The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 19, 1917, Page 3

VOL. 5, NO. 3. Tonpartidsn Teader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1917. A magazine that dares t» print the truth WHOLE NUMBER 96 WELL SEND 100 MORE TO CONGRESS LIKE YOU NEXT YEAR Congressman Baer, elected by the Nonpartisan league from North Dakota, farmers are telling John he is going to have lots of company soon. A Good Send-Off For the League’s First Congressman , will give the League only one vote in congress NOW, but wait till next year! The Baer Vote a Clear Majority League Candidate Polls More Votes Than All His Opponents Put Together —Heavy Vote Cast; Probably Biggest Ever Seen at a Special Election RACTICALLY complete unofficial returns on the election in the First dis- trict of North Dakota, which were not available when the Leader went to press last week, ghow that John M. Baer, farmers’ eandidate, indorsed by the Non- partisan league, got more votes than all his seven opponents to- gether. This makes him clearly the majority choice of the people of the district and puts to sleep the claims of the anti-farmer press that Baer was elected by a minor- ity vote. ' The unofficial returns with one small precinct missing give the _ following totals: BAER'’S PLURALITY REACHES 4190 Baer: 13,115 Burtness 8,925 Bangs 3,389 ‘Scattering 700 Total vote 26,129 Baer’s plurality over Burtness, 4,190. . Baer’s clear. majority over all opponents combined, 101. ' The scattering vote has not been reported in most precinets, but the 700 estimate given above is prac- tically certain to more than cover the total, judging from the vote for the four minor candidates in the precincts reported. This is a vietory that the League farmers may well be proud of, whether they live in the First North Dakota distriet or not. It has made the politicians and the anti-farmer press look sick. It shows the League is bigger and more powerful than ever. HEAVY VOTE CAST IN DISTRICT The size of the total vote also is a hard blow to the mnewspapers that said, the day after election, that the people had no interest in the campaign and that the vote * was a small one. The facts are that it is a remarkably big vote for a special election. It is doubt- ful if a special election in North Dakota before ever brought out anywhere near this vote. Just how big the vote was com- pared with previous elections is shown by the figures for the primaries last year in North Da- kota. The primaries of 1916 were hard fought. It was the League’s first entry into an election contest. Never before had interest run higher in a primary election. The League candidates were being bit- terly fought and confidence that the farmers could be beaten brought out a big vote against the League men. On'the other hand, the farmers, anxious to put over — their men, and knowing every possible vote must be made to count if they were to.do it, turned out at the polls in numbers larger than in any previous primary. With this condition existing last year in the primaries, the follow- ing number of voters went to the polls in the First district: . PAGE THREE Republicans 23,098 Democrats 4,673 Socialists 174 Total 27,945 VOTE AS BIG AS LAST YEAR'S At the election last week when the farmers put Baer in congress, when only one office was to be filled instead of scores, 26,129 peo- ple turned out. This is only 1816 less than turned out at the primar- ies last year. Think of it! A special election to fill one office practically bringing out as many voters as a regular primary, with scores of offices to be filled. And the Fargo Forum, in the face of this, claims that the vote July 10 was small and that there was lit- tle or no interest in the campaign! Let the Fargo Forum produce fig- ures of any other special election held in North Dakota that has brought out any where near this proportion of voters, whether in the First district or any other.