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Show I likelihood at the time the contract was signed by the road that the road ever would be started. Two men from California offered to bid on the road and stated that they would use an asphalt product and that they would guarantee putting down the road at a much lower cost than the cost of cement. They also stated that they would use the sand and gravel aior.g the roadway and would not require any electric power for running the mixers or crushing the stone. In the face of that offer the road commission went ahead with its plans and built a $45,000 electric transmission line for a private company and then did not even start the work for which the power ; ; ; was to be used. STAND BY THE CONSTITUTION While they vote with guns in Europe we prepare to settle our differences with the ballot. Just now Europe is all red, but America is still red, white and blue. It is a difference that tells one of the most wonderful and fascinating stories in the worlds history. Bolshevism has turned Russia into a shambles and yet Italy, op- with poverty, turns to Bolshevism for relief. The continent of Europe is not safe for anything, least of all democracy. Americans can look forward with confidence to the future ; Europe looks for- ward only with fear. The European system has failed. The American system, despite its faults, has succeeded. If Bolshevism conquers Europe it will be pitted against the American form of government. It will be a contest between the American constitution and anarchy. Those who urge us to abandon the American constitution and adopt an internationalism that will bind up our fate with that of Europe should pause to ponder on this impressive contrast in world affairs. It is like binding a man in the full flush of life to a corpse and seting him adrift on the boundless ocean. Wilsons League of Nations is a military alliance by which we would obligate ourselves to preserve the existing political independBol- ence of the European nations against external aggression. shevism is the internal and external aggression which threatens to destroy all existing forms of government on the European continent and to keep Europe in a state of chaos for years. Not all our men and dollars can preserve the existing status of Europe. But, say those who advocate the league, if the United States becomes a member its moral influence will be sufficient to maintain peace in Europe. The other day Secretary of State Colby, using the power of moral suasion, requested Poland, a member of the. League of Nations, not to invade Russia. Polands' reply was a polite but firm negative. Thus did Poland reply to the moral leader of the world. However moral we may be and however powerful for right our mere ipse dixit is not going to keep the Europeans from asserting by force of arms their selfish national aims. Apparently Europe does not desire a moral leader. Neither the Bolshevists nor the imperialists are paying much attention to moral-- j Ay. Nor can we blame them when our own moral leader, sur-- ! rendering to their imperialism, turned over Shantung and its 36,000,000 of inhabitants to the last Prussian military autocracy left on the fifahe Japan; and then bound the United States by Article X to makc war, if necessary, to fasten the grip of Japan on the throat pressed ; ; ; 2 : ; ! ! : j ; ) of j j Shantung. (ur constitution has given us a form of government different n,ni that from that proposed by Bolshevism, different defended in almost the last ditch by Europes economic imperialism Nat im against nation and class against class add every day to Europes peril. Meantime we repeat the great national drama of a Presidential election, secure in the success of our institutions and determined that peaceful government shall control the affairs of our country. We. do not pit class against class, but all classes combine uphold the arbitrament of the ballot. Americans who do not understand the value of their heritage 5 are anxious to mix us once again in the hates and struggles of commis- sion ! 9 THE CITIZEN . Europe. It was to escape these animosities and to obtain freedom that our forefathers left the shores of Europe to set up new institutions. By evolution and by war America became what it is today the land of the free. We have our problems and our perils, but we have the means of meeting them and obtaining a peaceful adjustment. Free speech, a free press, freedom of religion, high standards for labor and the elimination of class hatreds have permitted us to become the strongest nation in the world. Today we are proud in the consciousness of our prosperity and power. Forgetful or neglectful Americans lose sight of the fact that we long ago won the goals that the downtrodden peoples of Europe still are fighting for. We want neither their Bolshevism nor their imperialism we have made a success of our representative form of government with the blessing of God and this is no. time to trade that success for failure or to mingle that success with failure. CORLESS IS ACCUSED Democrats opposed to the renomination of Sheriff Corless have raised their voices in protest against the packing of the primaries by the sheriffs henchmen. They declare that in all the downtown districts bootleggers and gamblers filled hotels with those who were called upon to control the primaries. Sentiment has grown steadily in the party during the last few months to sidetrack Corless because of the relations between the sheriffs office and the bootleggers. On the other hand the underworld crowd have rallied to the support of the sheriff. The sheriffs office is accused of being virtually in partnership with the gamblers and bootleggers of Bingham and to have profited by the open and insolent reign of vice in that community. The sheriff himself is 'said to have adopted bullying tactics toward his opponents. Finding the tide of sentiment against him growing he has called up a number of his critics on the telephone and employed intimidating language in an effort to prevent . them from working against him. THE REPUBLICAN WAY The Republicans nominated three service men for the legislature by acclamation and then proceeded to vote on the other candidates. No one was heard to object that the American Legion should stay out of politics. In fact, no on inquired whether the service men were members of the Legion. The fact that they were service men was sufficient to gain for them the unanimous vote of the convention. When Williams ran for congress at the Democratic convention the machine politicians backing Mathonihah Thomas objected to Williams because he was a member of the American Legion and one of the delegates had the audacity to declare that the constitution of the Legion barred Williams from politics. That was; not the language employed, but it states the necessary inference from what was said. It was tantamount to saying that a service man disfranchises himself by joining the American Legion. Democratic convenThe hypocritical cry swayed the gang-rule- d tion. The political warhorsc triumphed and the Democrats entered the state contest virtually as the avowed enemies of service men. Now the politicians who disgraced the convention are demanding that the error be rectified by the nomination of service men on the legislative and county ticket, but the insult cannot be glossed over repentance. by eleventh-hou- r PYROTECHNIC DISPLAY When the Democratic nominee had somewhat recovered from the shock of the Maine returns lie groped for winged words that would alleviate his great mental distress and obscure the significance of the Republican victory. . The majority The result in Maine is no surprise, he said. is accounted for by the augmented total vote, |