The Montana nonpartisan. [volume], November 30, 1918, Image 1

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Official Publication of the National Nonpartisan League in the State of Montana
THE MONTANA NONPARTISAN
VOLUMB 1 . GREAT FFALLS, MONTANA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1918 NUMBER 1
LEAGUE SCORES FIRST VICTORY IN MONTANA
NATIONAL CONVENTION PLANNED
STATE EXECUTIVE BOARDS TO
MEET AT ST. PAUL DEC. THIRD
DBLBGATES TO DISCUSS OR GANIZATION PLANS EXAMINE
BOOKS AND ACCOUNTS OF LEAG UN AND INVESTIGATE HAND
LING OF BUSINESS BY STATE 0 FFICERS AND COMMITTEEES. RE
CONSTRUCTION PLANS TO BE L AID AND LEAGUES POSITION
MADE PLAIN TO ALL THE WORL D, OLD GANG PARTICULARLY
INVITED TO WATCH REPORTS, T HOROUGH GOING OVER THE
WHOLE POSITION IN VIEW.
The first national delegate conven
tion of the National Nonpartisan
league has been.called to meet for five
days, or a week, if necessary, begin
ning Decqmber 8, 1918, at St. Paul,
Minn. All 13 states where the League
is organized will be represented. The
League held its state conventions in
all state where a part was taken in
the campaign before the primaries
this year, but these were political con
ventions. The only other national
gathering of the League was held in
September, 1917, in St. Paul, but this
was a mass convention to consider the
League's war policies, not a delegate
meeting. The convention for the
week of December 3 is therefore the
first national delegate convention of
the organization.
Business matters and politics of
the utmost importance to the organ
ized farmers will be discussed and it
is safe to say no other meeting ever
called by the League has resulted in
such important news for the organized
falmers as will come out of this con
vzr.tion.
CONVENTION OF GREAT MOM
ENT TO NATION.
This convention coming as
it does at the close of the war
when all participants are largely
looking for the period of recon
structiem so much talked about
has the greatest significance for
farmers and wage-workers of this
country. The Nonpartisan League
has upheld during the most try
ing times in the histrv of these
United States the banner of dem
ocracy and given unflinching bat
tle to the expansionists and the
Imperialists and the great Capi
talists who sought to fix upon
the necks of the people a replica
of that Autocracy which burden
ed Germany. President Wilson
enters now upon the most diffi
cult task of his great mission, al
ready the forces of reaction are
striving to cast into the discard
most of the celebrated 14 points.
At home and abroad the Presi
dent is waging a terrible battle
against them. .The Leagues posi
tion made plain to the people of
the U. S. through this Convention
will not only serve to hearten
those who are striving to estab
lish democracy, but will serve no
tice upon the gluttonous vultures
who would use the war for their
own private gain that they are
up against a powerful opposing
force.
FAR REACHING ORGANIZATION
PLAN.
Far-reaching action will be taken
in the matter of organization work
and organization policy looking tow
ard the 1920 elections.
The convention will examine the
books and accounts of the League
and investigate the handling of its
business by its officers and commit
tees.
The convention notice has been sent
by the national executive committee
and President Townley to all state
headquarterd
Representation at the convention,
according to the announcement of
League headquarters, will be on the
following plan: Each state where
the League took part in the recent
elections, including the states' of
North and South Dakota, Minnesota,
Montana, Idaho, Nebraska and Colo
rado, to be represented by the entire
committee of fiveefarmers now in
charge of the organization work and
business of the League in each of
these states. This makes 35 dele
gates from these states.
MONTANA LEAGUERS VITALLY
INTERESTED.
Montana Nonpartisans will be par
ticularly interested in this convention
because the next two years organiza
tion period will be devoted to paving
the way for the general election wherp
a full ticket and Governor will have
to be voted upon and where the Non
partisan League will enter into the
control of this State. This means
-careful consideration of all our plans
and the Montana executive committee
who are delegates, can be trusted to
add their quota of knowledge to the
general volume not only for the suc
cess of Montana elections but for the
national movement, the Nonpartisan
League is now become a great Nation
al affair, its first national convention
will be watched by all and particular
!y by that aggregation of reactionar
ies, the Old Gang.
CONVENTION CALLED UNDER
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
Each other state where the League
is organizing, but where it was not
sufficiently organized to take part in
the recent elections, will be repre
sented by one farmer member of the
present farmers' state committee.
This will make six delegates, one each
from the following states. Washing
ton, Wisconsin, Kansas, Iowa, Texas
and Oklahoma.
The total number of delegates will
therefore be 41.
The convention is called in accord
ance with the articles of association
of the League, which provide for na
tional conventions of this kind period
ically. North Dakota, where the
League is four years old, has had its
state conventions for the transaction
of business regularly, as well as its
state political conventions, but it
must be remembered that the League
has been something more than a
North Dakota organization for only
two years, and in some state out
side the state of its birth has only
been working a year or less. This,
therefore, is the first national dele
gate convention tJat could be held
the first one it was possible to call
under the articles of association.
MCGLYNN FINED
500 DOLLARS
STATEMENT ATTRIBUTED TO
HIM BY COWBOY ENEMY OF
LEAGUE HELD TO INVOLVE
SEDITION.
The case of J. A. McGlynn cam
paign manager in the late election for
the League has been brought to trial
at Ekilaka. Exact details of the trial
are not yet to hand but press dispatch
es couched as usual in a misleading
and offensive manner declare the
"Mike McGlynn, Labor Leader was
fined $500, on a Charge of Sedition."
McGlynn who was not, so far as we
know, in any way associated with Or
ganized Labor except in his capacity
as campaign manager of the League,
and we believe that he was as guilt
less of the offence urged against him
as was the prosecuting attorney him
self. The case was appealed and no
doubt will be dismissed by the higher
courts, but that in no manner eases
the misery which any self-respecting
man suffers under persecution from
malicious citizens bent on the execu
tion of private or political revenge
through the machinery of the courts.
It will be remembered that McGlynn
was threatened by a gang of hoodlums
at Powder River with death, for carry
ing on the organization of the League.
The assualtants, one of whom we und
erstand, brought the charges on which
the campaign manager was indicted,
swore that they would take his life,
then and there, but being of the ilk
which takes a great deal of pleasure
out of torturing a powerless fellow
creature, they finally let him go to
walk 75 miles to Miles City. Reach
ing there another band of lawless
mobsters, undertook to deport Mc
Glynn " for his own safety' and in
cidentally that the message of the
League might not be heard in Miles
City, these gangsters were of the
usual stripe known as the "best-citi
zens' 'and were the same outfit who
were brought to trial by the Attorney
General only to make a travesty of
justice Amd turn a court room into a
bedlam.
THE CHARGES
The indictment is not yet before us
but we understand that McGlynn was
charged with having said there were
no mutilated children imported into
this country from Belgium, to which
the press, always ready to enlarge up
on such succulent items, no matter
who is damaged or what reputations
falsely ruined, added, that McGlynn
is reported to have* said they were
mutilated here for the purpose of stir
ring up hate against the Germans.
McGlynn is well known around the
State and is exceedingly well thought
of, and it is certainly a disgusting
state of affairs that a citizen of the
U. S. A. who is as fervently loyal as
anyone could desire, should have
been hounded all these months to be
fined at last and his record smeared
to that extent, on a perfectly redicu
lous charge of saying something that
in the nature of the case is not sedi
tion anymore than is any outspoken
comment upon the open and flagrant
manner in which the newspapers dis
torted or suppressed items of informa
tion of great value to the public.
Nonpartisan Vanguard
who will prepare way
for final Victory
in 1920
; =
CHAS. H. COOPER
Associate Justice of Supreme Court
J. W. ANDERSON
State Senator, Richland County.
J. F. McKAY
State Senator, Sanders County
Representatives
JAMES GRIFFIN, Blaine County
E. M. NAYLOR, Dawson County
J. H. McAFEE, Flathead County
M. W. PENWELL, Gallatin County
H. S. BUELL, Galatin County
JASPER HAALAND, Hill County
JAMES HUNTER, MusselsJll iounty
r DUDLEY JONES. Phillips County.
J. S. NYQUIST, Sheridan County
W. F. DUNN, Silver Bow County
CHAS. BOULWARE, Silver Bow County
J. J. HARRINGTON, Silver Bow County
C. C. ARNOLD, Valley County
J. A. MEED, Valley County
SD. M. SKETMAN, Valley County
E. T. EATON, Yellowstone County
[ .....!,.m.qpm'p.....,.!,.._!qmq2.
INDEPENDENT
PRESS PUT OUT
OF COMMISSION
NO OTHER BUSINESS IN THE
COUNTRY HAS BEEN HIT HAR
DER BY WAR THAN THIS
COUNTRY PRESS.
Washington. Nov. 20-The republi
can Publicity association, through its
president, Hon Jonathan Bourne, Jr.,
today gave out the following state
ment from its Washington headquar
ters:
"No other business has been hit
harder by the war than the newspaper
business, particularly in the smaller
cities and country towns. The large
metropolitan newspapers have prob
ably sufferer least. During 1917,
more than 1,2000 publications went
out of business. After making allow
ances for new papers started, it ap
pears that there was a net loss of 62
dailies and 569 weeklies.
"The mortality statistics for 1918
will probably show as great a loss, for
the shortage of paper, the increasing
cost of all kinds of supplies, and the
higher wages, together with the heavy
call upon newspaper men for military
service, have been more severe this
year than last.
"And one of the serious feat
ures of the situation is that the
people of the country probably
do not realize that the most val
uable portion of the press has
sustained the greatest loss. Un
der popular government the coun
try press, including not only
country weeklies, but the smaller
dailies, is the real voice of the
people. Editors of large metropol
itan papers do not have and can
not have the close touch with the
people that is a necessary inci
dent of the life of the country ed
itor. Just as Washington, D. C.
is the poorest place in the coun
try to get a line on the political
thought of the nation, so the big
city newspaper office is the poor
est place to get a correct picture
of national thought, either polit
ical or otherwise. The people of
the United States should realize
this and should see to it that
whatever else happens the coun
try press shall be maintained.
"Freedom of speech and of the
press is the first esential of a repub
lican form of government, for the
representatives of the people cannot.
konw the thoughts and aspirations'
and desires of their constiuents un
less voiced through the mediumship
of the local press to which they have
access either directly, through the
publication of communications, or in
directly through the editor's interpre
tation of the views of his community.
"The country press, including the
smaller daillies, represents the pro
ducing element of our national life.
The large metropolitan press repre
sents the commerical factors. Just as
production is the first essential of a
permanent prosperity, so the main
tenance of that portion of the press
that speaks for the producers is most
important.
The metropolitan press has its
place in our national life and nobody
wishes it ill. The fact remains, how
ever, that the vital interests of the
nation are most promptly and most
clearly represented and the thought
of the people most freely and most
encouraging voiced by the country
I press. The people of the country may
not see it now, but they will somen
day realize that the large preponder
ance of supensions among the weekly
publications is a menace to national
welfare."
MONTANA lONI 'NS ELECt
FIGHTING FLYIt . ',qGE TO
HELENA LEGIL,..ilf HALLS
CONSTERNATION AMONGST COPPER CRdWD OVER SWARM OF
OFFICERS ELECTED BY LEAGUE THROUGHOUT STATE. SAD
TIME COMING AT HELENA FOR GRAND OLD GANG. COUNTY AD
MINISTRATION IN MANY PARTS WILL BEGIN FIRST OF YEAR, 1919
FOR FIRST TIME SINCE STATEHOOD. HORSE THIEVES AND BOR
DER SALOONS SAY AU REVOIR ALSO GOOD BYE.
The Nonaprtisan league has ar
rhred politically in Montana. The
first period of organization is
over and our first delegation
ready to begin work at Helena.
The copper press altho affecting
sad time coming for the politi
cal tools of the Interests who
used to have things pretty well
there own way, but will have the
time of their lives voting against
real progressive legislation and
sitting up at nights figuring how
to circumvent the League farm
ers and Wage-workers who, we
venture to suggest will be more
tha na match for them. No long
er will the copper-mantel com
pletely cover the Legislative
Halls in its stifling embrace, no
longer will the forces of reaction
dominate absolutely the law mak
ing machinery of the state, the
League has arrived and is here to
stay.
County Czars also are in for
a sad time, In many of the places
where heretofore the county af
LEAGUE LOYAL
IOMEMBERSHIP
Fulfill All Promises and
Buckles Down to
Work on More
The first time the farmer came in
contact with a Nonpartisan league
worker he heard the promise: "If
you will join with your brother farm
ers in this organization, with finan
cial support and willingness to work
with other farmers, the farmers can
have more to say about the conditions
under which they live. We will put
farmer-labor candidates in the field
and work for their election."
That was the big promise. And
every farmer who went into the
League with that hope in his heart,
knows now that that promise has been
fulfilled. All has been done as prom
ised and scheduled. First he was
called to meet with his fellow farm
ers in the precinct to appoint a county
delegate. Then the county conven
tion of farmers was called to make
the nominations for the legislature
and appoint a delegate to the state
convention. The state convention
then picked the state ticket. From
the moment the candidates were nom
inated a state-wide campaign was on
to elect them.
The farmer knows that this cam
paign, built up without the aid of a
state machine such as the two old
parties are able to muster and with
out the giant slush funds from the
big corporations, so scared the anti
farmer gang that both Democrats and
Republicans united to fight his candi
dates. -le knows that this campaign
of his League had to meet the ter
rible handicap of the false "loyalty"
issue, intimidation, false arrests and
mob violence. It w ent through push
ed by determined men whom his $16
helped to keep going, in spite of all
the great vested interests could bring
against it. All that was promised
was fulfilled.
Therein lies the proof that the
farmer can stick under his hat to meet
effectively all the lying and near lies
the hostile press and the old-line pol
iticians can bring to bear. II, doesn't
have to take any one', word for it.
lThii kept press furnishes as good cv
idence of it is !ie indepeml:ent press.
IThe .Leagu did not seie the dollars
and ruli. Ti ftrl; thi roughout
the stat,' v .r. ,ranizvd, they nomi i
nated their otn iilnl forl office for
the fir-' t I r it " great many years
ii' ·eveetr , . tier wa a camplle;naig"l
that .cared 10 es., al interests fromn
Miaine t, ;alifornia. I(et the old
giinsastv.r yell tiir htails off against
these faits to .iich they atre sIuchI
,.o1lint. witnles , .
\"!. ',re u.sul'ret, I!ltaiini 0f1hine n .it
hrvester- trust agent' or votary of
It,,her" i pecil privilb i e voted for the
L eague andl labor ticket. They voted
in their own interests. Can every
farmer alnd worker show as correct
a record t
fairs were administered for the
benefit of a few prominent citi
sens and as a useful adjunct to
the State political machine of the
dolminant party, there is a house
cleaning toward, and what a
house cleaning! County politics
will be devorced from the asses
sing of property and tolerance of
the blind-pig. One of the most
thriving industries of our north
ern counties also is in for a severe
jolt, quotations on "Horse Thieves
Inc.," are reported to be very
feeble since the election and the
operators of this once popular out
door sport have been observed
folding their tents like the prov
erbial Arabs and gum-shoeing si
lently, if sadly away. There are
a good many urgently needed re
forms in County administration
coming also. The League did it.
TWO YEARS WORK.
Just two years ago a solitary or
ganizer entered this State with or
ders from the farmers of North Da
kota to begin the foundation work for
the Nonpartisan league in Montana.
Robert Burns Martin was that man;
with infinite patience he wove the
scattered strands together, financed
by those other farmers of our sis
ter state who had already tasted the
benefits of Nonpartisan organization
and who were dead anxious to have
their fellow workers throughout the
nation participate in the advantages
accuring to them. Martin's effort met
with success from the start and then
came others, a state office was es
tablished and under the management
of D. C. Dorman ably seconded by the
efficient and kindly Kathryn Kenny,
a staff of organizers began to travel
the State. The work was begun.
DEADLY OPPOSITION.
Needless to say just as soon as the
organization began to make itself
felt the dark forces who had ruled the
Treasure State for so long took action.
Under cover' of patriotic motives they
sought to suppress the clean young
giant growing in their midst, quick
er to scent danger to their continued
misrule than are the workers to lay
hold of something for THEIR advan
tage, they organized throughout the
State into Loyalty Leagues, American
Defence Associations, and Home
Guards, whose ostensible purpose was
to uphold the sacred dignity of patri
otic motive and to safe-guard the home
sections from enemies against the U.
S. who were supposed to be as thick
as ticks in the woods but who, as a
matter of fact, were enemies of noth
ing save organized greed and copper
rule. A campaign of lies ,lecherous
lies, began to defile the columns of
the daily press, and newspapers who
should blush to remember it, printed
large cuts of the Stars and Stripes
under whos folds they promulgated
their basest libels.
The outporings of the suborned
press however, got them nothing, still
the organizers prosecuted the work of
the League and still the Organization
grew so that the Employers Associa
tion head and front of reaction in this
State. in its executive end, sought
to stem the tide by the publication of
a brochure "'A Solar plexus punch for
your Business" written as the title
would naturally suggest, we are in
formtdc, by t!at ex-fight-fan J. II. Mc
Ilnto.h, State Secretary ofi the Associ
attion. Ilu.tiness men and workers
were solemnily warned against th',
League, it was unpatriotic, disloyal,
pro-german: and Bolahivist, it was all
that was vile and had, it should b,t
avoided at. all cost, but still the farm
ers enrolled and still the organization
grew. Great work the League has al
ready done in this State alone, it he
shown the people how disgustingly ri
bald the ;ang-press can become when
its musters put on the pressure,,
people have come to regard the p!n;
lie press in its true light and to 1,,t,
their opinion open on any subi,"c
whatsoever, until authentic infotn,''a
tion can be gained through /:!;e
meagre channels still left open. th,.-.'
few honest newstpapers, owned .,y the
League or the Organized W'rk.''rs.
VIOLENCE IIlII'GII TO B' E t\:
\t the end of their t iher th. reac
it'a y flries, the old gatng, brought
ti: bei'r the last resource of the
:.;,i r, they turned to violence, Or
: ,:lr.: : lere whipped, thre:ten, t
. it d5,ath, ~gradled in On ut.specak
abhl rni;ner, deported and br'ouctl :.
trial ion false pretenses and fak'
i. arge, under the specious p!:ta of
I se,'Itious remarks they wer.e holed
h;',f court, only to be iismissei
and atrrte-ted again. Mletu.'t w'c.
bro.kedl up aind men intimidated a ..
ll in the name of patriotism and l,"u )
li ssafety. But in spit of it ad 'he