The nonpartisan leader. [volume], September 16, 1918, Image 3

About The nonpartisan leader. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1915-1921

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
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ci
Nonpartisan League
Pledged to
Liberty loan and 1
it? s*.,
1.
W
-r
HE governor of Minnesota re
cently made his first public
admission that 'law and order
have not been enforced in his
state. This admission, how
ever, was accompanied by a
statement of the governor's in
which he excused the lawless
ness which has prevailed. He
declared that no one has as yet been killed! As a
further "explanation" of the Minnesota outrages
against citizens who differ with him in political
beliefs, the governor's statement says that the
"self-control" of "wide-awake" citizens (mobbists)
:has been "challenged," and the mobbings have not
been "grave'.'!
This statement was, of course, an affront to
President Wilson, who had just issued the splendid
^proclamation denouncing mobbists and demanding
that governors enforce law and order. But if the
,'governor's excuse for the conditions which have
existed in his state is an affront to the president,
jit is equally an insult to the people, AND HAS
Here is David
Evans, the can-^
didate of the farm
era, and the work- vj.
Red Cross speeches.
V. ijl
MENT OF LAW AND ORDER THE
CHIEF ISSUE OF THE MINNESOTA
$£« POLITICAL CAMP AIG N, WHICH
Vr WILL, END. IN THE ELECTION OF
A GOVERNOR IN NOVEMBER.
MUST MAKE MINNESOTA
SAF*E FOR DEMOCRACY
,'j \Burnquist's ill-advised excuse
for the mobbings and intimidation,
jl* which obtained for him the Re
y^J^publican nomination,
& jfe-
waB
fol­
THE MATTER, and which have been SUPPORT
MG THE. .FIGHT ON THE, NONPARTISAN
.&EAGUE
!|®|J|^
JBut the big thing whic& iollowea Governor
Burnquist's defense of tar and yellow-paint par
ities, wag. the recent placing in jfche field of a third,
^independent candidate for governor by the. organ
rJ ized farmers and organized labor. This candidate,
David Evans, .of Tracy, .Minn., farmer and hard
ware merchant/ is running'on a platform DE
MANDING THE ENFORCEMENT OF LAW AND
Law and Order Candidate in
SUCCEEDED IN MAK
ING THE ENFORCE-
DAVID EVANS
of Tracy, Minn.
'"c
men of the cities for governor of Min
nesota on an independent ticket. The at
titude is one familiar to the' people of
-Lyon comity who have heard him deliver
lowed by editorials CONDEMN
ING MOB VIOLENCE, which
ppeared in papers HERETOFORE SILENT ONs§t| in the state and the railroad brotherhood^
rTIhe
Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League
VOL. 7, NO. 11 ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, SEPTEMBER 16, 1918 WHOLE NUMBER 156
ORDER, and including the political and economic
demands of the Nonpartisan league and union labor.
Governor Burnquist and his friends have been
drunk with the victory they obtained this spripg
in the Republican primaries, through the suppres
sion of meetings of their opponents and through
mob intimidations, but an aroused people has now
made LAW ENFORCEMENT the chief issue, not
only by a formal political plank, but by indorsing
for the chief office of the state A MAN WHO
HIMSELF WAS A VICTIM OF THE BURN
QUIST GANG DURING THE PRIMARY CAM­
WJ1
During the primary campaign, Mr. Ev&is, who
is "a leader in war work in his county.
Organized Labor Put Up David Evans for Governor
Out Nonpartisan Policies and Subdue Rioters
PAIGN REIGN OF TER
ROR.
David Evans was
unanimously indors
ed for the chief of
fice in the state by
the Nonpartisan
league convention
recently assembled
at St. Paul." He was
also unanimously
indorsed by a dele
gate convention of
organized labor,
representing every
labor union
!and
owner of $15,000 worth of Liberty bonds, sup
ported Comstock for governor. fComstock, a pro
gressive Democrat, ran against j^heaton, the can­t'lf
didate of the Democratic machine, and was beaten
in the primary. The present farmer-labor candi
date took no formal part in thfe Republican pri­V^many
mary campaign. But he attended a.Nonpartisan
league meeting, at Tracy as a spectator. Before
the meeting broke up he was awed to addressthe
PAGE THBEB.
the
ir K^^sS-it:^1::-^^r^'/i^i.^-'.'.v".?\
A
v\:•:"•••.
audience. He was well known to the League farm
ers,, through his 40 years or more residence at
Tracy. He DID address the farmers, and took
occasion TO EXPRESS HIS VIEWS IN REGARD
TO MOB OUTRAGES, which were then sweeping
over the state.
The next morning Mr. Evans found his hardware
store painted yellow, with insulting inscriptions
daubed on the windows. At another time during
the primary campaign, Mr. Evans invited 4,000
farmers to his farm to, hold a League meeting,
after the farmers had been driven out of town by
town and county officials and the defense council.
id he in do of a vi E an
governor, the organized farmers and union la
bor of Minnesota have so far decided to contest
at least one other office in the fall election—
the office of attorney general—for which they
have indorsed Tom Davis of Marshall, lawyer
and member of the last legislature. Mr. Davis
has a splendid record in" the legislature on
farmer and labor legislation and, like Mr.
Evans, will oppose the regular nominees of
the Republican and Democratic parties.
NOW FOR A FARMER
LABOR VICTORY
In the Minnesota primary campaign farmers and
union men also co-operated. In that campaign,
however, the battle was a straight out-and-out one
between the farmer-labor candidates and the pres
ent officeholders, for the Republican nominations
for state offices. In the present campaign the
workers of farm and city have virtually form
ed a third party, and are contesting with nom
inees of both of the old parties, with more
than a good chance of success in the three
cornered fight.
:^-''-:J'A.
In the primary campaign organized la
bor participated through the action of
trades and labor assemblies of the prin
cipal cities, and through various indi
vidual unions and labor leaders. In
the present campaign, labor's par
ticipation is more formal and unit
ed. For the first time in the his
tory of the state organized labor
called a state political conven
tion, to which every union in the
state sent regularly elected dele
gates. This convention met at
St. Paul and seated delegates
from the railroad brotherhoods,
••:",'iy*as well as from all the unions af
filiated with the American Fed
eration of Labor. It was this con
vention of labor which agreed with, the
farmers on the candidacy of David
Evans and Tom Davis, and indorsed them
for governor and attorney general.
The action of organized labor in thus
entering politics in a formal and effective
manner in co-operation with the farmers
was caused through the general realiza
tion of union men that the. success of
unionism depends in a substantial way on
favorable political conditions. The unions of Min
nesota have found by bitter experience that they
can not prosper and their demands can not be -car
ried out successfully without the election of men
to office who are favorable to their cause,
Almost all Americans love a square deal. Only
"the few are profiteers or special privilege pirates,.
V_4The lineup in Minnesota is clearly that of the
hottest men against the few dishonest mag'
fenatea and "'corporations. When the Votes aire
^T-tounted, this I5|w, despite their wefdth,will, find
Many,hfcve overwhelmed them.