The nonpartisan leader. [volume], October 07, 1918, Image 8

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

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
The Nebraska Fiasco
LASTaweekE.
the Nonpartisan Leader publish­
ed statement made by the county attor
ney of Dodge county, Neb., which asked
that W. Quigley, a Nonpartisan league
organizer arrested under the sedition law, be dis
missed, as there was no evidence against him, and
because, upon investigation, the county attorney
had found the Nonpartisan league to be a patri
otic organization!
The freeing of (Quigley and the remarkable state
ment of the county attorney calls to mind the fact
that this is the second arrest of this League or
ganizer in Nebraska. He was first arrested and
later freed in Saunders county, where the council
of defense demanded that all League members re
sign at once and assign their membership certifi
cates over to the council of defense. The judge
who freed .Quigley in the first case was A. Z.
Donato, vice chairman of the Saunders County
Council of Defense and chairman of the Saunders
county Red Cross chapter. He was also the man
whom the council of defense demanded that League
members surrender their certificates of member
ship to.
MANY FRAME-UP'
ARRESTS MADEx
But. there is other good news for League mem
bers from Nebraska. Two other Nonpartisan
league organizers were freed on the same day that
Qtngljey was set free in the second case against
him. -The Nebraska sedition law makes it "sedi
tion" not to be engaged, in a "useful" occupation.
In other words, Nebraska politicians have attempt
ed to "improve" upon the federal sedition statute
by making it "seditious" to be engaged in an oc
cupation which the Nebraska politicians, in and
out of office, do not approve of!
The other two Nebraska
League organizers who were
freed were Kinney Yenawine
and Ezra Clark. Yenawine was
freed on motion of State's At
torney Rice at McCook, without
even the formality of a trial.
.There was, of course, no evi
dence against him. Yenawine
served, five years in the United
States marines. He was with
Dewey at the battle of Manila
bay and wears a medal given
him for service-at that battle.
He acquired crippled legs in the
service of his country, caused
from standing in salt water. He
has, of course, an excellent hon
orable, discharge certificate from
the army.
Clark, who was also freed
without the formality of a
trial, because there was no evi
dence against him, is a new or
ganizer fot the League from
the western part of Nebraska.
He was arrested just across the
Nebraska line in Kansas and
brought back to Red Willow
county* where he was bound
over for trial.
4 Charles Dean is another Ne
braSk& organizer who has been
arrested. Mr. Dean is a North
figkota League farmer. He was
charged with sedition because
the politicians of Nebraska did
not believe that he. was in a
"useful" occupation. He was
bound over for trial in Pierce
.county* He was pursued by
vie automobile loads of home
guards With rifles before he was
captured. His case will, of
.course, be dismissed, like the
others, when it comes up for
-trial.
Jacob Thull, another League
organizer in Nebraska, was
fH^placed on trial in Valley coun
am
r*
n. y. u. -,V WV-lf.
the Farmers and Their
An Account of Futile Attempts to Stop the Nonpartisan League in Wisconsin
and Nebraska—Patriotic Bodies Used by League Enemies
ty. Hundreds of League and other farmers flocked
to the hearing in the courthouse. The county judge
dismissed the case. As in the other cases, there
was no evidence against Thull. The county attor
ney, filled with hatred and fired with a desire for
vengeance, had Thull rearrested and brought before
another judge. Thull was pitching hay when ar
rested the second time. He will, of course, be
freed when the case again comes up.
THE STRONG STATEMENT
BY ATTORNEY COOK
If the prosecuting authorities and honest mem
bers of defense councils of Nebraska would follow
the example of J. C. Cook, county attorney of
Dodge county, Neb., and look into the actual facts
concerning the Nonpartisan Jeague, they would
abandon this futile attempt to prevent the farm
ers from organizing. After investigating the
League, Prosecutor Cook said, as reported inN last
week's issue:
"The reports and rumors that I had read in the
daily press for the last year and a half and the
statements I have heard about the Nonpartisan
league had aroused in me an intense antagonism
against the organization. Consequently, when re
ports were brought to me that League organiza
tion work had been started in Dodge county, I
promptly issued an order for the organizer's ar
rest."
However, while Mr. Cook arrested the organizer
on newspaper reports and the lies and misrepre
sentations circulated by the enemies of the League,
he was fair enough to give the League a thorough
investigation. The result was that he freed the
organizer and issued a most remarkable statement,
in which he pronounced the work of the Nonpar
tisan league patriotic to a high degree. At the
end of his statement to the court to this effort,
Prosecutor Cook said:
"I realize that this statement concerning the
League which I am making will shock many of my
(?EAD THAT ovee 9tAiN
Mother.VOH6I3E HE SAYS
HE KNOWS WE ARE
k££:P'!i& THE HOME"
FlCES OF DEMOCRACY
fcURfcUNG-
—Drawn especially for the Leader by Congressman John M. Baer
Our boys who are fighting in France know that we are backing them up in every pos
sible way we can. They, on their part, expect us to preserve democracy in .America,
and extend it, while they are gone. They do not expect us to lie down'and quit under
the kind of persecution certain profiteers and patrioteers, who are seeking to divide
America and who are their enemies as well as ours at home, attempt to inflict upon us.
Read of farmer persecution in the two stories on this page, one from Nebras*
ka anyone from Wisconsin. Write your son in France about cases like?'--'"^
these and see what kind of a letter you get!
PAGBIGHT
.^,.^.'-111^11^111
A'
friends, who can not doubt my patriotism, and
hundreds of loyal citizens who entertain the same
views that I did. But I am satisfied that the same
impartial investigation will convince the most
prejudiced, and, while I realize that my position is
not popular, especially in this community, where
the facts are not knoWn, as a public pfficial, charg
ed with the sacred obligation of giving every man
or organization a square deal, I am compelled to
ask for a dismissal of this case and the discharge
of the defendant."
Mr. Cook had--flo political motive in finding the
work of the Nonpartisan league loyal and patri
otic. Although Mr. Cook is a candidate for re
election this year as county attorney, the League
has as yet only a small membership in his^ounty
and League votes can not materially help him-in
his campaign for re-election. However, League
members everywhere will trust that Mr. Cook
will be re-elected by a big vote, and that the fact
that he has given the League an honest investi
gation and found it loyal will not militate against
him in his campaign.
The Wisconsin Bluff
N ATTEMPT is being made in another
state to use war activities and war or
ganizations to balk the organization work
of the Nonpartisan league. This time it
is in Wisconsin that these efforts, are being made.
The Leader has received a copy of a set of reso
lutions adopted by the Dunn County Council of
Defense of Menomonie, Wis., of which Dr. L. D.
Harvey is chairman and R. E. Bunde secretary.
The resolutions demand the closing of all school
houses in the county against meetings of League
farmers, or other farmers who desire to attend
League meetings and learn the facts about the
organization. The Dunn County Council of De
fense is sending a copy of the
resolutions to all voters iii the
coupty, calling on them to use
every effort to prevent organi
zation work of the League, and
has sent a copy of the resolu
tions to every county council of
defense in Wisconsin, asking all
the county councils to take simi
lar action.
The letter of the council of
defense accompanying these
resolutions says:
"Please note and emphasize
in your communications con
cerning these resolutions that
the defense council does not
assume to pass ^on the -merits
or demerits of the Nonpartisan
league."
This is a very strange state
ment, indeed, taken in connec
tion with the bitter and blind
condemnation of the League and
its work which appears in the
resolutions themselves. The'
resolutions in full are as fol
lows:
Whereas, th? representatives of' thr
Nonpartisan league have held, and are
contemplating holding, meetings in
Dunn comity for the" purpose of teach
ing the doctrine of said Nonpartisan
league and of soliciting membership
thereto, and
Whereas, the whole energy of the
nation and of its entire population
should be devoted exclusively to' the
prosecution of the war, until/ it is
brought to a victorious termination,
and
Whereas, any division among the
peoplte of this nation thereby one
class of citizens distrusts any other
class will of necessity weaken the
power of the natioit in waging its
war, and
Whereas, the organization of the
Nonpartisan league, during the exist
ence of the war, detracts, from the
energy and enthusiasm demited, to the
prosecution of the war, and to some
extent makes the winning of the war
of secondary importance to -the pur
poses sought to be accomplished by
the Nonpartisan league, and
Whereas, the teachings of the Non
partisan league tend to incite class
hatred and distrust, and to weaken the
ability of the nation in the prosecu
tion of the war.
Now, therefow.be it resolved, by
KipfeI 'the Dunn County Council of Defense.
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