The nonpartisan leader. [volume], September 16, 1918, Image 6

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

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
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Min^iesota^under* the"Aet^of gh
OLIVER 8. MORRIS, Editor
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ed to seal his doom.
Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League—Every Week
8 1915'
not
Box 576 W. Paul Mi
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B. O. FOSS, Art Editor
fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly advertised, and we will
HnnfJ »L "fi ,wl11 "dviBc promptly should they have occasion to
doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronises our advertising columns.
EDITORIALS
A REIGN OF TERROR AND ITS AFTERMATH
I HE expected result of the reign of terror which character
ized the recent primary election in Minnesota is now rap
idly developing. It is a reaction that promises to sweep out
of office the political gang in power, headed by the governor, which
permitted it and in whose political interests it was-staged. Law
and^ order is now the chief issue in Minnesota and will remain so
until the votes are counted.
The Minnesota big interest press, hitherto silent on the riot
ing and disorder in the state, has been forced into taking a position
.against mob outrages, in the fear that further disorders will invite
federal intervention and at one sweep destroy all the chances of
success of Governor Burnquist and his henchmen. The president's,
proclamation demanding the enforcement of law and order has had
a widespread effect on the people of the state.. It is realized that
the president had Minnesota particularly in mind when he wrote
his splendid appeal to the people and governors of states.
But one of the chief signs of this reaction against disgraceful
and intolerable conditions is the indorsement for governor of Min
nesota of a well-known and substantial citizen who was himself
a victim of the Minnesota reign of terror. David Evans of Tracy,
leader in Lyon county war work, farmer and hardware merchant,
who has been placed in the field against the two old party candi
dates as the candidate for governor of organized labor and organ
ized farmers, had his store painted yellow and inscribed with in
sulting words by midnight cowards during the primary campaign.
Mr. Evans is a Democrat in politics and in the primary sup
ported Comstock, the progressive Democratic candidate for the
party nomination, who was beaten by Wheaton, the reactionary
and Boss Lynch man. However, Mr. Eyans attended, as a spec
tator, a ^Nonpartisan league meeting during the primary. A 40
year residence at Tracy has given him a wide acquaintance among
the League farmers of his county, and when he was seen in the
audience he was asked and consented to address the meeting. The
.next morning he found his store was plastered with yellow paint.
At another time during the primary campaign he invited to his
farm 4,000 farmers who came to Tracy for a political meeting in
the interest of League candidates, but who were driven out of town
by Burnquist supporters, who forbade their meeting. The farmers
met a few miles from town on Mr. Evans' farm and he presided at
•the meeting. As chairman he defied the sheriff and defense coun
cil representatives to stop the meeting, or arrest-any one without
warrants.. The meeting was held unmolested.
Mr. Evans was not only the unanimous choice of the Nonpar
tisan league convention to oppose Governor Burnquist and the re
actionary Democratic candidate this fall. He was indorsed by a
brotherhoods. His election is assured in November, on a platform
.including the demands of the organized farmers and the labor
unions and containing a plank promising to enforce the law, to
P09t°ffice
S °1 application. Subscription, one year, in advance, $2.50 six
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draft» n°r
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MEMBER OP AUDIT BUREAU OP CIRCULATIONS
Y.,raA,.V^a,Sg.ilPlga c'igfCT- A^nui„
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Pau1'
PAUL GREER, Associate Editor
money orders payable to indi-
remittances to The Nonpartisan Leader,
5 Regularly elected delegate convention of organized labor, repre- than long terms in the penitentiary.
senting every union the state federated with the American Fed- supported by the facts, the charge# against Remnes should
eration of Labor, and including delegates from all the railroad
guarantee citizens their right of peaceful asseihbly and to vigor- justification is to catch spies and stamp out real German propa
I ously prosecute mobbists. ganda, and prevent actual interference with military operations or
mdustnal work necessary to win the war. When they are used to
persecute farmers or workingmen or discredit progressive men or
measures for political reasons they have a dangerous effect—the
effect of destroying confidence in the government.
With all these sighs of an aroused people-, Governor Burnquist,
"drunk with-a primary victory obtained through suppression of
meetings of his opponent and tar and feather parties, slumbers on
2—but he slumbers over dynamite. In a statement the governor
•recently caused to be issued he admits for the first time that there
has been disorder in Minnesota!, but he adds that there have been
•no killings! His explanation Of the* reign 0fterror- is that "wide
& citizens have had their self-control "challenged" and that
mobbmgs have not been "grave.'* This statement, in itself a veiled -MS# received the first issue of the .Nonpartisan Leader three
incitement to further violence has astonished even the governor's years ago. They will immediately recognize the front page of that
inost, prejudiced supporters. was the only remaining thing- need- first issue, as it is reproduced on the cover thfa we^k,. in .celebration
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4
OUR READERS ACTIVE
I HE recent brief request of the Leader that its readers re
port to the editor the names of publications so far debased
as to use against the League the ravings of a discredited,
self-seeking renegade like Maxwell, who was purchased for a price
to write articles against the organized farmers, after accepting
their money as a League speaker, has brought us hundreds of re
plies from all parts of the country.
To the list of newspapers which have published Maxwell's
stuff we can now add the Helena (Mont.) Record. We can also add
to the list the Washington Farmer and the Idaho Farmer, two so
called farm papers published at Spokane, Wash., by W. H. Cowles,
owner of the Spokesman-Review and Chronicle. While Cowles'
"farm" papers have not used the articles in full, they have quoted
freely from them in an effort to damage the League.
Many of our readers mistook our request and sent us the names
of all'papers they saw which favorably mentioned the Maxwell ar
ticles, whether they published them in full or not. We primarily
desired the names of papers which used the stuff in full, as such
papers had to pay for it, the articles being copyrighted. However,
we Sre glad to get the list of some hundred or so papers which
have merely, favorably mentioned Maxwell. We will index the list
and keep it for reference.
We got some 20 letters in regard to the use of the articles by
the Cowles "farm" papers. Farmers seem to have Mr. Cowles sized
up pretty well. Many mention the fact that he tried to wreck the
Washington state Grange through an unprincipled attack on C. B.
Kegley, former master, now deceased, and that he "excused" and
defended the outrage against the Washington Grange at Walla
Walla, where their state convention was kicked out by a mob. C. B.
Foote, proprietor of Cabinet farm, Colburn, Idaho, giveB perhaps
the best interpretation of Millionaire Cowles and his various publi
cations. He says:
Mr. Cowles is a publisher for the money there is in the business
and a personal sentiment is never allowed to conflict with this prin
ciple, either by himself or an employe.
Mr. Foote explains how Cowles' advice to the farmers worked
out in one case, and while the account is interesting it is too long
to quote. Cowles is long on telling the farmers what is best for
them, but he never turned a sod or milked a cow in his life.
ORIGIN OF ONE HOAX DISCOVERED
I HE origin of the newspaper hoax to the effect that the Non
partisan league is for state ownership of farms is revealed.
The Mississippi Valley Lumberman, a big business trade
journal, at the end of a long tirade against'the organized farmers
says: "If the worst comes to worst, we will give the League farm
ers a dose of their own socialism. We will force state ownership or
control of farms on them." This is from the August 16 issue of the
Lumberman, published at Minneapolis. The farmers' enemies and
not the farmers' League want state ownership of farms, and so
they thought it would be clever to make it appear that the League
wants it, knowing that unless the League does want it there is
no chance to put it over on the rubes.
UNION LABOR AND BOUCK'S ARREST
I HE central labor council and other labor bodies of Seattle,
Wash., have demanded the removal of Clarence L. Rsames,
assistant United States attorney general assigned to work
on the Pacific coast, following the arrest, through Mr. Reame a' ac
tivities, of William Bouck, master of the Washington state Grange.
Organized labor in Seattle is in a position to force the point. 'Hie
shipbuilding activities there have taken oh gigantic proportions
and the industry is solidly organized. The union men of ^Seattle
publish a daily newspaper and in few other cities do the workings
men have as wide an influence.
The complaint of the workingmen is that Prosecutor Reames,
to make a record, has sought to convict of-disloyalty progressive
men whose only offense has been to differ with the big'interests on
economic questions growing out of the war, and has sought to pun
ish severely "ignorant workmen who let their mouths slip-occa
sionally" and who "need education on America's war aims rather
1
be pushed. This is not the time for fanatical and overzealous
prosecutors to create uneasiness and lack of confidence in the gov
ernment on the part of the working people by prosecutions which
are really persecutions. Sedition laws are two-edged. Their only
WE HAVE ANOTHER BIRTHDAY
IHIS week's coyer will interest both our old and new sub
pscribers. Some 15,000 or 16,000 of our present subscribers
fl nr.l Xl. i-* .*• '4
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