The nonpartisan leader. [volume], March 29, 1920, Image 8

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

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
Glub Movement Booms
National Secretary Gives Outline Proposed
for Minnesota
BY FLORA THOMASON
National Secretary Women's Nonpartisan Clubs
HILE North Dakota still holds the lead
yMM 'in the number of Women's Nonparti-
Ll san clubs other League states are or
ganizing rapidly, getting ready for
this fall's campaign. Minnesota is in
second place now. We have dozens of
letters from Montana, however, which indicate that
organization work is proceeding there actively and
if the women of Minnesota do not look out Montana
may pass them. In South Dakota and Idaho there
is also great interest and activity in the move
ment. Nebraska and Colorado have each organ
ized two thriving clubs and promise many more.
The following outline for club work has been
suggested for Minnesota and might be of interest
to clubs elsewhere:
Political—(1) Brief study of rules of order. (2)
Origin, purpose and program of the Nonpartisan
league. (3) Local and state government, lessons
in civics. (4) Study of suffrage in United States
and other countries. (5) Practical use of ballot,
absent ballot, etc. (6) Study of new progressive
laws.
Educational—(1) Get League library started
(books available at national office). (2) Study of
farm economics. (3) Study of co-operation in
United States and other countries. (4) Study of
state-owned industries and public ownership gen
erally. (5) Study of railroads and the Plumb plan.
Social—(1) Social programs (League songs
available at national office). (2) Charitable and
beneficial work. (3) Luncheons (at discretion of
individual clubs).
THE MONTANA SPIRIT
Women's Nonpartisan Clubs: I reacl in the Non
partisan Leader about your organization and was
wondering if it could be extended into "other states.
You probably know the terrible conditions of Mon
tana. How I wish and hope that all will be well
with the Nonpartisans this fall! I was wondering,
with spring coming, if there could be a little stim
ulus of some kind. Any suggestions you could
make of anything you think I can do I would gladly
do, for I do so much want the Nonpartisans to
win. I think it would be encouraging to the farm
ers if their wives were more interested.
I am a farmer's wife now, but also am a New
York graduate nurse. When the snow is deep in
winter here I am called on for physician's duties
MRS. D. A. ROBERTSON.
Bozeman, Mont., R. 1.
PRICES AND POLITICS
Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I am just
a common ranch woman. I live in the
"jungles" 60 miles from Glasgow, our
nearest postoffice, quite happy and en
joying improving a new ranch. I am
neither a society dame nor a tramp, but
Mrs. C. has aroused me to air my opinion
of the woman's page. I am tired of
discussions of how to cook and care for
kettles and pans. Every woman has a
cookbook and the discussion of caring
for babies and their food-is a,wornout
topic.
I have always taken an interest in pol
As a child I got my ears boxed
itics.
by my grandmother for riding in a. del
egation wagon and wearing a banner
that said "Hurrah for Blaine" (my peo
ple were Democrats). I drove 40 miles
alone and held my baby in my arms when
I was in Canada because I was a liberal
thinker and wanted to hear Wilfrid
Laurier. I shook hands both with him
and Hon. Walter Scott—they kissed my
infant and weren't ashamed to write, in
THE FARM WOMAN'S PAGE OF NEWS AND OPINION
a periodical, of the American w.oman and her baby
and her faith in their la.ws.
Now I want to do all in my power to help our
men change the laws responsible for this high cost
of living. Look at the prices of footwear, calico
and sugar! I am making a pair of wooden shoes
and if they prove successful in stamping out the
rattlesnakes from public office I'll cheerfully donate
them as an exhibit of the results of the luxury tax.
Many of us country women are wearing trousers.
I have rigged up an old discarded pair of high-top
boots as well as trousers.' I will cut my own wood,
raise bees and boycott the sugar trust. I will
vote for the right man in the right place, be he
Republican or Democrat.
I expect to run the mail route this spring and
when our Nonpartisan speakers come to organize
they will find me one of the co-workers, true to the
core of my heart. MRS. L. B. STEARNS.
Saco, Mont.
THE FARMER'S PRAYER
Dear Lord, who know'st thy child so well,
Help me in trials to be a man,
Help me to do my work each day,
And help my neighbors when I can.
Make me to keep a smile, dear Lord,
If thou should'st send us too much rain,
Make me to understand, our loss
May be the other farmer's gain.
Let me have strength to go about
To see my neighbors here and there,
And make them to forget their woes,
And lay aside their nagging care.
Make me glad for what I have,
Thankful for strength thou'st giv'n me too,
And thankful that we have a farm
With much of healthful work to do.
And thankful for this quiet peace,
This wondrous beauty everywhere.
Let me bring to those whose wondrous youth
Needs of my help a little share.
Dear Lord! Ah, once again I cry,
Help me in trial to be a man,
To do my duties cheerfully
And farm the very best I can.
Brattleboro, Vt. MRS.
MARRIAGE INSURANCE
as well as nurse and I wonder if I played at another ure to marry, receiving a weekly payment if they for February 9 prompt me to say a few words.,
role if it would not be just as readily accepted, are not married at the age of 40. Every Leaguer knows that the League is not trying
I hope you can understand what I am
driving at and can show me that I can
be of some use to our people, politically
as well as medicinally.
LEAGUE WOMAN DRIVES TRUCK
"Sure, women can drive trucks," says Lester
B.
In Denmark, women can be insured against fail- their own sex, but the verses on the Woman's page
D.
tonville, Wis., who sends this picture of his wife, Mrs. Mildred Sawyer,
at the wheel of their three-tonner. Mrs. Sawyer was one of the dem
onstrators at the recent Twin Cities auto show. Bioth of the Saw
yers were brought up on the farm and are good Leaguers?
PAGE EIGHT
Sawyer of Clin-
Men Demand a Corner
Appreciating Best Page in the Leader, They
Ask Space in It
The Farm Woman's page is getting so popular that we
are getting a number of letters from men who wafat space
on this page and nowhere else. This week we are giving
men a small portion of the page though it means that a
few women's letters will be crowded out.
DITOR Nonpartisan Leader: I am not
a lady. I belong to the opposite sex,
but I would like to get this where it
will be noticed. I see the ladies ask
the department of agriculture to get
them a laundry for their wash. Why
not do it yourselves? Select a committee to study
the question and then incorporate a co-operative
company. Let every woman take out a $10 share
and go out and sell one to every man until you
have enough. Find competent help, work them
eight hours a day and pay a living wage.
When one laundry is established don't hide your
light under a bushel, but have a detailed report
of your committee printed to hand out to other
locals so they may profit by your experience. After
your laundry is established study the packer game,
shoe factories, housing, etc. Build up your small
towns—the workers will be company for you and
will eat your eggs and springers. Then set the
stage for a canning factory—why eat Maine cor*
in St. Paul, Maryland peas and strawberries in
Minneapolis and California beans in Fargo? The'"
M. of W., a railroad workers' union, bought two
knitting mills and supply their members with socks
at 26 per cent less than trust prices. But the big
item, as I see it, is that they give the girls new
hours, changing from 60 to 44 hours per week, and
found an improvement in the work. What a relief
to the thousands of women workers, that 16 hours
off a week for the "pursuit of happiness."
Ladies, there are a thousand different jobs you
can find that will help God make this good old
United States a better place to live in.
Who am I Just a worker with a wife and
three little ones to feed these high-priced times,
with a salary that has not kept up with living ex
penses. There ate 60,000,000 of us city renters
and we all face a 33 per cent increase in our pres
ent rent rate. What is the answer? We are going
to try it through the ballot this fall.
McKees Rocks,. Pa. J. W. HANCE.
UPHOLDS CITY GIRLS
Editor Nonpartisan Leader: Perhaps some will
say men shouldn't criticize what women say about
to set class against class, but Mrs. Kraft
says things that tend to open a chasift
between farm and city girls.
A bad city girl isn't worse than a bad
farm girl, and a good farm girl isn't bet
ter than a good city girl. We can not
get along without cities and cities can
not exist without girls. Let us not create
class hatred by disrespectful allusions.
Such intimations give the gangsters rea
son to say that farmers are against
townspeople.
ALFRED KARLSON.
R. 1, Bismarck, N. D.
(We do not believe Mrs. Kraft intend
ed in her verse to allude disrespectfully
to city girls, nor did we take the allusion
in that manner. Every Leaguer, of course,
will a*ree with what Mr. Karlson says
along general lines—THE EDITOR.)
MISS ALLEN RIGHT
Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I see Miss
Allen has resigned from the Woman's
National Democratic committee as a pro
test against Secretary Baker's compul
sory training bill. This is the sentiment
among both Democrats and Republicans
in Kansas. General public feeling is "No
militarism." The majority will chuck all
militarism—party cuts no figure.
Lindsborg, Kan. CHARLES FERM.