to degree that brings blush
of shame to every decent and right-thinkng citizen
Of the state" One may bear with Mr.. Moody
if he cares to interpret certain type of political
bravado as a daring and sacrfical protest against
"Fergusonism." And one may even bear with hus-
band Jim, breathing the forceful Texas inelegan-
cies on behalf Of his better half, whsn he brands
Mr.. Moody "blowed-up sucker and gone fawn-
skin" for his acceptance of the challenge One may
bear with them ALL yet the entire pageant of ges-
ture and flourish seems essentially child
ish and undienified The challenge, the
charges and counter-charges reek too strong
" Of mock heroics to warrant re.
spect as evidence of sincere sublervience to
the public will. Mrs. Ferguson. presumably. was
elected for certain term Of office irrespective Of
Moodysm; presumably. too, Mr.. Moody was chosen
to serve as attorney general for given term, re-
CARELESS Of Fergusonism or menace. For either to
resign prematurely as the result Of campaign flip
psnces is to run counter to the desires Of the cleo
torate The challenge appears to the casual observ-
er much less . political scrap" game than an
example Of poor taste on the part Of each. What
it does is to confuse beyond reason the issues Of
the campaign; vote for Moody automatically be-
comes vote for the lieutenant governor to sue
coed Mrs. Ferguson until January l. the date her
term expires. vote for Mr. Ferguson i likewise
double-edged. concerning itself quite - much with
the attorney generals office - with the governor
ship. Through the within Of : circus primary, the
destines Of two state offices thus become insxtr-
caby involved; through it the voters are whirled.
whether or no, into the bitterness Of feud The
sult y politics Of SORT but Il win scarcely PASS
- statesmanahip among those Who observe from
sfsr tae snowy mansuvsrinss q TIE Lone Sta:
stratsgists.