1920 was another election year.
After defecting from the Nonpartisan League (NPL), William Langer (Attorney General), set his sights on the governor's office. However, to get there, he would have to go through incumbent Lynn J. Frazier, who remained popular with voters. Langer published an anti-NPL book (The Nonpartisan League: Its Birth, Activities and Leaders) and campaigned hard, traveling countless miles across the state and delivering speeches. Ultimately, Langer was defeated by Frazier in the Republican primary election in June 1920, losing by approximately 5,400 votes.
Also in the primary election, Carl R. Kositzky (State Auditor) was defeated by David C. Poindexter, who was endorsed by the NPL; and the NPL-endorsed candidate for Secretary of State, Joseph I. Cahill (state senator and the sponsor of the Board of Administration bill), was defeated by incumbent Thomas Hall.
In November 1920, Minnie J. Nielson was re-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, defeating the NPL-endorsed candidate Ruth M. Johnson by more than 14,000 votes. Also, an initiated measure was approved by voters during the election which transferred some powers back to the state superintendent. This included teacher certification, standardization of schools, and examinations for eighth-grade and high school students.
With Langer's defeat, the office of the Attorney General was left open and William Lemke, a leader of the NPL, was elected in his place. With the election of Lemke, and the re-elections of Frazier (Governor), and John N. Hagan (Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor), the NPL now had complete control of the state's Industrial Commission.
A May 31, 1920, article in The Nonpartisan Leader (vol. 10, no. 20, p. 6), the official publication of the NPL, reads:
"William Lemke, who has been active in the League ever since its organization, and who has fought most of the farmers' legal battles since Attorney General Langer turned traitor, was the unanimous choice for attorney general. These three men - Frazier, Hagan and Lemke - when elected will comprise the [Industrial Commission] of North Dakota, with complete charge of the Bank of North Dakota, the Mill and Elevator [Association,] and all other industrial enterprises."
However, because of political infighting and controversies, public support for the NPL was declining. Falling grain prices after the end of World War I also contributed. The NPL's opposition, the Independent Voters Association (IVA) was gaining ground. After the election of 1920, the IVA took majority control over one house in the state legislature.
More IVA victories would soon follow, and the IVA would set its sights on the NPL members of the Industrial Commission.
An anti-NPL cartoon that appeared in "The Red Flame" (v. 1, n. 12, October 1920). The cartoon depicts the Independent Voters Association (IVA) using the November 1920 election to push socialism away from the North Dakota cliff. A. C. Townely, leader of the NPL, and another individual (perhaps William Lemke) flee from the falling "socialism" rock. Townley yells, "It's a goner!"
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