The nonpartisan leader. [volume], May 31, 1920, Image 4

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

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
Airplane in Service
President A. C. Townley Starts Record
Breaking Tour of Minnesota
HE most striking and momentous cam
paign in the history of Minnesota is
now under way in every county of the
state. In an effort to speak in every
county before the primary, June 21,
President A. C. Townley of the Non­
partisan league, disregarding all personal risks, is
campaigning in an airplane. Doctor
Henrik Shipstead, in
dor^ed by the League
and organized labor for
governor, is touring the
state, greeted by big
crowds everywhere, and
other candidates and a dozen or more
League speakers also are receiving
.enthusiastic receptions.
The demand of the people to learn
more facts about the League is in
sistent. Demands were
sent to League offices
from practically every
one of the 86 counties
in the state asking for
a "Townley meeting."
In Danube, where
Mr. Townley was
oh it
speaking two years ago,
business men had rais
ed $350 to pay all ex
penses of a meeting. In Fergus Palls the man who,
as mayor, prohibited a Townley meeting in 1917,
personally invited the League president to hold a
meeting and offered to make all arrangements.
When an attempt was made to outline a series
of meetings for Mr. Townley in Minnesota it was
found that it would be physically impossible for
him to travel by train or automobile and make
one-third of the counties of the state before June
21. Mr. Townley himself solved the problem.
"If I can't make the meetings by train or auto,
I'll make them by airplane," he said. And as a
result, as this issue of the Leader reaches its read
ers, the League president will be touring Minnesota
by air, addressing three and four meetings a day,
from 50 to 150 miles apart, in the greatest cam
paign Minnesota has ever seen.
In Minnesota, as in every other state, the only
attack made upon the League and its candidates are
that they are "socialistic." The opposition press
(which includes every large daily in the state) in
sists that the issue of the campaign is "Socialism
or Americanism," "Socialism" meaning the reforms
urged by the League and "Americanism" meaning
a continuance of the present old-gang politicians
in office.
HERE IS THE PLATFORM
OF MINNESOTA CANDIDATES
But the League opposition is making little head
way with this cry. They are unable to attack the,
character or records of any of the League candi
dates. Doctor Shipstead, the candidate for gov
ernor, has a splendid record in public life and has
thousands of personal friends throughout the state.
Captain George H. Mallon, candidate for lieutenant
governor, is one of Pershing's "100 heroes" of the
World war, and other candidates are equally well
known through their devotion to the fight of the
farmers and workers of Minnesota.
The candidates have pledged themselves to the
following platform, stating the real issues of the
campaign:
"1. We believe in orderly progress under our dem
ocratic form of government in reform by the ballot,
not by the bullet in evolution, not revolution.
"2. To make democracy workable it is self-evi
dent that the people must preserve their constitu
tional rights of free speech, a free press and peace
ful assemblage. We propose, if elected, to see that
these rights are preserved, to substitute law and
order for mob rule and to use the police powers of
the state for the benefit of all the people and not
in behalf of a privileged few.
"3. Our state and nation are heavily in debt and
high taxes, paid directly and indirectly by the com
mon citizen, add to the ever-increasing cost of liv­
CAMPAIGNS OPEN IN MINNESOTA AND NEBRASKA
ing. We demand that taxes on large incomes and
excess profits be continued and increased, so that
surplus wealth may be compelled to pay the money
cost of the war, so that profiteering may be dis
couraged and the burden, of taxes be shifted to
those best able to bear it.
"4. The primary purpose of the organizations
of the farmers and workers of the state is, as stated
in their platforms, 'to take the government out of
the hands of special privilege and restore it to the
people.' Standing firmly upon this principle we
indorse and subscribe to the Minnesota program of
the National Nonpartisan league and the declaration
of prin.iples of the Working People's
Airplane with which A. C. Townley is campaigning in Minnesota.
Nonpartisan Political league.
"In carrying
out these prin-
ciples we pledge ourselves, if elected, to take the
following immediate steps:
"1. To enact and enforce net profits tonnage tax
and royalty tax laws that will compel adequate
payment by interests now despoiling our natural
resources to build up immense private fortunes, in
which course they have been protected by the pres
ent administration. Such taxes will relieve other
taxpayers from the crushing burden of taxes they
now bear.
"2. To stand for the eight-hour day in all in
dustries except where, as in farming, natural con
ditions will not allow its establishment.
"3. To provide state guarantee of bank deposits.
"4. To revise grain
grading and inspection
rules in the interests of
the producers.
"5. To provide a plan
of workmen's compen
sation, administered by
the state, that will
bring injured workmen,
their families and de
pendents certain and
full relief without re
course to the courts.
"6. To recognize the
right of workers to or
ganize and deal collectively
with their employers,
through representatives of
their own choice.
"7. To protect and en
courage co-operative en
terprises.
"8.* To secure full equal
ity under the law for men
and women.
"9. To take all other im
mediate steps possible un
der the constitution to put
into effect the complete
Minnesota programs of the
National Nonpartisan
league and the Working
People's Nonpartisan Po
litical league."
There is no doubt what
the verdict of the people
of Minnesota will be if
they have an opportunity
to learn the truth. And
the League and its candi
dates are now engaged in
the task of carrying the
truth to the people.
PAGE FOUR
F.
-r
Pick Strong Ticket
League-Labor Forces Ready for Victory
Campaign in Nebraska
WINNING campaign was started in
Nebraska May 4 when Arthur G.
Wray, mayor of York and known for
years as a leading progressive of Ne
braska, was nominated for governor
of Nebraska by the farmer-labor con­
vention at Grand Island. Four names were placed
before the convention as candidates for governor:
James G. Elliot of Morrill, Robert Mousel of Cam
bridge, E. O. Wood of Bethany and Mr. Wray.
Before the balloting began, both Mr. Elliot and
Mr. Mousel withdrew in favor of Wray, which left
him opposed by E. O. Wood. The result of the
vote was: Wray, 128 Wood, 27. A motion to make
Wray's nomination unanimous was carried with
out a dissenting vote.
Robert Mousel of Cambridge received the nom
ination of the convention for lieutenant governor
and
L. Bollen of Wayne was named for attorney
general. No candidates were named for other state
offices.
Delegates were present from nearly every county
in the state representing the National Nonpartisan
league of Nebraska, while other delegates repre
sented the Nebraska State Federation tf Labor,
the central labor unions of Omaha, Lincoln, Hast
ings, Fremont and Grand Island, various lodges
of the railroad, brotherhoods, the Douglas and Hall
county legislative leagues, various Farmers' tuiion
locals and the Women's Nonpartisan clubs. En
thusiasm ran high.
Mayor John L. Cleary of Grand Island welcomed
the delegates and commended their judgment in
selecting Grand Island as a meeting place, citing
that Grand Island owed its growth and develop
ment to the combined efforts of the farmers and
laborers. His remark that the convention had
come together to settle its disputes at the ballot
box in the good old American way was loudly
cheered.
Governor Frazier, who had arrived only a few
minutes before, was then introduced and addressed
the convention for half an hour. He spoke of the
fight for honest government in North Dakota and
warned the convention to choose men from among
themselves, who saw things from their own view
point and who would truly represent them.
Mr. Sorensen then read the call of the meeting,
which was issued by the state executive committee
of the National Nonpartisan league, and the
convention proceeded to organize. James
G. Elliot, farmer, of Morrill, was chosen
chairman, and Frank M. Coffey of Lincoln
secretary.
A*"
Doctor Henrik Shipstead, League-labor candi
date for governor of Minnesota, in action.
The following platform was drawn up
by the combined platform and resolutions
committees:
"1. We favor the exemption of farm im
provements and farm and
workingmen's homes from
taxation.
"2. We favor state own
ership and operation of
packing plants, flour mills,
stockyards, creameries,
terminal elevators and
beet sugar factories, inso
far as necessary to restore
competition and break mo
nopolistic control.
"3. We favor municipal
ownership of cold storage
plants, warehouses and of
all public service utilities.
"4. We favor state own
ership and development of
the waterpower of Nebras
ka, and state or federal
ownership and operation
of telephone and telegraph
lines.
"5. We favor co-oper
ative banks, and better
and cheaper credit facil
ities for farmers and
workingmen,
"6. We favor all possi
ble legislative encourage-